Paleo Pumpkin Cheesecake (dairy-free and nut-free options)

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I made two different “experiments” for this paleo pumpkin cheesecake recipe, one with regular cream cheese and a dairy free made with cashews. I personally liked the cheese recipe better, but the second one was still delicious.

Once again there was a debate going on my page tonight about vegetarian vs. omnivore diet! While I welcome and respect everyone’s opinions, after dealing with these discussions almost every single day, let me tell you that it gets old, and it makes me grumpy. Sometimes I feel like I should rename my page to something specifically paleo related to make our message a bit more clear from the start, but then I remember that I have quite a few wonderful and respectful vegetarian, vegan and grain eating friends that are very supportive of what I do.

One of my friends had a great point, she posted a picture of a starving child, and said: “I wonder if they are debating about eating meat and being vegetarian/vegan/whatever… those of you who are should understand how lucky you are that you have the opportunity to have a choice”. Thanks Debra for that sobering moment, we are here debating over good and bad food while there are so many that have nothing to eat. I couldn’t imagine what it would be to see my children go hungry.

If you are reading this today, consider yourself lucky. Happy thanksgiving!

For the crust:

¾ cups of coconut flour
1/3 cup of coconut oil
2 eggs
1 tbsp of raw honey

Preparation:

• Preheat oven to 400 F
• Using a food processor combine all the ingredients until a paste is formed
• Grease a 9 inch pie mold and press the dough firmly on the bottom and around the sides of the mold
• Bake for 10 minutes.
• Let cool off

For a “nutty” crust try the one from this recipe

For the  filling:

14 ounces of cream cheese
14 ounces of canned (BPA-free)or homemade pumpkin puree
3 eggs
2 tbsp of coconut oil or butter
Raw honey or Stevia to taste ( I like the taste of raw honey better)
1-2 tsp of pumpkin pie spice
1-2 tsp of cinnamon
1 tsp of dry ground ginger
1 tsp of vanilla extract

Preparation:

• Using a blender or food processor, combine all the ingredients together until smooth.
• Bake at 375 for about 40 minutes or until the filling is firm and the middle is starting to crack.
• Remove from heat allow to cool and refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving

Ingredients for the dairy-free cheesecake Filling:

3 cups canned or fresh pumpkin puree
1 ½ cups of raw cashew
¾  cup of full fat coconut milk, canned or homemade
1 egg or an additional ¼ cup of coconut milk (the egg will make it firmer)
¼ cup of arrowroot powder
¼ cup of maple syrup
¼ cup of raw honey or more to taste
3 tbsp of coconut oil
½ to 1 tbsp of lemon juice
2 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp of pumpkin pie spice
2 tsp of vanilla extract
1 tsp of dry ground ginger
¼ tsp of salt

Preparation:

• Soak the cashews in water for 2-3 hours and drain
• Preheat oven to 325
• Put the cashews and coconut milk into a into a blender and blend together until creamy & smooth
• Add the rest of the ingredients and blend together
• Pour mixture onto cooled cooked pie crust and bake for one hour
• Allow the pie to cool down and refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving