Primal Pumpkin Cheesecake

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I hope everyone had a happy and healthy Thanksgiving!  I definitely did, and mine was complete with homemade pumpkin cheesecake.  I will warn you, this recipe contains CREAM CHEESE.  Therefore, it is NOT paleo….technically it’s primal.  However, I always say that there’s no paleo substitute (at least that I have found yet) that mimics pizza or cheesecake.  Once a year, this is a huge treat for me, and I can thank my mom for going to all the trouble.  Cheesecake can be kind of complicated to make, so I would never take the time myself.

She adapted her original vanilla cheesecake recipe that I posted years ago to a pumpkin version to fulfill all my pumpkin desires.😉 This cheesecake is not overly sweet, which is how I like it.  However, if you wanted a little more sweetness, making some homemade coconut whip to go over the top would be a wonderful addition.  I am all about tasting the delicious pumpkin pie spices and having that unmistakable creamy texture.  If you wanted it to be super cheesecake-like with a hint of pumpkin, you could decrease the amount of pumpkin or maybe do a cheesecake layer followed by a pumpkin layer on top.  Experiment to your hearts desire….and get it just the way you like it before Christmas!

In addition to my mom’s amazing pumpkin cheesecake, we had bacon Brussels sprouts, organic mashed potatoes, a baked ham that I paired with a mango chutney, and a couple nostalgic requests from my brother.  I told my mom she should try and doctor them to make them a little healthier and see how they turn out, but it’s hard to mess with something when people wait all year to have it exactly how they remember. ;)  I didn’t have any, but I certainly had enough of the other good stuff!

 

 

 

Pumpkin Cheesecake
Ingredients:
Crust:

1/2 cup almond meal

1 cup pecans, finely chopped

1/2 stick grassfed butter

1 Tbsp coconut sugar

1 tsp pumpkin pie spice (or plain ole cinnamon would work, too)

Filling:

3 packages of organic cream cheese (1 1/2 lbs)

1 15oz can pumpkin puree

3/4 cup coconut sugar

2 tsp vanilla

2 Tbsp tapioca flour

2 Tbsp pumpkin pie spice

4 eggs

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Place all your crust ingredients into a food processor and blend until they begin to meld.  Press the crust onto the bottom of a springform pan and bake for 8 minutes.  (If you like a lot of crust, you could easily double it!)

Beat the cream cheese until smooth and then add the rest of the ingredients one by one in the order listed (eggs have to be last to ensure the cheesecake doesn’t crack, although it’s still edible if it does!). Pour over crust and place the pan in a water bath.  Bake for 45 minutes.  Then turn the oven off and leave it in for another hour.  Cool slowly.

Pumpkin Pancakes (grain free, dairy free)

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Pancakes are a staple in many households and pumpkin just makes sense for fall.  Since you are adding a squash into this recipe, you are introducing some liquid.  Therefore, these pancakes tend to be more moist than some of my other pancakes, so don’t freak out if they are not exactly the same texture.
Pumpkin Pancakes (grain free, dairy free)
Ingredients:
1/2 cup coconut flour
1/2 cup tapioca flour
4 eggs
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
1/2 cup coconut milk
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp vanilla
1 Tbsp cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
Directions:
Mix together your dry ingredients and then add you wet ingredients until you have a batter.  Heat a nonstick pan over medium high heat and use coconut oil for the first batch to grease the pan.  Cook the batter on one side until the edges are firm.  Flip the pancake and cook for another 2 minutes or so.  After your first set of pancakes you can see how long you need to be cooking them on each side so they are cooked through since every stovetop is quite different!

Pumpkin Mousse Pie

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Let the pumpkin recipes begin. Pumpkin spice may be one of my favorite things about fall. If you try it in summer, it’s just not the same! So, I have been working on alternatives to pumpkin pie and pumpkin cheesecake. I love cheesecake…but don’t always want to make the splurge on the cream cheese from an unhealthy cow. ;( I am not a big fan of the texture of pumpkin pie. So, if pumpkin pie and pumpkin cheesecake had a baby, it would be pumpkin mousse pie!
Remember how I told you about my chocolate mousse pie? Well it’s amazing and so easy that I couldn’t resist the idea of switching up flavors. Once again, this is no bake. You need a kitchen aid mixer. If you freeze it, it is like ice cream cake. K? Good.

Pumpkin Mousse Pie

Crust:

  • 24 dates
  • 1/2 cup pecans
  • 1/2 cup walnuts
  • 1 Tbsp cinnamon
  • pinch of salt

Filling:

  • 2 1/2 sticks grassfed butter (at room temp)
  • 3/4 cup coconut sugar
  • pinch of salt
  • 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
  • 1 tsp ginger
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 4 eggs (at room temp)

Instructions:

Run your sugar through the food processor just to make sure it’s fairly fine and not chunky. Place the butter and sugar in the mixer on high with the paddle attachment for 1 1/2 minutes until fluffy and incorporated. Add the vanilla and pumpkin until incorporated. Put the whisk attachment on and turn the mixer to 6-7 speed and add an egg. Wait 5 minutes before adding the next egg.
While the egg is whisking for 5 minutes, put all your dates and nuts in the food processor and process until you get a mealy texture that you can press into the bottom of a pie pan. Put the larabar-esque crust into the pie pan and press down until the bottom is covered. Place in the fridge.
Now add the 2nd egg, and wait another 5 minutes.
During those 5 minutes, start your dishes clean up.
Now add the 3rd egg, and wait another 5 minutes.
Keep doing dishes.
Now add your 4th egg, and let it whisk for another 5 minutes.
Fold laundry.
Once the last egg is done whisking, Pour the mousse filling over the pie crust and put in the fridge for a few hours before serving. Done!

Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes

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 It’s fall.  The only good thing about winter on the horizon is pumpkin spice everything, boots, scarves, and cute coats.  Just sayin’.  These cupcakes are the perfect indulgence if you choose to make a healthy treat for all your pumpkin spice cravings.  I am sometimes lazy and if you are too, then you could easily just turn this pumpkin/spice combo into pancakes.  Just take my pancake recipe and change out banana (or whatever other flavor) for pumpkin and add in the spice. Boom. Don’t be lazy.

Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes

  • 2/3 cup coconut flour, sifted
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 8 eggs
  • 2 Tbsp vanilla
  • 1/2 cup pure maple syrup
  • 1/2 cup pureed pumpkin
  • 1/2 cup butter, melted
  • 1 Tbsp cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp cardamom
  • 1/4 tsp cloves
  • 1/4 tsp nutmeg
  • pinch all spice
  • 1 tsp ginger

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350F.  Place all the ingredients in a mixing bowl except the melted butter and mix to combine.  With the mixer on low, slowly pour in the melted butter.  Pour the batter evenly into 12 SILICON MUFFIN LINERS and bake 22 minutes or until the center springs back when you press on top.  Cool completely before frosting.

 

Pumpkin Mousse Pie

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pumpkin mousse pie
Let the pumpkin recipes begin. Pumpkin spice may be one of my favorite things about fall. If you try it in summer, it’s just not the same! So, I have been working on alternatives to pumpkin pie and pumpkin cheesecake. I love cheesecake…but don’t always want to make the splurge on the cream cheese from an unhealthy cow. ;( I am not a big fan of the texture of pumpkin pie. So, if pumpkin pie and pumpkin cheesecake had a baby, it would be pumpkin mousse pie!
Remember how I told you about my chocolate mousse pie? Well it’s amazing and so easy that I couldn’t resist the idea of switching up flavors. Once again, this is no bake. You need a kitchen aid mixer. If you freeze it, it is like ice cream cake. K? Good.

Pumpkin Mousse Pie

Crust:

  • 24 dates
  • 1/2 cup pecans
  • 1/2 cup walnuts
  • 1 Tbsp cinnamon
  • pinch of salt

Filling:

  • 2 1/2 sticks grassfed butter (at room temp)
  • 3/4 cup coconut sugar
  • pinch of salt
  • 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
  • 1 tsp ginger
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 4 eggs (at room temp)

Instructions:

Run your sugar through the food processor just to make sure it’s fairly fine and not chunky. Place the butter and sugar in the mixer on high with the paddle attachment for 1 1/2 minutes until fluffy and incorporated. Add the vanilla and pumpkin until incorporated. Put the whisk attachment on and turn the mixer to 6-7 speed and add an egg. Wait 5 minutes before adding the next egg.
While the egg is whisking for 5 minutes, put all your dates and nuts in the food processor and process until you get a mealy texture that you can press into the bottom of a pie pan. Put the larabar-esque crust into the pie pan and press down until the bottom is covered. Place in the fridge.
Now add the 2nd egg, and wait another 5 minutes.
During those 5 minutes, start your dishes clean up.
Now add the 3rd egg, and wait another 5 minutes.
Keep doing dishes.
Now add your 4th egg, and let it whisk for another 5 minutes.
Fold laundry.
Once the last egg is done whisking, Pour the mousse filling over the pie crust and put in the fridge for a few hours before serving. Done!