Vegan Pumpkin Pie

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Pumpkins are just as sympolic of fall across Germany.

With sinking temperatures, falling leaves and the beginning of autumn, the pumpkin returns to German front porches, back gardens and kitchen worktops. It is pumpkin season in Germany! Time for Pumpkin Pie baby!

I especially love this pie, because my grandmother Eleni used to make it for me, when I was kid!

Ode to Pumpkin!

Pumpkin is a type of winter squash that belongs to the Cucurbitaceae family. While commonly viewed as a vegetable, pumpkin is scientifically a fruit, as it contains seeds. That said, it’s nutritionally more similar to vegetables than fruit.

It’s particularly popular around Thanksgiving and Halloween, especially in Germany and America.

Beyond its delicious taste, pumpkin is nutritious and linked to many health benefits:

1. Pumpkin is high in vitamins and minerals while being low in calories. It’s a great source of beta-carotene, a carotenoid that your body converts into vitamin A.
2. Its supply of vitamin E, iron and folate may strengthen your immune system.
3. Pumpkins’ high vitamin A, lutein and zeaxanthin contents may protect your eyes against sight loss, which becomes more common with age.

Ingredients:

• 800 gr. grated pumpkin 
• 100 gr. brown sugar
• 60 gr. grated oats or almond powder
• 120 gr. grated walnuts
• 2 tbsp sesame seeds
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp ginger powder
• 6 phyllo sheets
• some sesame seeds
• olive oil

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 180°C.
2. Prepare a 9 inch pie pan by brushing it with some olive oil.
3. Peel, grate and squeeze the pumpkin (we don’t want it to get liquid during baking!)
4. In a large bowl, stir together all the ingredients (pumpkin, sugar, oats or almond powder, walnuts, sesame seeds, cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger).
5. Brush 1 sheet of phyllo with olive oil (as you work, keep remaining phyllo covered with a kitchen towel), transfer to a 9-inch pie pan, oiled-side-down, gently pressing into bottom and sides.
6. Repeat layering process with 4 remaining phyllo sheets, pour the pumpkin mixture and layer the rest of the sheets above the pumpkin mixture.
7. Fold the sixth sheet of phyllo in half and cover the pie.
8. Brush again with olive oil, cut into 8 pieces and sprinkle with sesame seeds.
9. Cover loosely with aluminum foil and bake for 20 minutes, uncover it and bake for another 20-25 minutes.
10. Let it set for a couple of hours before serving.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)

• It is a ”good” dessert because it is so rich in good fats thanks to the nuts and fiber due to oats and pumpkin.
• Pumpkin is a vegetable extremely rich in vitamin A.
• Pumpkin is still rich in antioxidants very helpful for health eye and immune system.

Maria Mentzelou is Dietitian / Nutritionist with M.Sc. Applied Nutrition and Dietetics with specialization in Clinical Nutrition (Harokopio University) and Specialization in Life Coaching and NLP (University Aegean). Find out more about her or contact her at maria.mentzelou@hotmail.com, Tel. 6984515475 and in its pages on Facebook and Instagram.

Don’t forget to tag us #foodenyo on instagram, if you remake this one! We’d love to see your recreations!

Enjoy,

Foodenyo