Fall into new beginnings. Fall into action. Fall in love. Fall into yourself. Fall, fall, fall. When this season comes around I get inspired more than ever. I don’t know if it’s the weather or the colors that are around, the crispy air… I can’t exactly put my finger on it but why try to label a good thing here. This is a season to ground and plant some roots. Half hibernation and half outside exploration. Time to gather with family and friends, share food and stories, laughter and love. I wanted to create an item that was inspired by fall, meaning Pumpkin! If you are a Trader Joes shopper than you know how popular it is, with the 68 items that have pumpkin in them!
Not everyone is a fan though, mostly meaning with baked pumpkin pie. It’s something I’ve noticed people love or absolutely hate. I figured, well if they don’t like baked pumpkin maybe, just maybe they would like a raw one… I tried this on a few people including my boyfriend who absolutely hates baked pumpkin pie. He tried the raw, vegan, gluten free pumpkin pie and couldn’t get enough of it. This is a unique flavor combination that will really impress your guests and even yourself. You’ll look at your piece while enjoying every bite and acknowledging, “hey! I made that!” There is a combination of two different nuts in the crust and an addition of dried coconut giving it a sweet, salty, and buttery flavor. The filling is paired with spice, vanilla, pumpkin, and banana leaving people wondering the ingredients with every bite. I’m telling you, this is worth a try. What are you waiting for? The time is now to go explore, hibernate, create, and eat your heart out. Happy Fall everyone!
Vegan, Gluten Free Pumpkin Pie Recipe
Raw, Vegan, Gluten Free, and Paleo-friendly
Crust
2/3 cup Pecans
1/3 cup Almonds
¾ cup Coconut flakes unsweetened
20 small Dates or 13 Medjool dates de-pitted
2 tbl Coconut oil melted
1 tsp Maca powder
¼ tsp salt
2 tbl filtered water (maybe more depending on how many dates and on the nuts)
Directions
Line a 9-inch pie pan with parchment. I spray the bottom of the pan with a coconut oil spray so the parchment can stick. Also, cut the parchment into a circle but make sure some little shows over the top so you can use that to help you remove the pie. Place the nuts in a food processor with an S blade and blend till it resembled flour. Add the rest of the ingredients and add the water till it starts to stick together. Try to not over water though it will come out too mushy. Transfer the crust to the pie pan and spread out until it covers the whole bottom and then some. Start to use your fingers to form your crust, adjust to the height you desire. Sometimes this can be a few moments to do so just put on some African Jazz and get jiggy with it!
Put in the freezer once done while you make filling.
Filling 
¾ cup pure Pumpkin pure or fresh Pumpkin
2 large ripe Bananas
½ cup Coconut oil melted
4 tsp Pumpkin Spice (I use the one from trader joes)
10 dates (small) or 5 Medjool
1 tsp Vanilla extract
¼ tsp salt
Directions
No need to wash the food processor. Add the ingredients all together and blend until smooth. There may be a few chunks of dates left but that’s ok! Remove the crust from freezer and slowly pour the filling into the shell. Once it hits the rim stop pouring, you may have a little bit of left overs. Smooth out the top with a spoon then store in freezer for a couple hours, letting it set. When you want to serve, remove from the freezer, let it sit out for 10-15 minutes the remove and serve! I added zest of an orange and lemon. Gave it a little zing!
Enjoy!
Meet the Chef!
Chelsea Shapouri, currently in Ventura, California, is an entrepreneur with the love for holistic health, yoga/meditation, herbal medicine, travel, and the outdoors. Her aim is to help people achieve their true authenticity, move away from stress and into balance using her knowledge with Holistic Living. Chelsea currently is teaching “Yoga Medicine” at local studios and indoor rock climbing gyms, creating a cook book, taking photos with her favorite companions, hosting workshops locally, and enjoying the ocean and trails on her days off. To learn more about her mission and offers you can go to her website; Thegrainsoflife.com or email her at; thegrainsoflife@yahoo.com. Join the team to spread this awareness of happiness as well as taking care of our earth and people.
