Pumpkin Pie for The Body Ecology Diet (stage 1)

My 10 year old asked for pumpkin pie for this year’s birthday. My challenge was to make a delicious pie for a child unable to eat gluten, nuts, dairy, or flour. As a family, we currently follow The Body Ecology Diet (B.E.D.) and steer away from refined sugar so this was all taken into consideration.

Below is the no-bake pumpkin filling I came up with; smoothed in a baked pumpkin seed crust; free of common allergens (i.e., dairy, eggs, nuts, gluten, peanuts, soy) and stage 1 B.E.D.-friendly. See stage-2 pumpkin pie.

Enjoy my creation!! Watching my boy smile as he blew out his candles was worth every minute it took to make this pie a good one ….

Pumpkin Pie (stage 1, B.E.D.) 

For crust:

1 1/4 cup pumpkin seeds, ground in blender

3 Tbsp. coconut oil or ghee, melted

2 Tbsp. chia seeds, finely ground and soaked in 2 Tbs. water 

2 Tbsp. lakanto

1/2 tsp. cinnamon powder

For filling:

2 cups pumpkin puree, canned or fresh

1 cup water

3 Tbsp. pumpkin seeds, chia seeds, or flax seeds, ground into a powder 

2 Tbsp. agar agar flakes or gelatin powder

1 Tbsp. kuzu* stirred into 1/4 cool water

1 tsp. stevia green leaf powder (or 1/4 tsp white stevia powder or 4-6 Tbsp. lakanto)

1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract, glycerin and alcohol free

1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon powder

1/4 tsp. ginger powder (or 1 tsp grated fresh)

1/4 tsp. sea salt

1/8 tsp. each of cloves, allspice, and nutmeg

Method

1. Preheat oven to 325 F.
2. Grease a 9-inch pie pan with a bit of coconut oil.
3. Mix crust ingredients in a bowl and press into pie pan.
4. Bake crust for 10-15 minutes, removing as it starts to brown.
5. While the crust is baking, combine all pie filling ingredients (except kuzu) in a heavy-bottomed pan.
6. Over low flame, gently simmer and stir occasionally with a whisk.
7. Let simmer for 5 minutes or until the agar agar has dissolved.
8. Add in the kudzu that has been pureed in a 1/4 cup of cool water and return to a simmer to heat until thick, about 2 minutes.
9. Pour and smooth the filling into baked pumpkin seed pie crust or heat-resistant individual custard cups and chill.
10. Garnish with pumpkin seeds and top with cultured cream.

Tips and tricks

• For an easy-to-digest and more healing food, soak/dehydrate pumpkin seeds prior to grinding them.
• For additional fat, you can add 2 Tbsp. coconut oil into the filling.
• For a slightly sweeter filling, add 1-2 Tbsp. of lakanto
• The filling makes a wonderful custard, just pour filling into custard cups and top with cultured cream and a sprinkle of cinnamon.
• Substitute 2 egg yolks for chia seeds in crust, if tolerated.
• If you transitioned to B.E.D. stage 2, here is recipe for pumpkin pie with an almond crust.
• This is a Body Ecology Diet (B.E.D.) “stage 1” friendly dessert!!

*Best to limit or avoid kuzu root if you experience diarrhea or abdominal pain. 

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Cultured Cream

Celebrate Thanksgiving on B.E.D.

Nutritional Support

May all bellies be happy!