Asian Pear and Pumpkin Custard with Ginger Coconut Sauce...

I'm on day 29 of my second round of Whole30. This has been the most amazing lifestyle change I've ever made. I've lost an astronomical amount of weight, gained amazing levels of energy, and learned so much about myself and how my body works. Never have I enjoyed cooking more than I do right now! On Whole30 you are not supposed to have any desserts or sweeteners, even Paleo approved ones. If you really want to "slay your sugar dragon," you have to avoid anything that can cause the dragon to return. 

I came up with this recipe today because I had one Asian pear in my fridge and I just ran with it. :-D I like this as a breakfast dish because it is subtly sweet, not overly rich, and delicious. :-) It was satisfying without feeling like I was eating a heavy dessert. Even Michael liked it and he isn't doing Whole30. ;-)

Enjoy and please share any feedback with me!

 Asian Pear & Pumpkin Custard  

 with Ginger Coconut Sauce 

~ Ingredients ~
* 15 ounce can pumpkin (I use Trader Joe's organic pumpkin)
* 1 cup coconut cream
* 1 ripe banana
* 1 cup unsweetened applesauce
* 6 eggs
* 1 large Asian pear, cut and diced
* 1 teaspoon alcohol and sugar free pure vanilla
* 1 teaspoon cinnamon
* 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
* 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
* 1/4 teaspoon cardamom
* a couple dashes each of ground cloves and coriander
* 1/4 cup pure grade B maple syrup (optional. If you aren't doing Whole30, I would recommend adding sweetener)
* 1/4 cup slivered roasted almonds (optional)

Pre-heat oven to 450

~ Directions ~
Put banana in small bowl and mash well (I used my handy dandy "mix & chop" from pampered chef. It's one of my favorite kitchen utensils, second only to my OXO stainless steel salad spinner). Add to stand mixer and add pumpkin, applesauce, and coconut cream and mix until blended well. Add in eggs and vanilla and keep blending. Then mix in remaining ingredients and put into deep dish glass pie dish. Place custard into a big pan of water and place in oven.

Bake for 15 minutes. Turn oven down to 350 and bake for another 20 minutes. Cut and serve warm or cold with coconut cream sauce (recipe below). 

~ Ginger Coconut Cream Sauce ~
1 cup coconut cream
1/2 cup applesauce
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
Dashes of cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, and Nutmeg
Maple Syrup (optional)

Put all ingredients in a magic bullet or blender and blend until well mixed (put in refrigerator if you are going to serve it cold. You want it nice and thick!). Drizzle over warm or cold custard!