PUMPKIN CHIFFON PIE

I know I know... everyone's posting pumpkin this and pumpkin that!  But I love pumpkin! I can't help it! I love it all year round, and love all the ideas that come out this time of year for using it.  This one was a winner in my family.  Especially with me... the only low carber in the family.  I have to let you know how easy this is to make.  I was ending my first week of ECFE classes, which turned out to be a rather exhausting week for me, plus ending up subbing in another class on Friday morning.  By Friday afternoon I was pretty tired and didn't want to cook or bake or anything.  We ended up with this amazing gourmet meal of roasted chicken breast with garlic mushroom sauce and steamed broccoli seasoned with garlic butter. Yes there was lots of garlic! I ended it with this Pumpkin Chiffon Pie.  And I did not spend a lot of time in the kitchen! The chicken breast was thrown in the crock-pot when I got home from work.  Seasoned with thyme, garlic powder, onion powder and salt. That's all.  I let it cook on low until supper time.  Meanwhile I had a nice nap.  About an hour and a half before supper I made this pie.  It did not take me long and I chilled it in the freezer for a quicker chill.  It was quick and easy to throw together and really made us feel like we had a nice dinner out or something.

PUMPKIN CHIFFON PIE                    

12 ounces  Philadelphia 1/3 less fat cream cheese -- (or regular cream cheese)
7.6 ounces  Nestle Media Crema table cream
1 cup  sweeteners of choice -- (I used 1/2 tsp. ez-Sweetz Stevia and Monk fruit, and 1/2 cup  Swerve)
15 ounces  pumpkin -- (1 can)
1 teaspoon  cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon  salt
1/2 teaspoon  ginger
1/2 teaspoon  nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon  cloves
CRUST
1 cup  almond flour -- (such as Honeyville)
1/2 cup  flaxseed meal, golden
1/2 cup  whey isolate, vanilla flavored -- (I used Biochem, <1g carb per serving)
1/4 cup  butter -- melted (OR coconut oil)
1/4 cup  sweetener of choice -- (I used 6 packets of Truvia)

CRUST: Preheat oven to 320F. In 10-inch pie plate combine almond flour, flaxseed meal, whey isolate, butter, and sweetener.  Mix all together with a fork until it looks like crumbs.  Press down and up the sides of pie plate.  Bake 10 minutes.  Cool.

In large bowl combine cream cheese, table cream, and sweeteners.  Beat with electric mixer until very creamy and smooth, about 1 or 2 minutes.  Add pumpkin, cinnamon, salt, ginger, nutmet, and cloves.  Continue beating about 2 more minutes, until well incorporated and thick and creamy.  Spread into pie crust.  Chill thoroughly for about 6 hours or overnight for best results.  If you're in a hurry place in your freezer for 2 hours.

Serve with whipped topping if desired.

Copyright:
  "9/27/2013, by Ginny Larsen"
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12 Servings/Per Serving: 243 Calories; 21g Fat (79.3% calories from fat); 5g Protein; 7g Carbohydrate; 3g Dietary Fiber

NOTES : 4g net carbs per serving

SMALL CHOCOLATE CAKE, LC & GF

This small chocolate cake is actually a bigger form of a much smaller chocolate cake recipe that I did when I first started low-carbing.  It comes from this recipe
which was an off-shoot of the 3 minute chocolate cake recipe going around at that time.  I doubled this recipe and added some tweaks as you'll see.  I intend to experiment more with it with both flours and sweeteners.  It was sweet but it could be just a tad bit more sweet.

I did not make the chocolate whipped topping in the original recipe but this is a very wonderful Marshmallow Fluff from LC Foods.  Love this stuff!  Make sure you use real eggs if you do it and not egg whites from a carton.  I made that mistake the first time and though it was still very good as a marshmallow sauce it didn't thicken like it did this time with the real egg whites.  Wanna know what it tastes like compared to real marshmallow fluff?  It tastes like real marshmallow fluff.  I have some left over too, so I'm going to use it.

So you can decide how you want to top it. I'm just giving the nutrition info for the cake, but if you buy the Marshmallow Fluff Mix, you can get that from the back of the package and add to the cake. This makes an 8-inch square cake.  I cut it into 6 servings which gave nice sized pieces.  You can cut it into 9 if you like or how ever many you wish.  It rises well but is dense, not airy and fluffy like a cake mix would be.  Sort of brownie like actually but not quite.  Maybe I should call it a brownie cake.  The original cake with just flaxmeal was more cake-like. I think you can sure make it with all almond flour if you want to.  But then you would have to adjust the liquid.  Just so you bring it to a cake batter consistency.  I'm going to experiment more.

SMALL CHOCOLATE CAKE, LC & GF                    

1/2 cup  flaxseed meal, golden
1/2 cup  almond flour
2 tbsp.  coconut flour
4 tbsp. cocoa powder
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 cup  Swerve -- or equivalent
4 tbsp. Torani vanilla flavored sugar-free syrup
4 tbsp. shortening, Spectrum organic, non-hydrogenated -- (or other oil)
4 eggs
1/2 cup  HOT water

Preheat oven to 350F.  Grease 8-inch cake pan. In medium mixing bowl, combine flaxseed meal, almond flour, coconut flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and Swerve.  Sift together with whisk or electric mixer.

Add sugar-free syrup, shortening, and eggs.  Beat for 1 minute on low speed. Continue beating while adding hot water and beat for about 2 minutes.  If it is too thick, add a little more water until it is cake batter consistency.

Pour out into pan.  Bake about 40 minutes or until tooth pick inserted in center comes out clean.

Top with Marshmallow Fluff or Whipped Topping.

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Per Serving: 248 Calories; 21g Fat (72.2% calories from fat); 9g Protein; 9g Carbohydrate; 6g Dietary Fiber

MORE SIDE DISH ROUND-UP

Getting through these weeks of meetings, cleanings, preparing for the coming school year has been pretty busy!  There's always so much to do to prepare for those sweet little toddlers and preschoolers. I haven't had a lot of time for cooking lately, so I'm doing some round-ups and if you're like me, one of the things you most have difficulty with in a meal is the side-dish.  It can make or break a meal.  It can change a blah meal to something really special.

I've got a few more sides of my own to share, as well as some other food bloggers. Starting out with one of my most colorful and wholesome salads.
Marinated Asparagus and Vegetable Salad.   Salads make such a nice side dish, but I really do not like washing and cutting or eating lettuce all that much, unless it's topped with gobs of other good things and is only a small part of the salad.  I like putting together a mix of my favorite veggies instead.

Brocolli, Pepper, and Peach Salad: Another salad full of goodness, easy to toss together and if you want to make your meal even easier throw in some leftover meat and make it a whole meal.

DJ Foodie's Creamed Brussel Sprouts: Wouldn't you just love to have him as your personal chef?
Ok, how about onion rings?  Mellissa from "I Breathe I'm Hungry". "Crunchy and savory on the outside, and sweet and soft on the inside."  

Vegetable AuGratin Casserole: by Jennifer Eloff. I don't think anyone would go away hungry from this table.

Roasted Butternut and Cauliflower Squash, from Lisa of 24/7 Low Carb Diner. I can almost smell this.

Hungry for fried rice? Try this one from Karen, "Living Low Carb One Day at a Time."  You know, there's just no reason to feel deprived of anything if you are low-carbing!

Linda Sue's Broccoli Mushroom Casserole.  Linda has so many great ideas on her site!

Hope you find some good ideas! Have fun and happy eating! :)