Health-boosting pumpkin pie

By Sari Huhtala

A friend once told me he can eat an entire Costco pumpkin pie in a day because it’s so good, and so cheap. Only in North America would people get excited about getting their hands on a cheap pie made with 38 plus ingredients, including Frankenfoods and ingredients that are banned in Europe due to potential toxic effects on DNA and immunity. Wondering why a commercial pumpkin pie needs over 30 more ingredients than a homemade pie? Only one thing to remember. The food industry’s goal is not to keep you healthy, but to make money. Costco rakes in about $42 million each fall just from the sale of their “legendary” pumpkin pies.  

More than once my mother has argued, with hands on hips and a heavy sigh, that it is cheaper and easier if I just buy a pumpkin pie instead of insisting on baking my own. I have the same answer for her each year. It’s the same kind of response I gave my son when he was 10 years old and I asked him what he wanted for his birthday and he said “a loaf of white bread.” I looked at him with complete empathy and said “I’m sorry, I can’t do that to you. Pick something else.”

The reality is in 2021 45.1 per cent of Canadians were living with at least one chronic disease, according to Statistics Canada. It’s not the consumption of a commercial pumpkin pie that’s going to cause disease, but it’s not helping the cause, and most people aren’t even reading the ingredient label when they purchase these types of items. Most people aren’t even connecting the dots. I once counted over 70 ingredients in a commercially baked white birthday cake with coloured frosting on top. I couldn’t imagine serving something like that to a bunch of kids at a birthday party.

Curious about the ingredients in a Costco pumpkin pie?

Kirkland brand pumpkin pie ingredients – Filling – (pumpkin, water, sugar, dry skim milk, glucose solids, dried whole egg, flour, whey powder, modified manioc starch, canola oil, modified cornstarch, salt, agar, potassium sorbate, spices) Crust – flour, palm and soya oils, water, sugar, salt. Glaze: (water, sugar, corn syrup, pectin, citric acid, carrageenan, xanthan gum, potassium sorbate, artificial flavour, sodium citrate, calcium chloride, mono and diglycerides, canola oil, sodium phosphate, colour).

Keep in mind any number of chemicals can be used to create an artificial flavour so who knows how many ingredients are really in this pie.

Here’s an easy healthy pumpkin pie recipe. I did the math, and it works out to about one dollar more to bake this pie than buy a commercial one, with one caveat. Canned pumpkin puree has doubled in price and is ridiculously expensive to buy, so if you want to make this pie inexpensive, make your own pumpkin puree.

It’s easy. Cut a pie pumpkin in half and scoop out the seeds. For health’s sake, save the seeds and make a pumpkin seed powder Then roast the pumpkin cut side up in a 400 degree oven for about 50 minutes, or until a fork pierces through the flesh easily. Remove from oven and allow to cool. Scoop the flesh into a blender or food processor and blend until pureed. Freeze unused puree in baggies or jars for later.

Now’s the time to buy a bunch of pie pumpkins. They will store for a long time. I still have one pumpkin harvested from my garden sitting in my basement. It’s perfectly fine. The downside is that the outer skin is real tough after a year, so I’m waiting for a really, really strong guest to arrive.

Wholesome, healthy pumpkin pie

• 1 cup full fat canned coconut milk (do not use the cheap, synthetic crap if you want a yummy pie)
• 2 cups pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
• 3 eggs
• ¾ cup coconut sugar
• 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice (make your own by combining 1 tsp cinnamon, ½ tsp ginger, ½ tsp nutmeg, ¼ tsp cloves, ¼ tsp allspice)
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• ½ tsp salt

In a mixing bowl, whisk eggs, coconut milk, vanilla and pumpkin puree together. Add the remaining ingredients and whisk until well blended. Set aside.

Spelt flour pie crust (makes 1 pumpkin pie crust)

• 1 cup spelt flour
• 1/4 tsp salt
• ¼ plus 1/8 cup cold butter
• 2 tbsp cold water

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Blend flour and salt and cut butter into mixture till crumbly. Add water and mix well to form a dough. Roll out dough to fit a pie pan, all the way up to the top of the edge of the pan. Carefully line the pie pan with the dough, pinching edges slightly at top so the crust doesn’t shrink during baking.  

Pour the pumpkin pie filling into the pie crust and bake for 15 minutes at 425 degrees F. Reduce the heat to 350 degrees F and bake for an additional 50 to 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in centre comes out clean.

Remove pie carefully from oven and allow to cool completely before slicing.

Sari Huhtala is the creator, publisher and editor of Alive and Fit Magazine, which was created in 2007.  She has over 25 years of experience in journalism and over 15 years of experience as a certified personal trainer and fitness instructor, and is a holistic chef, offering holistic cooking and edible wilds workshops. She is an organic farmer, wild-crafter and grandmother, who has spent over 20 years navigating a holistic, healthy path for her family. Reach her at friends@thelaughingforest.ca