Pumpkin Pie for Breakfast

 I have never been crazy about pumpkin pie.  I was always more of an apple pie gal...or pecan if we're being honest.  Truly, I didn't like pumpkin pie...until I made this one.  The filling is just the right amount of sweet and spicy, the crust, simple and satisfying.

We've made this pie twice already this fall.  Once for Fall Equinox and the second time we made mini pies with my cute as pie homeschool cooking class. Check out an adorable video of my class over at The Tiny Chef Kitchen. The kids gobbled this one up and I didn't feel at all bad about feeding it to them.  Full of healthy fats, nourishing pumpkin, warming spices, and a bit of maple syrup, we have been known to eat left overs for breakfast.

Ingredients
Crust:

• 2 cups rolled oats
• 1/2 packed cup pitted dates
• pinch sea salt
• 1/3 cup unsalted almond or peanut butter
• 2 TBSP almond or other non-dairy milk

Filling:

• 2 cups fresh pumpkin pie puree or 1 15 ounce can of pumpkin
• 3/4 cup raw cashews
• 1.5 tsp arrowroot powder
• 2 tsp pumpkin spice blend
• 1/2 cup maple syrup 
• 1/3 cup almond or other nondairy milk
• 1 TBSP lemon juice
• 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract 

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Lightly coat a pie plate with a bit of coconut oil (a little will do!).
2. In a high speed blender, combine all the crust ingredients and blend until the mixture becomes sticky.  Transfer the mixture to the prepared pie plate and push into the bottom and sides of the plate.
3. In a high speed blender, combine all the filling ingredients and blend until smooth, scraping the sides as needed.
4. Pour the filling mixture into the crust and smooth evenly.  Bake for 10 minutes and then reduce heat to 350 degrees and bake for another 25 minutes.  Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely before slicing!