Pumpkin Pie with Tofu

It’s fall, and you know what that means: warm sweaters and fuzzy socks, spiced candles that smell good enough to eat, and pumpkin…everything pumpkin. From pies to puddings to pancakes, we can find pumpkin in all of our favorite cold-weather comfort foods.

However, if you’re a woman with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS), a disorder that is the leading cause of female infertility, traditional comfort foods full of white flour and processed sugar wreck havoc on your already imbalanced hormones.

Whacked out hormones contribute to excess facial hair, painful and irregular periods, and cystic acne, among other symptoms that make living with PCOS stressful. But, that doesn’t mean PCOS women are doomed to a life of painful or embarrassing symptoms. Why? Because all symptoms—yes all!—can be controlled through a healthy diet, thus eliminating the need for prescription drugs to feel and look better!

I know firsthand that having PCOS is stressful enough, so I’m adamant that eating a PCOS-friendly diet shouldn’t be. That’s why at PCOS Diet Plans I teach my clients how to adapt family recipes, holiday favorites, and everyday dishes into PCOS-friendly options.

And it’s so easy! There are no expensive, hard-to-find ingredients and cooking PCOS-friendly foods doesn’t take any longer than cooking the original recipe does.

Below I share with you a: fantastic recipe for Pumpkin Pie that I’ve tweaked just a little to make it PCOS-friendly.

You’ll see that all sugar has been replaced with stevia, that the traditional flour crust gives way to a nutrient-dense pecan base, and that all dairy has been swapped for coconut-based alternatives. You can use these tips to turn any of your favorite recipes into more PCOS-friendly versions that taste great and help you manage your symptoms.

PUMPKIN PIE WITH TOFU

Ingredients

1 (16 ounce) can pumpkin, sweet potato, acorn squash, or butternut squash puree
3/4 teaspoon stevia powder 3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon (If you love it, double it! Cinnamon is a PCOS super-food.)
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1 (10 ounce) package soft tofu, do not use low fat
1 can coconut cream (For whipped topping, of course!)

1 pecan crust 1 (9 inch) pie shells, unbaked

• 2 1/2 cups ground pecans
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/3 teaspoon stevia powder 1/3 cup white sugar ( use less stevia if you like it less sweet)
• 4 tablespoons coconut butter, melted 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Prepare the pumpkin pie and pecan crust:

1. For the crust: Stir together ground nuts, cinnamon, and stevia. Mix in melted coconut butter.
2. Press the mixture into the bottom and up the sides of a 9 inch, deep-dish style, pie pan. Chill the unbaked crust in the refrigerator for about 30 to 45 minutes.
3. Preheat oven to 350°F.
4. Bake pecan crust for 5-7 minutes, until lightly brown and fragrant.
5. For the filling: Cream the tofu, pumpkin, and stevia in a food processor; add salt and spices, and mix thoroughly.
6. Pour mixture into pecan crust and bake for 30-40 minutes, covering edges of crust with foil if they begin to darken too quickly.
7. Chill and serve.

Prepare the coconut whipped cream:

1. Put the can of coconut milk in the fridge overnight.
2. Open the can without shaking it or turning it upside down.
3. Carefully spoon out the top layer of opaque white milk and put into a mixing bowl.
4. Use a hand beater or an electric mixer to beat coconut milk into soft peaks.
5. To sweeten, add a dash of stevia, if desired.

PCOS-friendly pumpkin pie recipe inspired by Food.

PCOS-friendly crust inspired by Allrecipes.

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Want more recipes that will help mitigate your PCOS symptoms? Grab your free copy of my One Day PCOS-Friendly Meal Plan now!