Well that didn't turn out how I thought it would. I was so excited yesterday - grateful that at one point in history women weren't considered important or intelligent enough to even vote and now one may be president! That is huge. But today, feeling pretty disappointed that he is the best we could come up with, and with that, the vicious comments and hate that are being tossed around far lightly. I was encouraged by Glennon Doyle's words:
Woman Warriors have always made beautiful worlds out of nothing.
Every time a child gets sick or a man leaves or a parent dies or a community crumbles, the women are the ones who carry on, who do what must be done in the midst of their own pain. While those around them fall away, the women hold the sick and nurse the the weak, put food on the table, carry their families' sadness and anger and love and hope. They keep showing up for their lives and their people with the odds stacked against them and the weight of the world on their shoulders. They never stop singing songs of truth, love, and redemption in the face of hopelessness. They are inexhaustible, ferocious, relentless.
We've been Warriors all along, and nothing will change that.
We are not what just happened. But we might be what we do next.
The world needs our relentless, inexhaustible, fierce, boundlessness love today more than it ever has before. So let's do what we do: Let's feed some hungry babies and clothe some hurting families and get the heat turned back on for as many as possible.
- Glennon Doyle Melton
I signed up for a vegetable side and a non-pie dessert for Thanksgiving. I didn't necessarily have any dishes in mind besides not liking overcooked green beans or marshmallows on my sweet potatoes and generally not liking pie. We are having dinner with Hugh's side and there are a lot of people - three generations down from a family of five kids and it makes for a full house and a pretty random spread sometimes. So what is "of the season" but not pie? I understand the buttery crust is a vehicle for flavorful fillings and some people are all about it, but I will take most anything else before pie. The crust is a little plain and the filling usually overly sweet to compensate and I'll just take a scoop of the a la mode portion please. I tinkered with a pumpkin pie filling, cleaning it up as much as I could, and made a rough crust of dates, nuts and oats to carry it. Before the whipped topping, it resembles a breakfast good, I would suggest it for such - kind of like granola on the bottom with barely sweetened squash goodness on top. I heaped creaminess on top and sprinkled a little turbinado sugar and I'm already excited to eat this again in a couple weeks.
Remember we get to choose to be good to each other.
* If you live in the So Cal area, come to Heritage Mercantile in Costa Mesa this Sunday, 11/13 for a small book event! There will be snacks and drinks and beautiful home and kitchen goods so come hang and maybe do a little holiday shopping. You can rsvp on their site. Hope to see you!
PUMPKIN PIE TART // Serves 8-10
The tart is both gluten and dairy free and then I leave the whipped topping decision to you. You could make a coconut cream or go straight whipping cream and both options are in the published recipe. If you are taking this somewhere to share, a hot tip I learned was to add a couple tablespoons of mascarpone or cream cheese to the whipping cream and it'll help it stay set for longer. I also love the depth of flavor. This direction does take us away from the dairy free camp but is delicious. The coconut cream should keep fine as long as it is cold.
Crust:
1 cup pecan pieces
1 cup rolled oats
1/4 cup crystallized ginger
6-7 soft Medjool dates, pitted and halved
1/4 cup coconut oil, softened
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
Cake:
1 cup pumpkin puree
2 eggs
1 cup full fat coconut milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup natural cane sugar
Turbinado sugar or toasted pecan pieces, for garnish
Coconut Whipping Cream:
1 14-oz. can full fat coconut milk, chilled overnight
2 tablespoons powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Maple Whipping Cream:
8 ounces heavy whipping cream, chilled
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 tablespoons real maple syrup
For the cake:
Preheat the oven to 325°F. Prepare an 8” or 9” springform pan with the bottom lip upside down, so the tart is easy to remove. Line pan with parchment paper and grease with coconut oil.
In a food processor, pulse pecans and oats together until a coarse meal forms. Add ginger, dates, coconut oil, and salt, and pulse until it begins to stick together. You should be able to press it together between your fingertips; add one more date if needed. Press mixture into the bottom of the springform pan and chill for 10-20 minutes. Prick the bottom with a fork and bake for 10 minutes until just toasted on top. Remove to cool completely.
While the crust cools, make the cake. Bump the oven up to 350°F. Combine pumpkin puree and eggs in a bowl, and whisk well to combine. Add coconut milk, vanilla, pie spice, sea salt, both sugars, and mix well. Spread on top of the crust and smooth the top. Bake on the middle rack for 30 minutes until just set. Remove to set and cool completely.
This much can be done up to two days in advance, covered with plastic wrap and kept in the fridge.
Once cooled, garnish cake with whipped cream or coconut cream, and turbinado sugar or toasted pecans, and serve.
For the dairy-free coconut cream:
Scoop the firm coconut cream layer off the top of coconut milk and reserve for smoothies or another use. In a stand mixer or with an electric mixer, blend the chunks of coconut cream until broken down. Add powdered sugar and vanilla, and beat another minute or two until light and creamy. Coconut whipped cream is best served immediately. It can be stored, covered, in the fridge—but it will turn hard, so you will need to whip it again to soften.
For the maple whiping cream:
In a stand or electric mixer, whisk cold cream until soft peaks form. Add vanilla and maple, and whip to combine.
