Chocolate Pumpkin Pie : Low Carb

Libby writes, "Pumpkin is a really versatile low carb vegetable to use in a variety of low carb dishes. It can be flavoured as either savoury or sweet. It can be used in soups, roasted, mashed with butter and garlic, and baked in desserts like this one.

Ingredients:
Makes 12 slices
Chocolate pie base
1 stick/ 114g butter melted
2 - 4 tbsp sweetener of choice to taste
30g / ⅓ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
30g / ⅓ cup coconut flour
1 egg
Chocolate pumpkin pie filling
400g / 13 oz cups cooked pumpkin
200g / 6.5 oz full fat cream cheese softened
3 eggs whisked with a fork
4 tbsp sweetener of choice
30g / ⅓ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp dried ginger
¾ tsp nutmeg
½ tsp ground cloves
1½ tsp cinnamon "

Please see the cooking instructions at 'Ditch The Carbs' site here

Did you know ... Pumpkins are the most famous of all the winter squashes, and are most associated with Halloween lanterns. Inside the hard orange or yellow skin, the bright orange flesh is sweet and honey'd. They are a particularly good source of fibre, as well as a range of vitamins and minerals.

Availability
British season runs from October to December.

Choose the best
Go for pumpkins that feel heavy for their size, with a smooth, firm skin. Smaller pumpkins tend to have more flesh.

Prepare it
As pumpkins have very tough skins, some hard graft is needed to get into them. Put the squash on a thick tea-towel to keep it steady, then use a large strong knife to cut it in half. It can be heavy going, so work in sections until you reach the bottom. If the skin is particularly thick, you may need to hammer the knife in with a rolling pin. Once one side is cut, turn the pumpkin round and cut down on the other side, until it's split in two. Scoop out the seeds and any stringy parts. If the pumpkin is particularly big, cut it into quarters then, using a small, sharp knife, pare off the skin (unless you plan to roast it, in which case the skin can stay on). Then cut into chunks or wedges as required.

Store it
Kept in a cool, dark, well-ventilated place, it will keep for several weeks. Once cut, it should be kept in an airtight container in the fridge, where it will keep for around a week.

Cook it
Cut into chunks and bake or roast (30-40 minutes) or boil (15-20 minutes). Use to make soups, add to stews or mash as a side dish.

You may also like to see these tasty low carb Pumpkin Spice Muffins

see recipe / information here

All the best Jan