When creating recipes, I love thinking about what I can add in to make the resulting dish more nutritious. We all have heard about the importance of gut health, and thankfully, there are many foods you can incorporate to support yours. One of my favorite ingredients to use is gelatin.
There has been a recent craze over collagen, but actually, gelatin and collagen are not the same thing. Collagen is an important protein found in connective tissues, skin, and bone. Geletin comes from collagen, but is its cooked form.
Gelatin has many benefits, but one in particular is that it heals the lining of the gut. For someone suffering from intestinal permeability (i.e. leaky gut), adding gelatin or collagen to recipes can help. Furthermore, it’s tasteless, so you can mix it in smoothies, and it won’t affect the flavor. Gelatin is highly hydrophilic, meaning it “gels,” and is great for making things such as puddings, marshmallows, and gummies. The pumpkin breakfast pudding and no-bake pumpkin pie below are two great ways to enjoy it! We suggest Zint brand.
Pumpkin Breakfast Pudding
Equipment
- High-speed Blender
Ingredients
- 1 (15 ounce) can pure pumpkin puree
- 1 can full-fat coconut milk
- 2 – 3 tablespoons coconut nectar, honey, or maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
- 1 inch grated ginger
- 2 tablespoons gelatin, dissolved in ¼ cup boiling water
Instructions
- In a high-speed blender, add coconut milk, pumpkin, liquid sweetener, vanilla, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice and ginger. Blend for about ten seconds until creamy.
- Prepare the gelatin. In a small bowl, add gelatin and boiling water. Stir vigorously with a fork until completely dissolved (if you end up with some chunks, that's OK). Add to blender. Process again.
- Pour into bowls or mason jars. Allow to set in the fridge for at least 6-8 hours or preferably overnight.
No-Bake Pumpkin Pie
Equipment
- 9-inch pie plate
- Food processor
- High-speed Blender
Ingredients
For the Crust
- 2 cups walnuts
- 8 – 10 Medjool dates, pitted
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon melted coconut oil
For the Filling
- 1 (15 ounce( can pure pumpkin puree
- 1 cup full-fat coconut cream or coconut milk
- ½ cup coconut sugar
- ¼ cup coconut nectar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
- ¼ teaspoon grated ginger
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- 2 tablespoons gelatin, dissolved in ¼ cup boiling water
Instructions
- Grease a 9-inch pie plate with coconut oil or cooking spray.
- Make the crust. Add walnuts to a food processor and blend until the consistency of coarse sand. Add the Medjool dates, cinnamon, and vanilla extract and process again. While processing, slowly add the melted coconut oil until mixture forms a thick dough. Use your hands to firmly press the dough into the bottom of the pie plate. Refrigerate until ready to use.
- Make the filling. In a high-speed blender, add all of the ingredients except for the gelatin. Don’t blend yet!
- Prepare the gelatin. In a small bowl, combine the gelatin and boiling water. Stir vigorously with a fork until completely dissolved (if you end up with some clumps, that is OK). Add the gelatin mixture to the blender and process until creamy.
- Pour the filling into the pie plate over the crust. Transfer to the refrigerate for at least 8 hours (ideally overnight), and up to 24 hours to set.
