The Butternut Pie

Tonight I figured it was time to revisit the butternut squash. I was thinking about the blog I wrote in the Fall, entitled 'The Butternut' and realized that after raving about this yummy vegetable, I haven't cooked one since!! I don't have quite as much time on my hands these days so prepping, chopping and roasting the squash wasn't in the cards tonight. Instead, I opted for the pure organic canned squash which worked out perfectly for what I was baking.... drumroll, please.... Dad, stop reading now because this is HEALTHY and may gross you out....

.....a butternut squash pie!

Basically it is a pumpkin pie but with squash and a couple interesting substitutions that make it vegan (which I am definitely not, but vegan treats are often tasty). Anyway, how I got to making this pie is a story in itself...

The day started at 6am.... Feeling great again when I woke up, I ate breakfast (YES, food is definitely back), and immediately started to think about what I would cook for dinner that night. I will be the first to admit that this is not a normal thought for someone just rolling out of bed, and only Adam is lucky enough to witness these sporadic cases of extreme randomness. Anyway, as I sat sipping my coffee, I planned to make slow cooked pork tacos and wrote the grocery list. I went off to swimming, swam the usual 5km, returned home and started to catch up on emails. Before I knew it, it was time to head out for the ride. 3.5 hours was on the program today with some higher cadence work in the second half. I joined Simon for the first 2.5 hours which had a mix of everything: flats, hills (including "Triangle Mountain" which Simon promised would be "easy"...no comment...), good conversation, as well as two flat tires and a bee sting to the face for Simon (what's with all the bees this year?!). I rode my last hour along the waterfront, meeting up with Adam in Broadmead after his appointment. I realize this story is dragging on so I will sum it up.... I wasn't exactly in the mood to grocery shop for my pulled pork tacos at this point, so I broke my promise and we picked up some sushi take-out. Somehow after devouring the sushi in the car (still in my bike gear), I decided I wanted to bake this pie. So, we stopped by the market to pick up the ingredients. I clipped-clopped my way through the aisles in my bike shoes and stinky gear trying to remember the ingredients (if we're counting 'chamois time,' this turned into a pretty long ride!)

After a quick stop for icing in the ocean, it was time to bake! The crust is simply gluten-free ginger snap cookies spread across the bottom of the pan. The filling is super easy to prepare, with all ingredients pureed in a blender: cooked squash, tofu, pumpkin pie spice, pure vanilla, molasses and coconut sugar. If anyone would like the recipe, please let me know :)