Preparations for Thanksgiving are in full swing. I have come up with our menu, gathered up the recipes and am doing a few test runs. I will be serving a traditional dinner with a sugar-free, gluten-free and low-carb twist: turkey, dressing, mashed cauliflower, gravy, green bean casserole, cranberries, dinner rolls, pumpkin bake with whipped cream and apple crisp with vanilla ice cream. I am ambitiously planning to make it all from scratch.
This isn't the first time I have undertaken this endeavor. We have hosted Thanksgiving, I think, four times in the past eight years. Each year I take mental notes of what I need to do, to be prepared better for future holiday meals. Last year, I purchased a roaster to cook the turkey. This was decided after the previous years mistake of simply forgetting I can't use the oven to make turkey and the side dishes at the same time. Another lesson learned, before heading out to do my holiday shopping, I get out all my baking dishes and label with a post-it note, what goes in what, then if needed, I buy some disposable baking pans. I prefer to do my shopping and prep work the day before to make sure everything is as fresh as possible, then the day of it's really just assembly and baking/cooking.
As I mentioned in the dressing dress rehearsal, last year I made a new dressing recipe without testing it out first. Although everyone said it was good, it really wasn't what I wanted in a dressing. So another lesson learned, test any new recipes before serving it to your guests. I am serving two new desserts this year, pumpkin bake and apple crisp. Both are sugar-free and gluten-free with the pumpkin bake being low-carb as well. I made the pumpkin bake over the weekend, and it was a smashing success. We loved it! Super EASY to make and a short ingredient list.
The original recipe didn't need a lot of tweaking, other than replacing the artificial sweetener with stevia. I also followed the advice of Linda Sue and added some vanilla extract. I plan to make this the day before Thanksgiving as it needs to fully cool on the counter and then be chilled in the refrigerator before serving. As far as taste goes, it tastes more like pumpkin pie than cheesecake. Either way, it is dense and delicious!
Primal Pumpkin Bake
Original Recipe by Jody
Adapted by Healthy Living How To
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Servings: 6
Ingredients
- 8 oz. Organic Cream Cheese, Room Temp
- 5 Large Organic Eggs
- 1/8 tsp. NuNaturals Pure White Stevia Extract Powder
- 15 oz. Organic Pumpkin Puree (fresh or canned)
- 1 1/2 tsp. Pumpkin Pie Spice
- 1 tsp. Cinnamon
- 1 tsp. Vanilla Extract
Directions
1. Add all ingredients to medium bowl and mix with electric mixer until smooth (I just dumped it all in my VitaMix).
2. Pour into a 6×8 glass baking dish lightly sprayed with non-cook spray.
3. Bake at 350° F for 45 minutes or until knife inserted in center comes out clean.
4. Set on wire rack and cool then cover and chill overnight in refrigerator.
5. Serve with fresh whipped cream.
