Happy Thanksgiving!  I know, I know…it’s not quite Thanksgiving.  I won’t rush it.  But how many of us start scouring the internet, cookbooks and magazines mid-October, planning out our Thanksgiving meals?  I certainly do and the Food Network knows there are people like myself out there, looking for new, inspired recipes this holiday season.  This year they’ve come up with a way to bring the recipes and ideas to one place with a Virtual Thanksgiving table.  This gathering, dubbed  The Communal Table, was created to bring food bloggers and writers together to share some of their favorite Thanksgiving dishes with the Food Network community.

As a children’s nutrition advocate, I of course had to jump in with a healthy take on a classic…Pumpkin Pie.  The pie I have baked up and ready to “bring” to the communal table is made with a Whole Wheat & Flax crust and no refined sugar.  Of course, I can’t wait to see what other delicious Thanksgiving dishes will be placed on the table.  I plan to pull up my chair with recipe cards an a pencil in hand, ready to jot down dishes to serve at my Thanksgiving table.  So grab your own recipe cards (or get your printer ready) because you’ll find the links to many of these recipes and posts below.  So pull up a chair, grab a plate, and enjoy a piece of the Food Network’s Virtual Thanksgiving Pie…

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Out of the Box Food^SM Maple Pumpkin Pie

Ingredients:

• 3 eggs, separated
• 1/4 C pure maple syrup
• 1 3/4 C fresh pumpkin puree (or 1, 15oz can pure pumpkin)
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp cloves
• 1/8 tsp nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp ginger
• 1/4 C heavy cream
• 1/4 C half and half
• single Whole Wheat & Flax pie crust
• 1 egg for egg wash

Directions:

• If making fresh pie crust, make dough (recipe following) and chill in refrigerator for 1 hour.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Roll dough between two sheets of parchment until thin.
• Remove top sheet of parchment, place exposed side of dough into pie plate then remove bottom sheet of parchment.
• Trim excess dough and crimp edges decoratively.  Prick bottom of crust several times with a fork.
• In a small bowl, whisk 1 egg for egg wash.
• Pour dried beans in foil and make packet.  Put bean/foil packet on bottom of pie crust and bake crust for 20 minutes.  Remove foil packet and gently brush edges of crust with egg wash.  Continue baking for additional 10 to 15 minutes or until golden brown all over.  Cool completely.
• Meanwhile, in a large mixing bowl mix pumpkin, 3 egg yolks, cream, half and half, maple syrup and spices.  Mix well.
• In a separate bowl, whisk 3 egg whites until very frothy.  Gently fold egg whites into pumpkin mixture.
• Pour pumpkin mixture into baked pie crust.  Bake at 350 degrees for 50 minute – 1 hour or until center is slightly jiggly but set.
• Let cool.
• Top with Maple Whipped Cream or Maple Sour Cream Glaze

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Find out what the leaders in the Culinary world are bringing to the Communal Table at Food Network’s Blog, FN Dish.

And you don’t want to miss these recipes from Food Bloggers at the Communal Table:

Cocktails, Appetizers, Soups and Salads:
Eat Be Mary: She’s Mulling It Over Wine
Cookistry: Bread With Ancient Grains
Celebrity Chefs and Their Gardens: The American Hotel Peconic Clam Chowder
Picky Eater Blog: Butternut Squash Soup With Thyme and Parmesan
Good Food Good Friends: Mushroom Soup

Mains:
Examiner.com: Grilled Quail with a Warm Beet, Frisée, and Pistachio Salad
She Wears Many Hats: Mayonnaise Roasted Turkey

Sides:
Living Mostly Meatless: Vegan-Friendly Corn Casserole
Healthy Green Kitchen: Red Kuri Squash Pie
The Naptime Chef: Crispy Rosemary Fingerling Potatoes
Gluten-Free Blondie: Apple and Cranberry Studded Stuffing
Eat Drink Man Woman Dogs Cat: Blue Cheese and Rosemary Celebration Potatoes
Burnt Lumpia: Turkey, Sweet Potato and Cranberry Empanadas
Panfusine: Pan Fried Polenta Seasoned With Cumin, Ginger & Black Pepper
Homemade Cravings: Warm Brussels Sprouts and Cranberry Slaw
Bakeaholic Mama: Maple Roasted Brussels Sprouts With Crispy Prosciutto
Show Food Chef: Beer-Braised Brussels Sprouts
T’s Tasty Bits: Sweet Empanadas with Pumpkin and Lupini Beans Filling
The Amused Bouche Blog: Braised Kale
The Little Kitchen: How to Make the Perfect Mashed Potatoes

Desserts:
The Macaron Queen: Macaron Tower
Poet In The Pantry: Amaretto Apple Crisp
Farm Girl Gourmet: Pumpkin Coconut Panna Cotta
That’s Forking Good: Cinnamon Chip Pumpkin Blondies
Out of the Box Food: Out of the Box Food Maple Pumpkin Pie
Cake Baker 35: Orange Spiced Pumpkin Pie
Lisa Michele: Pumpkin, Pecan, Cheesecake Pie
Food For My Family: Buttermilk Custard Pear Pie
Simple Bites: Black-Bottom Maple Pumpkin Pie
A Cooks Nook: Swedish Apple Pie
Yakima Herald: Pretzel Jell-O Salad
How Does She: Three of Our Favorite Desserts
Dollhouse Bake Shoppe: Thanksgiving Candy Bar Name Plates
Sweet Fry: Pumpkin Latte
Tasty Trials: Spiced Apple Panna Cotta With Caramelized Apples and Caramel Sauce
An Uneducated Palate: Puff Pastry Apple Tart
Frugal Front Porch: Mini Cheaty Cheesecakes

Even more:
Kitchen Courses: Thanksgiving for Six People Under $60
A Curious Palate: The Communal Table