Cranberry Sauce (sweet and sugar-free!)

I've always really enjoyed the canned jellied cranberry sauce at the holidays but it's just so full of sugar.  It was very exciting to discover a recipe that uses such minimal ingredients and has NO sugar:

Ingredients:

12 oz. bag fresh cranberries
1 cup water
stevia, to taste
pinch of salt


Directions:

Wash cranberries and throw away any ones that have gone bad.

Place washed cranberries in a medium sauce pan with the water and bring to a boil.  Continue to simmer for approximately 5-10 minutes or until cranberries begin to pop.

Stir mixture until the consistency becomes more saucy.

Allow to cool.  Store in a glass container in  your fridge and/or use it as a delicious topping or healthy jam-substitute.  I love to use it along with roasted sunflower seed butter on puffed corn or rice cakes as a peanut butter and jelly replacement.  Yum!

Coconut Pecan Pumpkin Pie

This is a twist off of the classic pumpkin pie.  Super tasty and nutritious!  I tend to like a lot of spice, so if you like less you can decrease the amount of spices.

Ingredients:

Easy Crust:
2 cups pecans
1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
pinch of salt

Filling:
1 can pumpkin (or, approximately 2 cups roasted pumpkin)
1/2 can coconut milk
2 eggs
1 tbs vanilla extract
stevia powder (The amount depends on what brand you use.  I like using Kal brand and I use roughly 1/4 tsp)
a handful of pecans
1/2-1 tbs cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp allspice
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1 tbs fresh chopped ginger
pinch of salt

Directions:

To make the crust, grind the pecans in a food processor or high-power blender to a coarse consistency.  Careful, avoid processing too long as this will result in nut butter instead.

Mix the ground pecans, shredded coconut and salt directly in an approximately 9" pie pan, then press evenly across the bottom and sides of pan.  Place in an oven, preheated to 350 degrees, for 15 minutes.

While the crust is baking, prepare the filling.  In a blender, place all filling ingredients and blend until thoroughly smooth.  Pour into pie crust and smooth with a spatula.  If desired, sprinkle top with shredded coconut and chopped or whole pecans.

Place back in oven and bake for 50-65 minutes at 350 degrees.

Allow pie to cool before placing in fridge or slicing.

You can also try a variation on this pie with Orange Spice Sweet Potato Pie!