Following the Paleo diet doesn’t mean you have to forgo everyone’s favorite seasonal recipes. With all the wonderful holiday flavors packed into this paleo pumpkin pie, you’ll never miss the “traditional” crust – I promise!

Paleoista’s Favorite Pumpkin Pie

Ingredients:

• 1 cup organic toasted pecans
• 2 cups pureed, organic baked pumpkin
• 3 tsp natural pumpkin pie spice (cinnamon, ginger, lemon peel, nutmeg, cloves, cardamom, star anise, fennel, black pepper)
• 2 large, cage-free eggs
• 1/2 cup honey
• Coconut cream, for garnish (optional)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 475 F.
2. Grind the pecans in a food processor and press into the bottom of a glass pie plate rubbed with olive oil and lined with parchment paper to form the crust.
3. Thoroughly mix the remaining ingredients (pumpkin, spice, honey, eggs) and pour over the crust.
4. Bake for 15 minutes at 475 and then lower the temperature to 350 for another 30 – 40 minutes or until the ‘custard’ sets (cover the edges of the pan with foil to prevent the ‘crust’ from burning).
5. Cool on wire rack before serving in wedges, perhaps garnished with a dollop of
coconut cream.

Nell Stephenson, the original “Paleoista,” is the author of Paleoista, Gain Energy, Get Lean and Feel Fabulous with the Diet You Were Born to Eat (Touchstone, 2012) and co-author of The Paleo Diet Cookbook with Dr. Loren Cordain, PhD (Wiley & Sons, 2010). In addition to her work as nutrition consultant and trained chef, Stephenson is a personal trainer and competitive endurance athlete who credits the Paleo diet for her transformed health and athletic success. Visit her blog at www.paleoista.com.

New to the paleo diet? Take the guesswork out of everyday eating with a customized nutritional plan from Nell Stephenson—now available at Vitacost.com! Choose from more than a dozen specialized menus tailored to fit your unique lifestyle and nutritional needs.