You may remember such things as me making Raw Berry Cheesecakes during summer…Well folks, it ain’t summer no more! (With a TWANG and plenty of “Bad-itude”) I had to come up with something equally delicious and exciting to impress some long time Vegans at my first Vegan Thanksgiving. Plus I like doing things that are awesome…and I happen to think these are.
If you need more picture to determine what the steps should look like, follow the link to the Berry version...There is more detail...
Please note I *STILL* do not own a food processor. If you
have one this will work much better and faster for you…I have a small food
chopper and a Ninja brand blender…So yeah, my process is extra “special.”
Other equipment you will need is a standard size
muffin tin. Muffin papers are optional. It would probably work really well. I
try to be fancy so I just grease the tins.
FIRST
and FOREMOST : SOAK THE CASHEWS!!! At least 3 hours. I was able to do it for
8-ish hours this go-round, and the texture came out a bit better…more creamy,
less…crumbly?
When your Cashews are 10-15 minutes away from total
soaked-ness Prep the Crust
Crust
1.5 cup pecans
1.5 cup almonds
1/4 teaspoon salt
1.5 cup pecans
1.5 cup almonds
1/4 teaspoon salt
1-2 TBL of Cocoa Powder…taste test to see if it is
at a desired chocolate-ness…
9+ medjool dates, pitted and chopped
9+ medjool dates, pitted and chopped
Pulse
nuts, cocoa, and salt in the blender. I like to do medium chop…not fine, not
coarse…Rustic…? Add the chopped dates, sometimes you may need more dates...(Not
referring to your love life.) Pulse until the mixture sticks together when
pressed.
Grease
your muffin tins with coconut oil. Or put the papers in. Evenly spoon the
mixture into the tins. I found it was 1-2 heaping tablespoons each.
Press
the mixture down. Up the sides a bit if you can…It makes them look more rad
later. You want the shape to be concave.
Filling
2 cups raw cashew pieces, soaked at least 3 hours (I read no more than 7)
1/3 cup agave syrup
2 TBL of lemon or lime juice
1.5 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 can pureed pumpkin…NOT PUMPKIN PIE FILLING. (This is what makes these raw-ish…canned pumpkin is cooked…I think…)
3/4 cup coconut oil, melted
2 cups raw cashew pieces, soaked at least 3 hours (I read no more than 7)
1/3 cup agave syrup
2 TBL of lemon or lime juice
1.5 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 can pureed pumpkin…NOT PUMPKIN PIE FILLING. (This is what makes these raw-ish…canned pumpkin is cooked…I think…)
3/4 cup coconut oil, melted
1 Tsp Pumpkin Pie Spice (Probably more)
Pulse cashews
in food chopper until crumbly
Add
some agave (I just did one turn of my small processor), lime juice and .5 tsp vanilla.
If you find you need more liquid to get the mixture moving…add a little water.
(Teaspoons at a time.)
PUREE.
Scrape down the sides to make sure everything is fully incorporated.
When
it was as smooth as I could get it (had the patience for) I added half the pumpkin
to my blender, added the pumpkin pie spice, glopped in the cashew mixture, and
put the other half of the pumpkin on top. I feel like layering makes things mix
faster and better.
Blend
until it is as smooth as possible. Taste test and determine whether or not you need a more pumpkin pie spicy flavor...I don't really remember how much I added...because it was a few weeks ago and I just added it until I thought it tasted right...
Add
the melted coconut oil and blend until you think it is well incorporated.
Pour
the filling into the muffin cups. They should come within millimeters of the
top edge of the cup. Just make sure they are even. It may seem as though they
will never set up but they do…
I had
some extra crust, so I sprinkled that on top. These would benefit from a
delicious vegan whipped topping…but I had neither the time nor the idea (at the
time) to create such a thing. They look jazzier with some jazz on top…
Cover
with plastic and let set in the freezer for at least 4 hours. Make sure they
are flat…Otherwise they will look stupid. Set them out an hour before you
intend to ingest. Some recipes say you can put them in the fridge…and that they
will set up…I have not been able to commit to that yet…Someday…
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| Make sure to take a super fucking blurry picture... |
This
is a delicious treat. It is pretty light and enjoyable. Good substitute for the
classic pumpkin pie…ENJOY!
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| On the table...Setting out...that's why they are frosty... |
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| The table...Many people ask me what I ate on Thanksgiving...I just showed them this amazing picture. |
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| The plate...I can't help but share...The picture...the food was all for me... |
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| And DESSERT. Thumbprint cookies (Raspberry and Apricot), My Apple Pie (Recipe Here: http://lifehowirunit.blogspot.com/2012/11/apple-pie.html), Super Sweet Cinnamon Bunz |
I hope you enjoyed your holiday as much as I did, and I hope this season, as well as the new year, brings you everything you have been working hard for.
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