Giving thanks

I had so much fun making food for my family's potluck style thanksgiving gathering. This year my contributions were 

a vegan tempeh shepherd's pie with loads of veggies and topped with coconut butter & herb mashed potatoes...

a delicious kale salad with roasted brussels sprouts & onions, dried cherries, and a citrus tahini dressing... 

and two vegan, gluten-free pumpkin pies made from two cute little pumpkins!

We ate one of the pies on the evening of thanksgiving, and saved the second for the perfect breakfast on the following morning. The crust is probably my favorite part. It has a nutty flavor and delicious crispy texture. Made with oats and pecans it is gluten-free and vegan. Press it in the pie pan and you can skip the stress of rolling out the dough. My mom said she'd even eat the crust by itself!

 Amazing vegan pumpkin pie with the perfect gluten-free crust

 

For the crust: 

• 1 cup rolled oats, processed into a fine flour in your spice grinder or food processor
• 2 cups raw pecans, plus a few extra for decoration *use soaked and dried if possible
• 2 Tbsp. coconut oil, plus a bit to grease the pan
• ¹/₄ cup brown rice syrup
• 3 Tbsp. ground flax
• 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
• ¹/₂ tsp. salt

For the filling:

• 1 medium pie pumpkin (to make 2¹/₄ pumpkin puree)  
  
• ¹/₄ cup pure maple syrup
• 3 Tbsp. arrowroot powder
• 1 Tbsp. psyllium husk
• ¹/₃ cup natural unrefined coconut palm sugar
• ¹/₈ cup brown rice syrup
• 1 can coconut milk (freeze for 30 minutes, then skim off 1/4 cup of the thick cream at the top)
• 1 Tbsp. coconut oil, melted
• 3 Tbsp. coconut butter, softened
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 2 tsp. cinnamon
• ¹/₂ tsp. ground ginger
• ¹/₂ tsp. nutmeg pinch of ground cloves

Directions 

1. First, slice your pumpkin in half, scrape out the seeds, rub with a bit of coconut oil and bake face down at 350 degrees until nice and soft, about 30-45 minutes. Remove from oven to cool. Scrape the meat away from the rind and puree it in a food processor until smooth.
2. For the crust, preheat the oven to 350 degrees and grease a 9-inch pie dish with coconut oil. In a food processor, mix oat flour and pecans, and process until it just begins to clump. Melt the coconut oil in a pyrex glass set in a bowl of hot water. Mix the brown rice syrup in with the oil. Put the pecan mixture into a large bowl and add the rest of the ingredients. Use your hands to combine everything well. You should be able to form a ball with the dough. If it’s too dry, add a bit more coconut oil.
3. Spoon the dough into the pie dish  and press down very firmly to form the crust, bringing it up along the sides and fluting the edges if you like. Prick crust with fork several times. Prebake at 350 degrees for 14 minutes, watching closely so as not to burn. Remove and cool for at least 10 minutes.
4. For the filling,  in a large bowl, whisk together the maple syrup, arrowroot powder, and psyllium. Now add all ingredients and whisk together, adjusting spices and sweetener to taste. 
5. Scoop the filling into crust and smooth with a spatula. Bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees. Remove and cover crust edges with tinfoil to shield the crust from burning, then bake for another 25 minutes, checking it after 15 minutes or so. Place on cooling rack for 1 hour. Transfer to fridge for a minimum of 3 hours (this is important!) before slicing with a sharp knife.

Among the katrillion things I am thankful for are...

a family of kale eaters who helped me polish off that enormous salad and then played games with me for the rest of the evening

my dad, who generously bought ALL of the ingredients that went in to these creations

the beautiful, sunshiney "winter" days in Austin,

new and old friends, connecting, reconnecting, feeling my roots grow stronger

all my incredible teachers

the constant (really it is non-stop!) flow of inspiration from the artists, dancers, yogis, herbalists, craftsmen, cooks, and magic makers in this world

plants growing

pretty clothes

dancing

the realization this week that I am who I once dreamed of being. which means that mayyyybe someday I'll become the woman I see in my mind's eye today