Here at She Said, we love the sister-hood we are creating. Having said that, we have to acknowledge the awesome men-folk in our lives. Not only have so many of them been super supportive about this blog but have been eager to be a part of it. Given all the enthusiasm, we’d like to introduce to you “He Also Says“ – which includes swag input that we value from our male friends, and that we’d love to share with you on this space!
Also, it’s Thanksgiving ya’ll! So what a great way to celebrate Thanksgiving than with the first ever He Also Says post! 🙂
Thanksgiving food is the best. My sister and I decided to make a meal from scratch one year. We found recipes and cut them down to the third because it was only going to be the two of us. And while we were excited, we nearly passed out when we realized the amount of butter we would be using to cook for two people. Every single time “butter” appeared on the menu, we laughed so hard, we nearly let the butter burn! And yes, I get that it is one meal in the year (kinda) but what if, just what if, you are in the middle of an intense healthy wave and you don’t want to cave? What then? Would you pass on the Pumpkin Pie? I know I wouldn’t! And so, here at She Said, we may have a solution.
He Also Says guest blogger of the month, Love Mansukhani (our foodie friend from foodie places that we referred to that one time) follows a Paleo diet. He says:
“A Paleo diet is one free of grains, legumes and processed foods. It has many health benefits and I have personally seen a huge difference in the past 4 months of following a Paleo lifestyle. It is definitely difficult to follow it 7 days a week but in my case, I try to live by it 5-6 days of the week and it makes a world of a difference.”
Given the holiday season has begun, he was more than happy to share the Love (Get it?) with us! Here’s the recipe to one of the most yummy pies I’ve tasted, and is a great way to make this Thanksgiving so tasty and healthy all at once!
Paleo Pumpkin Pie
For the Pumpkin Puree
Directions:
Take a whole small sized pumpkin (about 2-3kgs max. – make sure they are not the big halloween pumpkins). Cut the stem. Split the pumpkin into halves. Remove the seeds and finer using a spoon. Use kitchen shears if necessary. Save the seeds for later – u can roast them and it makes a healthy snack. Sprinkle the flesh with sea salt and lay the halves, flesh side down, on a parchment paper-lined baking tray. Roast until a knife can be easily inserted and removed from the pumpkin. Takes about 30-45 minutes. Test in several places to ensure doneness. Remove the half sheet pan to a cooling rack and cool the pumpkin for 1 hour. Using a large spoon, remove the roasted flesh of the pumpkin from the ski to the bowl of a food processor. Whizzz. Store in a fridge for up to 1 week or freeze.
“I assure you, the fresh stuff is way better than the canned stuff”
For the pie crust
Ingredients: 1/3 cup flax meal 1 cup almond flour 1/4 cup coconut flour 1.5 whole eggs 3 tbsp coconut oil Pinch of sea salt
Directions: Knead everything in a bowl to make a dough. Carefully paste the dough on 25cm aluminium pie base (pie bake dish). Bake for 10-13 mins at 150 deg celsius. Remove and let cool down.
For the filling:
Ingredients: 2 cups homemade pumpkin purée (or you could use the canned stuff) 1/2 cup raw cashews 1/2 cup raw walnuts 1 tsp ginger 1 tsp nutmeg 1/2 tsp cardamom 1/2 tsp cinnamon 1/4 cup honey 1/3 cup maple syrup 1 whole clove 3.5 whole eggs 1 pinch sea salt
Directions: Blend the nuts and spices in a blender until very fine. Add everything else in the blender and blend till its a thick liquid suitable to fill a pie base. Pour on top of pie crust and bake for 40 mins at 170 deg Celsius. Remove, let cool.
For the coconut whipped cream:
Ingredients: 1 can full fat coconut cream (refrigerated over night) 1 vanilla bean pod 1/4 cup maple syrup Cardamom for sprinkle (garnish)
Directions: Take one can of full fat coconut cream – refrigerated over night. Open the can and separate the cream and water. Put all ingredients in a deep vessel. Blend with immersion blender (or whisk) until cream gets fluffy. Pour whipped cream on cool pie. Serve chilled.
Happy Thanksgiving, She Said world!
About Love Mansukhani: Managing Director at Ribbon Consulting, a Dubai-based Hospitality Solutions company specializing in Restaurant Concept Development, Franchising and Event Management. Love is a food specialist and wine sommelier by trade with Swiss Education & Global Experience in USA, UK, Australia, Switzerland, France, Spain, Germany, Oman and the UAE. He has been instrumental in the opening of various successfully concepts and takes pride in some of the healthy ones like KAUAI (Dubai Marina) and Freshii (DFIC). Currently, Love is trying to lead a Paleo lifestyle and spends a few too many hours at the gym or training for endurance sports including triathlons. If you are ever on the look out for tips of running your own restaurant, or creating one for that matter feel free to email him on love@ribbon-me.com. To see some more of his Paleo creations, follow him on Instagram.