Mmmm Pumpkin Pie

Autumn here has been a season of expansion, hard work and much excitement. My two daughters and I are on a mission to turn a school bus into our traveling home and vessel for us to spread incredible vegan food, love and compassion while adventuring around the country. In the past few weeks we've built walls, bunk beds and a kitchen aboard our bus. Our dream is to have the diesel engine run on waste veggie oil and have solar power for all of our energy requirements. The value of these systems are immense, but the upfront costs are prohibitive. That's why we created a Kickstarter to help fund our vegan bus project. As an incentive to watching our Kickstarter video I included a recipe for a Pumpkin Pie Smoothie at the end. There are only a few days left of our campaign, so if you have not backed it already please do. There are some very yummy rewards for our supporters! Here Comes The Sun Bus Kickstarter

This season while I am not building on the bus, I'm in the kitchen making comforting, warming dishes. I'm excited to be spending a vegan Thanksgiving with dear friends and am using these days before to test recipes. One that will be there for sure, no testing required, is also one of my most requested recipes all year long. The raw pumpkin pie, that has no pumpkin. The original recipe came from Matthew Kenney's Everyday Raw. He's a big time restauranteur and huge inspiration. I've made quite a few changes, but the idea for a pumpkin-less pie is genius. No one ever believes me that there is no pumpkin in this pie, but truly the magic in pumpkin pie is in the seasoning.

Raw Pumpkin Pie

Crust:
1 and 1/2 cups pecans
4 ounces chopped dates
dash of vanilla
pinch of sea salt.

Process the pecans until small crumble size. Add dates, vanilla and sea salt and process until it holds together. Press into a coconut oil greased 9-inch spring form or tart pan.

Filling:
1 cup cashews
1 cup coconut nectar (or liquid sweetener of choice)
1 cup coconut oil
1 cup carrot juice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
pinch of sea salt
1/4 of a vanilla bean, scraped
2 teaspoons cinnamon
2 teaspoons nutmeg

Blend all ingredients in a high speed blender until very smooth. Fill crust and freeze 6-8 hours.

If you are in the area come by and support Here Comes The Sun Bus project at a Vegan Thanksgiving Fundraiser at Good Karma Cafe next Sunday.