frozen pumpkin pie

time to feast

I tend to go a little bit crazy for holiday meals. Like, wildly overambitious for a group that almost always consists of only me, Scott, and our three girls. Every year, I prep for a week, thoroughly exhaust myself, declare defiantly that I'm never doing this again, and then... I do it all again. I mean, it's just so good. We get to eat leftovers for daaaays. The house smells heavenly. I enjoy my family's groans of delight far too much. And did I mention that it's good? Because it's just so. damn. good.

But this year, quite unexpectedly, we're hosting a small Thanksgiving that extends beyond just our core five. It's known by all of our extended family that we're staunchly vegan and so our feasts will never include animals or the products their bodies produce. And honestly, they always seem to be perfectly okay with that. But feeding more than just us means that I put far too much (totally unnecessary) pressure on myself. The meal has to be extra tasty. Extra varied. Extra visually pleasing. I don't want my guests walking away with a feeling of deprivation, but with a full belly, satiated taste buds, and perhaps the pleasantly drowsy feeling that accompanies a good holiday meal. The kind of drowsy that only a cozy nap on the couch with a Christmas movie playing in the background can fix ♥

So I've been picking away at my prep list, day by day. Thankfully, my youngest shares the workload and now shoulders a good part of the menu. But no matter if we have guests or not, this pumpkin pie always makes it onto the table (along with fresh applesauce!). Since I stumbled on this recipe years ago, I've been slowly but surely transforming it into a completely healthy version (I'm almost there...). Dates replaced the refined sugars, the crust has been revamped, and I'm slowly easing the coconut oil out. It's super tasty and the best part is? If my guests don't appreciate it, then that just means more leftovers for me! ;)

frozen pumpkin pie

Crust Ingredients

• 1 cup rolled oats (ground into flour)

• ¾ cup cashews (ground)

• ½ cup rolled oats

• ¼ cup almond butter

• 10 Medjool dates (pitted and soaked) 

Filling Ingredients

• 1 cup raw cashews (soaked for at least 1 hour)

• 1 cup pumpkin puree

• 10-12 Medjool dates (pitted and soaked)

• ¼ cup coconut oil (melted)

• ¼ cup almond butter

• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

• ½-1 teaspoon ground ginger

Coconut Cream Ingredients

• 1 can full-fat coconut milk (13.5 oz)

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 1-2 tablespoons maple syrup

Directions

Crust

1. In a food processor, process the cashews until small and crumbly in texture.

2. Add the remaining crust ingredients to the cashews and process again until a sticky dough forms.

3. Using your fingers, spread the crust dough into a parchment lined 9-inch pie plate, bringing it halfway up the sides and smoothing it firmly and evenly over the bottom. (If you’re having a trouble, it helps to wet the fingertips slightly to prevent them from sticking.)

   
   

Pie Filling

1. Pit and soak the dates in warm water for 10 minutes or until soft.

2. Once soft, add all of the pie filling ingredients to the food processor and process until smooth and creamy.

3. Scrape the filling into the pie crust and smooth flat. Refrigerate or freeze until firm. 

   
   

Coconut Cream

1. Chill the can of coconut cream overnight in the refrigerator.

2. Empty out the liquid, saving the thick cream on the bottom.

3. Add the chilled cream, maple syrup, and vanilla to a mixing bowl and, using a handheld beater, whip the cream until thick and creamy.

4. Spread over pie and enjoy!

notes

I don't have all that many notes on this one! I will say that the coconut cream is optional, and I've served this pie many times without it.

You can store this pumpkin pie in the refrigerator or the freezer. If you choose the freezer, take out the pie 20-30 minutes before serving so that you can easily lift out the parchment paper and slice the pie.

back to work

And now I must be back to my kitchen work! Hoping you all enjoy a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Much love,

Melinda