The Perfect Allergy-Friendly Pie Recipe

Pumpkin pie was always the dessert I looked forward to the most – It would even beat out birthday cake! So it’s safe to say that when I decided to go gluten and dairy free to begin healing my gut, I was UBER BUMMED that I wasn’t to eat pumpkin pie ever again.

Until… I started researching. About 5 years ago, I went to a friends place for Thanksgiving, and this really awesome person brought a homemade gluten and dairy-free pumpkin pie.

I pretty much pushed everyone aside for the first piece and called the host the next morning to see if there were any leftovers.

The Perfect Allergy-Friendly Pumpkin Pie

Ingredients:

CRUST

• 6 Tbsp chilled coconut oil
• 1 1/4 cup Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 Gluten-Free Flour
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 4-6 Tbsp ice cold water

FILLING

• 2 3/4 cups cooked pumpkin OR (~1 1/2 15-ounce cans pureed pumpkin)
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 1/4 cup raw cane sugar sugar
• 1/3 cup unsweetened plain almond milk
• 1 Tbsp olive oil, or melted coconut oil
• 2 1/2 Tbsp cornstarch or arrowroot powder
• 1 3/4 tsp spice mix*
• 1/4 tsp sea salt

* Mix 3 tsp of each the following: Ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves – combine well and pull 1 3/4 tsp for the recipe. Reserve the rest for future recipes.

Directions:

1. To prepare crust, add gluten-free flour and salt to a large mixing bowl and whisk to combine. Slice or dollop the cold coconut oil in and work gently with a fork. Don’t overwork, just incorporate.
2. Next add ice cold water a little at a time and combine. Only add as much water as you need to help it come together. Once a loose dough is formed, transfer to a piece of plastic wrap and work gently with your hands to form a 1/2 inch thick disc. Wrap firmly and refrigerate for a minimum 30 minutes, up to 2 days. Just let it warm back up a little before using.
3. Once your dough is chilled, preheat oven to 350 degrees F (176 C) and prepare pie filling.
   Add all pie ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth. Set aside.
4. To roll out the crust, unwrap the disc and place it between two sizable layers of wax paper. Use a rolling pin to gently roll it into the shape of your pie pan. If it cracks, don’t stress – you can reform it with your hands once you get it in the pan. But try and be gentle.
5. To transfer the crust, remove the top layer of wax paper and gently lay the pie dish face down on top of the crust and use the support of the wax paper to quickly but carefully invert it. Don’t overthink it – just do it.
6. Once you get the crust inverted, gently use your hands to form it into the pan, working the crust up along the sides. It can be a little tricky but it bakes beautifully, so it’s worth the effort! Just try not to overwork the dough in the process – it shouldn’t take more than a few minutes to perfect the shape. Any holes or cracks can be mended with a little excess dough and the heat of your hand.
   TIP: I would advise against trying to be fancy and do any elaborate design with the crust, so just get the crust in, get a flat edge and go.
7. Pour filling into pie crust and bake for 55-65 minutes. The crust should be light golden brown and the filling will still be just a bit jiggly and have some cracks on the top.
8. Remove from oven and let cool completely before loosely covering and transferring to the refrigerator to fully set for 4-6 hours, preferably overnight (patience pants!)
9. Slice and serve with coconut whipped cream and an additional sprinkle of cinnamon, nutmeg, and/or pumpkin pie spice (optional).
    

Just a loving reminder that you don’t have to sacrifice it all. Food intolerances, gut pain and inflammation can all be healed. We just need to step back, put our faith in someone who specializes in gut health, then show up for ourselves every damn day.

From my autumn kitchen to yours,

Cassandra Hope, RHN