Pecan pie is a favorite dessert for so many people. It is loaded with sugar, flavor, crunchy and chewy nuts, a delicate crust. Some like it wolfed down and go for seconds before the last bite reaches bottom. Others want it loaded with whipped cream and savor each bite. A few uncertain souls just do not have the inkling to enjoy such a rich and delicious dessert in any manner.

So...here is a surprising answer to the dilemma of how to fix a special dessert that looks and tastes like pecan pie - a genuine fake of the grandest kind! Perhaps this concoction would tempt even those who claim to have no interest in pecan pie. But then, you might not tell them it wasn't, till after you overcame their resistance to try just a tiny piece! And then have to prove to them the genuine fake pecan pie is really made from pinto or navy beans!

1 1/4 cups canned pinto beans, plain

1 1/2 cups brown sugar

1 stick real butter or equal measure real butter - do not substitute margarine

4 large eggs

3 tablespoons molasses or sorghum

1 tsp. vanilla and 1 tsp rum flavoring OR use combination of these as desired

3/4 tsp. sea salt        May use slightly less if needed to restrict salt intake.

8 inch deep unbaked pie shell or regular 9 inch pan

3/4 cup coarsly chopped pecans

Whipped cream for topping if desired. May be flavored with coffee crystals if desired. Just stir in a small amount of coffee crystals before dolloping on pie when served.

Mash the beans well. Cream the sugar and butter in another bowl and add in the salt, molasses, eggs and flavorings. Mix in the beans.

Pour into the unbaked pie shell and sprinkle chopped pecans on top.

Bake for about 50 minutes at 350 degrees until the pie center is just firm. Serve room temperature with topping or ice cream, or enjoy it plain. Servings depend on size of slices.

1 1/4 cups mashed navy or pinto beans. May be home cooked without seasoning OR use canned beans without seasonings.

1/1/2 cups sugar - brown or white

1/2 cup real butter

3 eggs, beaten

1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 tsp sea salt if desired

1/2 - 3/4 cup finely chopped pecans

Cream sugar, butter and eggs til well blended. Add vanilla and salt. Mix in the mashed beans.

Pour into 9 inch unbaked pie shell.  Sprinkle the chopped pecans over mixture. May spray top lightly with Pam if desired and sprinkle a few grains of sugar over top.

Bake at 375 for 25 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 degrees and bake for about 20 minutes more. Pie is done when knife inserted in center comes out clean.

Serve with whipped topping, ice cream, chocolate syrup dribbled, or plain.

Number of servings depends on size of slices. Delicious re-warmed or room temperature.

This is just a slightly different version of above pies and is a smaller pie. If you are wanting to add chocolate, add 3 rounded tbs. cocoa powder when mixing in the beans.

1 8" unbaked pastry shell

2 teaspoons cornmeal

2 large eggs

1 1/4 cups white sugar

1/2 cup butter, not margarine

1 tsp. rum flavoring

3/4 cup canned pinto or navy beans, unseasoned, drained and mashed

1 cup chopped pecans, divided

Cream butter and sugar, then add eggs and mix well. Add rum flavoring and 1/2 cup of the pecan pieces with the mashed beans, mixing well. If adding cocoa, mix in now.

Sprinkle the cornmeal onto the unbaked pie crust. Pour in the pie mix and sprinkle on the remaining pecan pieces.

Bake in 350 degree oven for 50 minutes or until filling is firm. Serve slightly warm with whipped cream flavored with 1/4 tsp rum flavoring if desired.

1 1/4 to 1 12 cups mashed potatoes, very dry with no seasoning

1 1/4 cups brown sugar

2 tbs. molasses

1 stick real butter, or equivalent amount, not margarine

1/2 tsp. sea salt

1 - tsp. vanilla

3 large eggs

3/4 cup or more as desired, chopped pecans

9" unbaked pie shell

Cream butter, brown sugar, salt, molasses well. Add eggs and vanilla and mix well. Stir in the dry mashed potatoes and mix well. If too dry, add water or milk as needed to soften, or another egg may be added. Mix in about half the chopped pecans. (I like more.) Pour mixture into pie shell and bake 15 minutes at 350 degrees. Reduce to 335 degrees and bake about 45 minutes longer, till center is just firm, or knife inserted comes out clean.

Serve with whipped topping. May be sprinkled with coconut or dribbled with molasses when served. Good barely warm or at room temperature.

For those who are insulin-resistant or diabetic, or just watching their sugar intake, here are some tips to help get around those problem areas.

Some of the sugar listed may be reduced and stevia or xylitol used to replace part of it. Amounts depend somewhat on what type ingredients/brands used and your personal taste. Stevia and xylitol are non or very low glycemic indexed so may be dramatically helpful when you crave desserts. Follow directions on the product you have.

Stevia rebaudiana is an herbal product, available in health food stores and now some grocery stores also. It can be liquid or powder. Xylitol is a granular sugar-like product, and is usually used in near proportional amounts of sugar. Stevia and xylitol may be combined together and used even without sugar, but that would change the texture of the final product.

There are new recipe books available online for cooking with stevia. Neither of these two natural type sweeteners leave an aftertaste. Stevia herb is indicated to have a slight anti-candida property, and xylitol is naturally produced from the inner bark of trees and has a proven anti-cavity property. It is also 40% less carbohydrate active than other carbohydrates because of its low glycemic index.