Savory Pumpkin Tart

Sandy is gone, thankfully. And while many people are left dealing with the aftermath, all I’ve been doing for the past two days is count my blessings and realize how lucky I am. We didn’t lose power. We have no damage to report. No major issues.

All I can “complain” about is that I stayed in my PJ’s for two days, stuck in the house, with pretty much nothing to do except entertain a very happy 6 year old. And even that wasn’t too bad considering we were able to watch TV, play Xbox and had Internet access. Our hearts go out to all the people out there who weren’t so lucky.

So during this forced “mini-vacation”  and with not much to do, I had plenty of time to think, even more so than I do normally. And in my case, that can be a dangerous thing.

Not sure how this popped in my head, but with all that thinking, I noticed quite a few strange facts about myself…

- I can run 8 miles or teach back to back spinning classes without a problem, but I’m out of breath going up the stairs

- I have the discipline to make a fun size Twix bar last me 3 days, but I can’t be away from my phone for more than 10 minutes

- I love olive oil, but olives totally gross me out

-  Meditation gets on my nerves, but coffee relaxes me

-   I absolutely love music, but I can’t stand musicals

-   I write recipes, but I can’t follow one to save my life

To put it in a few words, I’m a like a big walking contradiction.

Kind of like this recipe.

What your eyes see definitely doesn’t match what your mouth tastes...

It looks like pumpkin pie, it smell like pumpkin pie, but it's not pumpkin pie.

It’s slightly sweet, but it’s not dessert.

Confused? Go ahead, give it a try. You’ll be surprise how good contradiction tastes 😉

Enjoy,

Ruth

• Prep time: 20 minutes
• Cook time: 1 hour and 10 minutes
• Ingredients (makes 1-13inch tart):

• 1 store bought or home made pie crust
• 2 medium size onions, sliced thin
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• 1 tablespoon agave nectar
• 1 tablespoon water
• ⅛ teaspoon salt
• 2 whole egss plus 3 egg whites
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
• ½ teaspoon black pepper
• ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
• ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
• 1-15oz can pumpkin puree (NOT pumpkin pie filling!)
• 1 cup plain 2% greek yogurt ( we use Chobani)

Walnut Topping:

• 1 cup chopped walnuts
• ½ teaspoon chili powder
• ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
• ½ teaspoon sumac or lemon pepper
• ⅛ teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar

1. Preheat oven to 350F
2. Roll out the dough on a floured surface into a round disk, big enough to fit a non-stick 11″x1.5″ with removable bottom tart pan (approximately 13 inches).
3. Roll dough over rolling pin and carefully unroll it onto the tart pan. Press it evenly with your fingers so the dough comes up the sides of the pan.
4. Prick the bottom and sides with a fork and bake for 12-15 minutes. Set aside to cool
5. In the meantime, sauté the onions in olive oil in a large skillet at medium-high heat for about 5 minutes. Add balsamic vinegar, agave and water. Reduce heat to low and continue cooking for another 5-7 minutes. Set aside
6. Beat eggs and egg whites in a large bowl.  Season with ¼ teaspoon salt, add pumpkin puree and all the spices and mix well.
7. Whisk in greek yogurt until well incorporated. Add caramelized onions and mix well.
8. To prepare the walnut topping, combine walnuts, spices and brown sugar  in a medium bowl and mix well so the walnuts are well coated with the spices
9. Pour pumpkin filling into pie crust, top with walnuts and bake at 350F for 45-50 minutes
10. Serve warm with a side of Kale Salad with Spicy Tempeh Bits
11. ENJOY! From May I have that recipe