pumpkin pie & raw potluck

*See my newer pumpkin pie recipe here. I hope you all had a great Halloween weekend. I sure did! Didn't really party too much, just hung out with my friends and went to my first raw food potluck! It was amazing!

It was held at Eternal Abundance in downtown Vancouver, and I wasn't sure what to expect. But it exceeded ALL my expectations. The people were awesome, the conversation was really stimulating (finally!) and of course the food was mind-blowingly delicious. I made all sorts of appreciative sounds.

Next time I'll bring my camera so I can show you what it's like, but for now I'll just use words.
For my dish, I brought a pumpkin pie and everyone seemed to like it! There was also a bunch of salads, some "stuffing", a crumble, a masala, marinated winter veggies, and SO MANY amazing desserts including nanaimo bars, fudge, brownies and pudding. MMMM. It was all organic, local, raw and vegan.

As one might guess, the energy was so positive and vibrant. There were good vibes flying around the room =) You could practically SEE them!

My wonderful friend Amber who I brought, bought me an organic avocado!!! I will indulge in those medium-chain fatty acids this evening, in my nori wrap... omg I can't wait. Now my mouth is watering.

Raw Pumpkin Pie: Serves 8 or so 

Filling:

4 cups or so cubed sugar pumpkin

1/2 cup agave nectar

1/2 cup maple syrup

Small handful of dates

Cloves, nutmeg, cinnamon, ginger (to taste, 'cause I like lots)

Pinch of salt

1 cup or so water/orange/apple juice

Crust:

1 cup walnuts

1 cup almonds (these nuts can be substituted with almost any others like cashews, brazil nuts, etc.)

1 cup dates, soaked in water for 30 minutes if you can

2 T coconut butter

Pinch of salt

Process pumpkin into small chunks, add in other ingredients, process until as smooth as possible. Add liquid until it gets the consistency of pumpkin pie filling. I then put it in my Vita-Mix because it makes it really creamy just like cooked pumpkin pie. See if you like it! It should be delicious as is. If not, add more spices/sweeteners or whatever you think it needs. Set aside.

For the crust, process the nuts into powder, then add dates, melted coconut butter and salt. It should become one big chunk of nutty, sweet goodness. If it's to dry, add more dates, agave or maple syrup/coconut butter. If it's too sticky, add more nuts, ground flax or sprouted flour. 

Press into pie shell. Then pour in the filling. I like to decorate the top with nuts. Let it rest in the fridge for an hour or so if you want. I personally like it warm =) 

Serve with ice cream and coconut cream! (For the coconut cream, you can just use the non-frozen ice cream)