Gluten Free Pumpkin Pie ( vegan)

I'ts fall!. The temperatures and the leaves are dropping, it's getting darker earlier, and and I've been thinking about making pumpkin pie.( Should I be waiting for Thanksgiving?)

Fall in Bucks County, Pa is beautiful. The foliage is turning beautiful shades of  crimson, golds, and oranges, the farms are abound with crispy apples, families are spending their weekends"apple picking", and lots and lots of varieties of winter squashes, sweet potatoes, and  pumpkin on the roadsides!

Pumpkins on a cart at the farm at the corner of my  street

Local Farm in the fall

                               
I' m not much of a baker, but I was determined to find a pumpkin pie recipe that would be easy to make, but still taste great! Last year I saw a healthy gluten free recipe for a vegan pumpkin pie on  Happy Healthy Life . I filed it away and made it yesterday.

The recipe was easy to make and tasted absolutely DELICIOUS .( I made this pie a few times, and shared it with my dear friend Laura and my daughter in law Wendy who both gave the pie their stamps of approval)

It's made with just a few healthy ingredients and prepared in the blender or Vitamix ( easy). Other than the cooked pumpkin, the main ingredient is raw cashews ( soaked and drained.)  Many raw food desserts call for raw cashews. It gives the desserts a fabulous smooth and firm texture.

Simple but surprisingly delicious...one piece will not be enough
( one pie will not be enough)

This pie is made from "real food " that supplies significant nutritional benefits

• Pumpkin is rich in beta-carotene, Vitamin C, and Vitamin A and even contains some iron. 
• In addition, pumpkin and sweet potatoes contain a significant amount of fiber, which is essential for a healthy diet.
• 1/2 cup mashed pumpkin has 5 grams of fiber. A slice of whole grain bread may only provide 2 grams of fiber. 
• Just like carrots, pumpkin and sweet potatoes are good for the eyes and provides the health protecting antioxidants, lutein and beta crptoxanthin known to be helpful for age related cataracts and macular degeneration. 
• Pumpkin is also a good source of potassium which is essential for healthy nerves and muscles and helps keep blood pressure stable.

I felt good finding a recipe that is gluten free, has no refined sugar, and is vegan. Of course I adapted the recipe a little and came up with my own similar version.

Ingredients:

1 and 1/4 cups raw cashews, soaked in refrigerator at least 6-8 hours ( Trader Joe's)
1/2 cup Grade B organic Maple syrup ( Trader Joe's) 
1 can organic pumpkin puree (16 ounces) (or homemade fresh puree) ( Trader Joe's again) 
2 medium yams, steamed, peeled, and cubed.
1/2  cup non dairy milk ( almond or coconut?) I used coconut
2 tsp pumpkin pie spice ( or  use cinnamon and all spice)
pinch of sea salt
1 tsp natural vanilla

Instructions: 

1. Soak cashews in a bowl in the refrigerator

2.  Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.

3. Drain the water from your cashews and place in blender or Vitamix. Add remainder of ingredients and blend until smooth and creamy. Remove mixture and pour into a lightly greased pyrex pan. Bake at 400 for 15 minutes and then at 350 for an additional 20. Remove and cool.

4. When cool, place in fridge until cold at least 2 hours. 

5. To me it tastes best the next day when it has been cooling overnight.

Variation: Bake in a pie crust..

soak cashews overnight

Steam yams ( I just used two yams for the recipe) 

Blend all ingredients until smooth

I did not use a pie crust

Enjoy ( topped with coconut cream)

                                                        Recipe for Vegan Cream Topping: 
The dairy free whipped coconut cream is from another gluten free blog that has wonderful ideas. They provide pictures with a step by step recipe. Click here for their coconut whipped cream recipe Junior GF Chefs. 

Variation : Make this pie with sweet potatoes
                                          

Use all sweet potatoes ( 6 medium to large) in the recipe instead of pumpkin.
 Please leave a comment so I know you stopped by. Scroll down to the end of the post and click on comments.

Don't forget about this Oldy but Goodie that I posted last year from Pinterest

 This fabulous Crudite and Dip  Pumpkin for Halloween Entertaining  comes from a low carb, sugar free and grain free blog called,The Rogue Cookie


shared on the following blog carnivals




Monday

My Meatless Mondays ;Mouthwatering Mondays ; Homemaker Mondays ; Midnight Maniac Meatless  ;  Monday Mania ; Melt in Your Mouth Mondays ; Made By You Mondays ; Made With Love Mondays ; Happy Homemaker Mondays ; Make a Food-e Friend Monday ; Menu Mondays ; Mangia Mondays; ; Motivate Me Mondays; ; Made It Monday; Making Your Home Sing Monday; Making Monday Marvelous Day; Making the World Cuter Monday; Amaze Me Mondays; Muffin Monday; Motivated Mondays ;Homestead Barn Hop ; Make Your Own Mondays ; A Marvelous Monday ; Savvy Homemade Monday  Just another Meatless Monday,  Meet Me Monday  Mix it up Monday Must Try Monday  Making you crave Mondays Organizing Junkie's Meal Plan Monday Green Backs' Meatless Monday Veggie Mama's Meatless Monday On the Menu Monday In the Gumbo Monday   
Yummy  Inspriations Breakfast   Mealtime Monday   Gluten Free Weekly Menu Jo-Lynnes Weekly Mean Plan

Tuesday

Tasty Tuesdays; Tempt My Tummy Tuesday ;  Naptime Creations Tasty Tuesday Link Party; Show Me What You Got  ;Tip Me Tuesday at Tip Junkie  ; Tuesday To Do List; Tuesday Time Out Inspiration Party; ; Anti-Procrastination Tuesday;  Tuesday Confessional; Topsy Turvy Tuesday;  Tuesday Talent Show at Chef in Training ; Tutorial Tuesday ; Tuesday Time Out ; Domestically Divine Tuesday ; Take a Look Tuesday ;Hearth and Soul Hop ; Frugal Tuesday Tip  Tuesday ;  Slightly Indulgent Tuesday Traditional Tuesdays,  Fat Tuesday    

Wednesday
 Works For Me Wednesday; Real Food Wednesday; Whatever Goes Wednesday; We Did It Wednesday; Penny Pinching Party;  Passionately Artistic;  What I Whipped up Wednesday;  This Chick Cooks; Your Whims Wednesday; Show and Tell Linking Party Wednesday; Wow Me Wednesdays; Wild Wednesday Hop; Show and Share;  Sweet Tempatations; ; Success U-Wednesday Link-up ;; Create and Share ; Workshop Wednesday ;   Frugal Ways, Sustainable Days  Gluten Free Wednesday,, Welcome Wednesday,  Gluten Free Pantry  Beyond the Peel  Healthy2day    Wed Simple Living Wednesday    My Pick Of The Week  Homestead Revival, Whole Lifestyle Recipe Swap The Recipe Box

Thursday

 Creative Juice Thursday;  Full Plate Thursday; It’s A Keeper Thursday; What’s Cooking Thursday; Making It with Allie Thursdays; Frugal Follies Thursday;  Bake with Bizzy; Delightfully Inspiring Thursday Link Party; Share Your Awesomeness Thursdays; It’s a Blog Party;  Pennywise Platter Thursday,  Simple Lives Thursday,  Thursday Ultimate Recipe Swap, Tastastic   Katherine's Corner

I Gotta Create Home and Garden Thursday  Raw Food Thursday

Friday
 Simply Sweet Home Friday’s Favorites ;Food on Fridays ;Foodie Friday  Diane's Foodie Friday  ;It’s a Hodgepodge Friday   Frugal Friday,   Fight Back Fridays Thankful for Food   Shabby Nest  Speckled Dog   Fantabulous Friday  Friday Food, Allergy-Friendly FridaThe Sweet Details) Katherine Martinelli, Fitness Friday,    Food Friday   Real Food Freaks,  Wellness Weekend, Healthy Vegan Fridays  Gluten Free Friday  Weekend Wonders 

Every Day Sisters Sharing Sundays; Your Recipe, My Kitchen Seasonal Sundays at The Tablescaper, I Gotta Create. Petite Hermine Sunday Linky Sunny Sunday  Sunday Blog Love; Sunday Linky Party;Sundae Scoop; Seasonal Sundays; Sunday Show Off; It's so Very Cheri;  Sunday Showcase Party; Natashia in Oz Sunday  Seasonal Celebration, Sugar-Free Sunday  Superfoods Sunday,