Healthy Pecan Pie

A Sweet Pea Chef

Healthy Pecan Pie

This Healthy Pecan Pie is so easy and delicious – it’s awesome to enjoy a family favorite without sacrificing your healthy eating goals!

Somehow, I made it until my early thirties until I ever tried a pecan pie.  It always seemed so strange to me to fill a pie with…nuts.  So, I went for years without ever even trying one.  Which is kinda crazy, if you think about it.  I mean — how did I not just TRY a kind of pie before?

This is ME we’re talking about.

It’s pie.

Then, one day a few years ago, when we were out with the family enjoying a day trip to Fredericksburg (<—- LOVE BTW), we stopped into a super cute and sweet pie shop.  The lady at the front counter boasted about how their Orange Bourbon Pecan Pie was recently featured in Sunset Magazine and it was world renowned.

Okay okay okay, it was time to finally try pecan pie.  How do you say no to that?

So, we ordered a slice of the world famous pecan pie (aaaaaand a few other slices of other pies) and I went for it.

It was then that I realized I had been missing out on a whole amazing kind of pie my entire life.

Pecan pie was amazing! And that orange hint — puh-LEASE.

Note: To all other kinds of fruit pie, I still love you very, very much.

If you follow me on Instagram and Facebook, I recently asked everyone what special holiday recipes you wanted me to #makeithealthy for this holiday season.

Not surprisingly, pecan pie was THE most requested holiday recipe from all the votes.

Pecan Pie is amazing – so why not make it into something we can enjoy on a healthy diet, am I right?!?

Making this pecan pie healthy was not too hard at all, thanks to my trusty clean pie crust which uses whole wheat pastry flour and coconut oil instead of butter.  Nom.

I also used raw honey instead of any refined sugars to sweeten the pie, which worked beautifully.

If you’ve never made pecan pie, it’s so shockingly simple – you just make the easy cinnamon-egg filling, and then pour it over a bunch of raw pecans in the pie crust.  Pop it in the oven and it rises and bakes like a miracle.

That’s right: a miracle.

Healthy Pecan Pie

 

So, for all you pecan pie lovers who want to keep up your healthy lifestyle, this holiday season and throughout the year, I hope you enjoy this #makeithealthy Healthy Pecan Pie as much as we do.

Healthy Pecan Pie

This Healthy Pecan Pie is so easy and delicious – it’s awesome to enjoy a family favorite without sacrificing your healthy eating goals!

1/2 cup raw honey 2 tbsp coconut oil (melted) 3 eggs 1/2 tsp fresh orange zest 1/8 tsp sea salt 1 tbsp unsweetened almond milk 1 tsp ground ground cinnamon 1 tsp pure vanilla extract 3 tbsp whole wheat pastry flour 2 cups raw pecans 1 bottom pie crust

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. In a large bowl, combine raw honey, coconut oil, eggs, fresh orange zest, sea salt, unsweetened almond milk, ground cinnamon, pure vanilla extract, and whole wheat pastry flour. Stir to combine. Arrange the raw pecans into the prepared 9-inch pie crust. Pour the liquid filling mixture over the pecans, spreading some with a spoon if necessary. Place into the oven and bake for 10 minutes at 400 degrees, then reduce the temperature to 350 degrees and bake for 20-25 minutes. The pie will rise in the oven. You’ll know it’s done when it has small cracks in the top and is no longer giggly. Remove from oven and allow to cool, preferably overnight.

This post contains affiliate links for products I use regularly and highly recommend.

The post Healthy Pecan Pie appeared first on A Sweet Pea Chef.

Minimalist Baker

160 Vegan Christmas Recipes!

Christmas is right around the corner so it’s the perfect time to share just a few (read 160) vegan recipes to make your holiday a little brighter – and tastier.

Behold, a delicious spread of breakfast ideas, appetizers, sides, entrées, and yes – always yes – desserts. We even shared a few drink ideas to cozy up with by the fire.

These recipes make delicious offerings for holiday meals and gatherings, but they would also make greats!

160 Vegan Christmas Recipes! from Minimalist Baker →

Cookie and Kate

Classic French 75 Cocktail

Are you acquainted with the French 75? The French 75 is a refreshing and citrusy, sparkling gin cocktail that packs a punch. It’s perfect for the holidays and other celebratory occasions. The French 75 is the answer any time a bubbly cocktail is in order!

French 75’s are made with a standard pour of gin and topped with Champagne, so it’s a strong drink in a sparkling dress. In fact, it’s named after the French 75-mm field gun, which was commonly used in World War I.

Here’s my only spin on this classic cocktail: I used honey instead of sugar in the simple syrup. The light honey flavor plays beautifully with fresh lemon and herbal gin. That said, you can absolutely keep the the original recipe and use sugar if you’d rather.

Either way, you’ll want to heat up your simple syrup on the stove, which will take less than 5 minutes (if you try using straight honey in a cold cocktail, it will seize up). You can make the simple syrup up to several days before your party (store it in the refrigerator, covered) or just let it cool for a few minutes before you shake up your drinks.

Continue to the recipe...

The post Classic French 75 Cocktail appeared first on Cookie and Kate.