Low Sugar Holiday Recipes: Not Your Mama's Pecan Pie

November/December 1999
By Debbie Whittaker 
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Use herbs to avoid the blood-sugar roller coaster 

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Not Your Mama's Pecan Pie
Serves 8

Some of the biggest holiday challenges are traditional desserts such as pecan pie, which usually includes a full cup of sugar plus a cup of corn syrup. While the fat and cholesterol in our version keeps this from qualifying as health food, 32 g (4 g per serving) of added sweetener beats most sugary breakfast cereals hands down.

Cinnamon and fenugreek both help control blood-sugar levels. Fenugreek is very bitter but has a lovely maple undertone. In addition to fenugreek’s long history of ­traditional use in India to regulate insulin, clinical studies show it lowers blood sugar and cholesterol.

To make a powder from the seeds, grind a full tablespoon in a coffee grinder, then measure out the amount needed.

  • 3 large eggs
  • 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons water
  • 1/3 cup brown rice syrup
  • 1 tablespoon sweet almond oil
  • 1 teaspoon fenugreek seed, pulverized or powdered
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 2 teaspoons arrowroot
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 cup pecans, lightly toasted and slightly chopped
  • 1 prebaked whole wheat pie shell
  • 1/3 cup pecan halves, lightly toasted
  1. Preheat the oven to 325°F. Fill the bottom of a double boiler halfway with water and place it on the stove over low-medium heat. In a small bowl, beat the eggs with 1/2 cup of water. Scrape them into the top of the double boiler.
  2. Using the same bowl, add the brown rice syrup and oil, and stir in the fenugreek and cinnamon. Scrape the mix into the double boiler with the eggs. Place the pan over the simmering water and cook until it coats a spoon, stirring regularly, about 12 minutes.
  3. In the mixing bowl, combine the remaining 2 tablespoons of water with the ­arrowroot; stir the mix into the other ingredients. Cook for an additional 2 minutes.
  4. Remove the top pot from the stove. Stir in the vanilla and chopped pecans and scrape the filling into the pie shell. Top with pecan halves. Place the pie on a cookie sheet in the middle rack of the oven and bake until the filling puffs, about 30 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Click here for the original article, Low Sugar Holiday Recipes.
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