I have dinner parties and often get invited to bring food to dinner parties. These days there is always an issue with food sensitivities. I always find someone who can’t have gluten or dairy. When asked to bring dessert, I am often at a loss since it can be difficult to find a quality dairy free gluten free dessert recipe. How many times can I bring sorbet and fruit, coconut pudding, or almond paste cookies? These are good choices but sometimes it’s fun to make something special that is easy, creative, and will make people say Wow! I had to find something to make so that everyone could enjoy it.

I get my cooking creativity from my father. As a hobby, my father and I would try to recreate recipes from favorite dishes at restaurants we enjoyed. It was fun and although never exactly the same, the food came out quite good most times. I built upon this by adapting recipes to accommodate food sensitivities. Eliminating food allergens is an important part of my Restore and Rejuvenate Program and Shake, Bake and Salad Slimdown Diet. People don’t know what to eat and breakfast and dessert are the biggest problems. Since most people have problems with dairy, gluten, soy and corn, my recipes have to be free of these. Dessert is special and I deviated from the strictest criteria by including eggs and sugar and developed a dairy free gluten free dessert recipe.

CocoPumpAna Pie (All Dairy Free, Gluten Free Dessert Recipe)

Since I don’t have much time and sometimes not enough patience, I look for things that are quick and easy. I was inspired when I saw a gluten free dairy free chocolate pie crust in an aisle I rarely, if ever, go down. Then I happened upon organic pumpkin puree, saw bananas on the pie crust label and got an idea. The pie was a hit at Thanksgiving so I thought I would share it with you.  

While the ingredients are quite healthy with the exception of the pie crust which was unfortunately loaded with sugar, let’s not fool ourselves. This is a treat and high in calories. Having a small piece or a sliver can be delightful and almost guilt free but don’t fall into the trap of overindulgence since there are a lot of calories in a serving.

Pumpkin is very high in Vitamin A, bananas have a lot of potassium, coconut fat is antibacterial and is a healthier fat. And who doesn’t like chocolate!

Ingredients

• 1 16 oz box of Pacific Organic Pumpkin Puree
• 3 eggs
• ⅔ cup coconut cream (If you can’t find coconut cream get canned coconut milk, put it in the refrigerator and remove the cream from the top. You can drink the liquid coconut milk that is left over)
• ½ cup light brown sugar
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon of ginger
• ¼ teaspoon of cloves
• 1 Mi-Del Gluten Free Chocolate Snap Pie Crust
• 1 ½ bananas – cut into ¼ inch slices

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees

• Beat eggs in a large bowl and mix in brown sugar, cinnamon, salt, ginger, and cloves

• Add the Pacific Organic Pumpkin Puree

• Mix in the coconut cream – it’s best to use a whisk as this is thick

• Line pie crust with a thin layer of banana

• Pour mixture into pie crust and bake at 425 degrees for 15 minutes

• Reduce temperature to 350 degrees and continue baking for 50-60 minutes or until a knife or cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean

For a more festive presentation, place pecans along the outside rim when the pie in nearly done. An additional option is to drizzle maple syrup over the nuts for a glazed appearance.

Let it cool and dig in! If you have better ideas for a pie crust, please post it on my Facebook page! I cut down on the amount of sugar that was in the box recipe and I think next time I will also cut back on the coconut cream. Let me know how this works for you and if you have another dairy free gluten free dessert recipe to suggest.

Lorraine Maita, MD is an award winning physician, speaker, and author of “Vibrance for Life: How to Live Younger and Healthier.” She can make you slim, sharp, sexy and supercharged. She is an expert in anti-aging medicine, bioidentical hormone replacement, weight loss, medical nutrition, supplements, and executive health.  Dr. Maita was the medical director for 3 Fortune 100 companies and has a private practice specializing in Functional, Integrative, Personalized and Anti-Aging Medicine in Summit and Basking Ridge, NJ. She educates virtually at www.vibranceforlife.com. She is also an advisory team member for Change Your Attitude, Change Your Life on WOR radio, the #1 talk radio station in the NY Metropolitan area. For more information, or to schedule your comprehensive physical consultation, contact the office today!