For Thanksgiving this year, I will be making a raw, vegan pumpkin pie... here's the recipe I'll use!

Raw Pumpkin Pie Recipe

If you canʼt get your hands on a fresh pumpkin you can use  butternut squash or sweet potato.

Raw Pumpkin Pie Crust

• 1 Cup raw almonds, 1 Cup raw pecans (both soaked)
• 1/2 cup soaked 1 hour medjool dates, pitted
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• Dash of sea salt
• date soaking water if necessary

Blend the crust ingredients in a high speed blender or food processor. Process the nuts first, allowing them to get mealy. Slowly add in the dates, water, vanilla and cinnamon until the ingredients form a dough like consistency. The dough will form into a "ball" in the food processor.  Take the ball and whatever else is left over and evenly distribute in the bottom of a pie plate.

Raw Pumpkin Pie Filling

• 2 cups shredded pumpkin, butternut squash, or sweet potato flesh (or Organic Pumpkin Pie in a can if you're lazy)
• 1/4 C raisins, soaked 1 hour
• 1 cup dates, soaked 1 hour
• 2 tsp. cinnamon
• 1 tsp. freshly diced ginger
• 1 tsp. nutmeg
• 1 tsp. coconut oil or 1 tbsp butter
• Dash of vanilla
• 1 persimmon (optional: you can leave this out if you don't find them)
• 1/4 cup almond milk or date water when needed to blend

If you donʼt feel like shredding the pumpkin by hand, simply cube and place in a high speed blender or food processor until itʼs nicely chopped. (or get it in a can, make sure it's organic)

Then add the rest of the ingredients and blend until nice and smooth. You might need to add more liquid to get it to blend well.

Pour into crust, then chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes before serving.

Almond Or Cashew "Whipped Cream"

• 1 cup almonds or cashews
• ¾ cup water
• 1 Tablespoon maple syrup (optional)
• ½ teaspoon vanilla (optional)

For the smoothest consistency, use cashews or peeled almonds. Because of their alkaline nature, almonds help keep your blood at a neutral pH. And if you buy them raw, they'll germinate when you soak them. Note for raw friends: Cashews are heated after being picked, even those labeled "raw".

Soak 1 cup of almonds or cashews in 2 cups of water. If you're in a very warm climate, soak them in your refrigerator. After 8-12 hours, discard the soaking water and rinse the nuts. In a blender, place the nuts and enough fresh water to allow the blender to operate. Blend, gradually adding enough water to achieve a smooth consistency. Makes 1 ½ - 1 ¾ cups.

Have an incredible day... but remember, EVERYDAY we can find reasons to be thankful, we don't need a day to be told it's okay!

My husband is from Israel. Kids in Israel used to take pods straight from a tree and chew on them for the sweetness. For years he searched for this mystery "haroov" from his childhood.

Low and behold, it turns out it was carob from a carob tree!

We love this sweet raw, vegan, carob truffle. Made with hemp butter, agave and rolled in coconut, we're sure you'll love it, too!

fudge- it ball truffles

• 3/4 cup organic raw, unsalted tahini
• 1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk
• 2 tablespoons light agave nectar
• 1 teaspoon organic vanilla
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 4 packets or 2 teaspoons Stevia Plus Powder
• 1/2 cup raw carob powder
• 1/2 cup unsweetened coconut
  

In a medium mixing bowl, place tahini, almond milk, agave, vanilla, and cinnamon.  With a flat spatula, mix until smooth.  Add stevia powder and mix until powder is distributed evenly.  Using a tablespoon at a time, add carob powder to mixture.  Using spatula, work carob powder into mixture with a folding and pressing action against the bowl.  Continue this process until all the carob powder is used.

The batter will look and feel shiny and hard like a fudge.  If the batter is too sticky to roll, add a bit more carob to get the texture of a non-sticky fudge.

Scoop out a tablespoon of the fudge batter and roll into a ball.  Roll ball in unsweetened coconut and serve in mini-cupcake papers.

Yield: 24ish truffles.