Pecan pie - free from dairy, gluten, added sugar

Yesterday our friends Judy, Nick and Viki came for lunch, along with their 1 year old West Highland Terrier, Poppy.

Poppy

For dessert, I made this Pecan Pie, which is free from wheat, dairy and added sugar. The sweetness comes from the natural whole ingredients - carrots, dates, pecan nuts, coconut and cinnamon.

It went down so well that Nick asked me for the recipe.

I must stress that this dish is sweet and is thus best served as a treat for special occasions rather than consumed on a regular basis. Although it contains a relatively high level of natural sugars, it also contains many other beneficial nutrients, so is much better for you than, say, cheesecake.

Carrots provide the highest source of provitamin A carotenes of the commonly consumed vegetables. Two carrots provide roughly 4050 retinol equivalents, or four times the recommended daily intake of vitamin A.

Vitamin A is required for:

• Antioxidant protection from damaging effects of oxidation/free radicals, pollutants 
• Eye health and vision
• Strengthening the immune system
• Growth, repair and formation of body tissues
• Bone, nerve, teeth formation
• Fertility, pregnancy and lactation
• The lining of the digestive tract

Carrots also provide excellent levels of vitamin K, biotin and dietary fibre; and very good levels of vitamins C and B6, potassium and vitamin B1.

Carrots are an excellent source of antioxidant compounds that help protect against cardiovascular disease and cancer.

Carrots also promote good vision, especially night vision. Beta-carotene, which is present in high levels in carrots, provides protection against macular degeneration and the development of senile cataracts.

Dates are among the most alkaline of foods and contain a special type of soluble fibre called beta-D-glucan. Beta-D-glucan fibre has been shown to decrease the body's absorption of cholesterol and to slow or delay absorption of glucose in the small intestine, thus helping to keep blood sugar levels even.

Laboratory studies have shown that dates are also surprisingly rich in antioxidant and anticancer compounds.

Pecan nuts owe much of their flavour to their high fat content, most of which is in the form of heart-healthy mono-unsaturated oleic acid.

Pecans also contain significant amounts of plant sterols, which are known to lower cholesterol levels.

Pecans are an excellent source of vitamin B1; and a good source of vitamins B3, B5, B6 and vitamin E. They are also rich in minerals, particularly manganese, molybdenum, zinc, magnesium, iron, potassium, selenium and calcium.

Coconut contains saturated fat and is an excellent source of manganese, molybdenum and copper.

Proving that delicious can also be healthy, here we go...

Ingredients

Ingredients for Pecan Pie

For the base

• 1 cup (85g/3oz) desiccated coconut
• 1 cup (100g/3.5oz) pecan nuts (chopped)
• 70g/2.5oz dried dates (chopped)
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1-2 tbsp water

For the topping

• 4 carrots(240g/8.5oz) (peeled and grated)
• 140g (5oz) dried dates (chopped)
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 cup (170g/6oz) ground almonds
• 1/2 to 3/4 cup (150ml/5 fl oz) hot water
• 20-25 pecan nuts for decoration

Method

1) Put dried ingredients for base in a food processor and blend until they form into a dough-like ball. Add 1-2 tbsp water if necessary to make the mixture stick together.

2) Press base mixture into a pie dish and bake in a pre-heated oven at 170 degrees C (gas mark 3/325 degrees Fahrenheit) for 5 to 10 minutes until just turning golden brown at the edges. Take care not to overcook - pecan nuts can burn easily.

3) Add the grated carrots, dried dates and cinnamon to a small pan, add 1/2 cup of hot water and simmer until the carrots and dates are soft. Add a little more water if necessary. Blend together with ground almonds until the mixture is smooth and creamy. If you find the mixture is a bit soft, just add some more ground almonds; if it's too dry, add a little more water.

4) Spread mixture on top of base using a spatula or a spoon and knife and decorate with pecan nuts. Bake in a pre-heated oven at 170 degrees C (gas mark 3/325 degrees Fahrenheit) for 10 minutes until lightly brown. Serve warm or cold.

Nutritional information

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Recipe for buckwheat croquettes with beetroot sauce

The term buckwheat refers to plants in two genera of the family Polygonaceae: the Eurasian genus Fagopyrum, and the North American genus Eriogonum. The crop plant, common buckwheat, is Fagopyrum esculentum. Tartary buckwheat (F. tataricum Gaertn.) or "bitter buckwheat" is also used as a crop, but it is much less common. Despite the common name and the grain-like use of the crop, buckwheats are not grasses and are not related to wheat. Indeed, buckwheat is in the same plant family as rhubarb.

Common buckwheat was domesticated and first cultivated in southeast Asia, possibly around 6000 BC, and from there spread to Europe and to Central Asia and Tibet. It was cultivated in Europe in the Balkans around 4000 BC.

Buckwheat contains about 75 per cent carbohydrate, 18 per cent protein and is rich in iron, zinc and selenium. Its protein contains all of the essential amino acids except lysine, so its protein value is over 90 per cent. It also contains significant quantities of anti-oxidants. One of these is called rutin, a medicinal chemical that strengthens capillary walls, reducing haemorrhaging in people with high blood pressure.

Buckwheat is either eaten whole or ground into flour to be used in breads, pancakes or thin noodles (Soba). It can be purchased raw to be lightly dry-roasted at home before cooking and generally combines well with vegetables. In recent years, buckwheat has been used as a substitute for other grain in gluten free beer.

RECIPE

Buckwheat Croquettes with Beetroot Sauce

Ingredients

• 1 cup raw buckwheat
• 2 cups water
• Pinch sea salt
• ½ onion (finely diced)
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 1 tsp barley miso

Sauce

• 2 onions (diced)
• 4 carrots (diced)
• ½ cooked beetroot (diced)
• Small piece of dulse sea vegetable
• 1 garlic clove (crushed)
• Sea salt
• Olive oil
• Umeboshi vinegar
• Dried basil
• Apple juice concentrate

Method

Croquettes

• Wash the buckwheat, drain and dry roast in a frying pan with no oil until the water has evaporated and the buckwheat is warm throughout (but do not burn!)
• Place buckwheat in a pot with the water and a pinch of sea salt. Put on the lid and cook on a medium flame until it boils, then reduce to a minimum flame and simmer for 30 minutes until all the water has gone.
• Add some oil to a frying pan, add the onions and sauté until the onions are translucent and soft.
• Add the thyme and stir for a couple of minutes.
• Mix the onion, thyme and 1 tsp miso with the cooked buckwheat. Taste and adjust seasonings if necessary. While the buckwheat mixture is still warm, form into sausage-shaped croquettes.
• Pan fry croquettes until they are golden brown all over. This quantity of buckwheat will make about 8 croquettes.

Beetroot sauce

• Sauté the diced onions and garlic with some olive oil and a pinch of sea salt until soft and translucent.
• Add the carrots, herbs, dulse and a small amount of water. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes until the carrots are soft, taking care not to let the water dry out completely (it will stick and burn otherwise).
• Add the beetroot and blend all the vegetables, adding some umeboshi vinegar and apple juice concentrate to taste. Serve hot.

For information and practical tuition on cooking with whole grains, why not come along to a Cooking for Health class on Cooking with Whole Foods, in Somerset, UK, with nutrition consultant and healthy cookery teacher, Dr Jane Philpott.