Vegan Pumpkin Pecan Pie.
I mean, man, I'm a genius. I really am. I love pecan pie, always had it for Thanksgiving, but since becoming vegan, I thought I would never have it again. Not so! Here is my delicious, and lovely, and most importantly––cruelty-free recipe.
Fresh Puree
1 Medium-small pumpkin
1 cup of water
2-3 piloncillo cones, or two cups of brown sugar
3 cinnamon sticks
Pie Crust
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 Tbs. organic granulated sugar (I use Zulka)
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup vegan margarine
2 Tbs. vegetable shortening
3 Tbs. cold water
Filling
8oz vegan cream cheese package, softened
2 cups fresh puree
1 cup of sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 lb halved pecans
a pinch of salt
Sugared Pecans
1/2 lb halved pecans
1 cup sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 cup almond milk
I made everything from scratch––um, remember I said I cooked for two days? I baked the first of those two. So, if you are a control freak like me, and you have the time, I recommend making your own puree. It's a fantastic way of controlling the taste, sweetness, and the overall texture of the pie. Also, I have a different way of making puree. Most people bake it. And it's fine if you have a family recipe you want to continue using, but I made mine like my mother makes sweet potatoes: Simmered with piloncillo (essentially brown sugar in the shape of a cone), cinnamon, and a cup of water. You don't need much water as the pumpkin will render its own. Simmer for about an hour.
While the pumpkin simmers, start the pie crust. I used the same pie crust recipe I found at nomyourself.com. It's pretty fail proof––although I had to add more water than the recipe calls for.
Pie Crust
Mix flour, sugar and salt in a small bowl until well combined.
Add in margarine and shortening while you mix it all together with your hands. Keep kneading until all ingredients are crumbled.
Slowly add cold water 1 Tbs. at a time and mix with your hands until dough is a ball.
Wrap the ball in saran wrap and put it in the refridgerator while you work on the pie fillings.
On to the pie filling. Remove the pumpkin from the fire, drain the juice into a large bowl. Take the pumpkin pieces and scoop out the pumpkin flesh and transfer into a blender (I used Vitamix). Toss the cinnamon sticks. Pour half of the juice into the blender and blend until the puree is smooth, and clump-free. Puree is done. If you're using the canned puree, this would be the time to pop that sucker open.
***Side note: This much puree will make about four pies. If you're making less, use less puree, about 2 cups per pie.***
In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese with a mixer until smooth, add the pumpkin and mix. Then add the sugar, salt, vanilla, and cinnamon and mix. Add half a pound of halved pecans.
I let the mixture sit while I finished molding the pie crust into the molds, and it was perfect. It had time to sit together and marry into the perfect filling. Stir before filling the pie mold to make sure the pecans are incorporated.
Next, start the sugared pecans. Start with the remaining half pound of pecan halves. Mix sugar, almond milk, salt, and ground cinnamon in a bowl. Set aside. The candied pecans will be for garnish.
Once the crust is ready and in the pie mold, fill with the mixture. Add the sugared pecans to the top of the pie and pour the remaining sugar mixture. Bake for 50 minutes or until the center is set. Let it cool down before enjoying.
Happy baking!
