Every year, when fall comes rolling around, the air chills, the leaves crunch beneath my feet when I walk through my garden, and I can't help but squeal with delight as I see all of the pumpkins ready to be harvested. Pumpkins that will soon be turned into the most amazing pie I've ever eaten. Raw vegan pumpkin pie with coconut cream.

...It tastes way too good to be healthy, but it is!

Compared to a conventional pumpkin pie, this recipe has less calories, and is much more nutrient dense. And since it's raw, you don't even have to worry about baking it!

Pumpkins may be pretty and used for decorative purposes during fall, but they are also packed with nutrients. How amazing is that?

They are a great source of vitamins A, C, E and the B vitamins and dietary fiber. Pumpkins are also rich with potassium, iron, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, copper, manganese, sodium and zinc. You wouldn't have guessed it but they can also help with inflammation, bone health, eye health and depression. Since the pie is raw, all of these nutrients and vitamins are intact. Its like a powerhouse of awesome!

Another important ingredient in this delicious pie is organic yacon syrup. When you think of anything sweet, you generally don't think it could possibly be healthy, but that's not the case with yacon syrup. It's practically a super food! Yacon increases bone density, metabolism, immune system function, and energy levels, while lowering blood sugar and cholesterol, and preventing cancer. It has proven to be an effective weight loss tool, while still being a sweetener. This pie is sounding better and better by the minute, right?

The best part is that this pie couldn't be simpler to make! But we're still going to walk through the steps to ensure your pie is extra tasty. Because let’s be honest, if it doesn’t taste good, then it doesn’t matter how healthy it is. So thank goodness that this pie tastes fabulous! Who says raw vegans can’t have a good pie?

The first thing you will need to do is pour two cups of chopped walnuts into a high-speed food processor, and blend the walnuts until they resemble crumbs. This will take about a minute.

Next, you will need to add two cups of raisins.

Process again until it starts to come together.

This will also take about a minute. You can tell it's ready when it starts sticking to the sides of the food processor and the blade itself.

Pour the mixture into a pie pan, and use your fingers to press it into the pan. Tip: This part can get a bit sticky, but it helps if you wet your hands a bit first. The oil and water will disagree, and the mixture will not stick to your hands.

You could flute the edges if you would like to make it look pretty, but it is not completely necessary.

For the filling you will need to cut a pie pumpkin in half, peel it, and remove the seeds and stringy innards. Then, you'll need to cut the pumpkin into rough one inch cubes to make pureeing a breeze, and load the cubes into the food processor.

Pour 1/4 cup of melted coconut oil on top of the pumpkin.

Also pour in 1/4 cup of organic yacon syrup. Tip: If you use the same measuring cup you used for the coconut oil, the syrup will slide right out.

Sprinkle in one teaspoon of cinnamon, and 1/2 teaspoon each of clove, ginger, and nutmeg. Process the filling until it has reached the desired smoothness. Tip: If it is too watery, you can pop the food processor bowl into the fridge for a bit to thicken before proceeding to the next step.

Pour the filling into the prepared pie crust.

Spread the filling around to the edges, smoothing the top. Place the pie in the fridge for about eight hours, or overnight.

And that's it. Super easy, right? I like to serve this with whipped coconut cream. To make your own all you need to do is refrigerate 13.5 ounces of raw fresh coconut milk (full fat) for about 12 hours. The best way to do this is to place the coconut milk in the fridge at the same time you put the pie in the fridge. That way you can prepare the coconut whipped cream before serving.

Then remove the coconut milk from the refrigerator. Scoop off the cream that has floated to the top. You'll be left with a translucent liquid, which you can either discard or place in the refrigerator to add to a smoothie.

Place the coconut cream into a medium bowl with tall sides. (The tall sides keep the coconut cream from flying everywhere when you mix it.) Using a cold whisk, whip up the coconut cream. It will take a minute to whip up, but once it does, keep mixing until it has just about reached your desired thickness. Add in a teaspoon of organic yacon syrup to sweeten and mix again, or leave it out completely. Either way you'll have a delicious, vegan whipped topping to dollop on your delicious pumpkin pie.

Raw Vegan Pumpkin Pie

Ingredients:

For the Crust:

• 2 cups chopped walnuts

• 2 cups organic raisins

For the Pie filling:

• 1 pie pumpkin, peeled, seeded and cubed (about 6-7 cups)

• 1/4 cup melted coconut oil

• 3-5 tablespoons organic yacon syrup

• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

Instructions:

To make the crust:

Pulse the walnuts in a food processor until they resemble crumbs. Then add the raisins and process until the mixture begins to stick to the sides of the food processor. Press the crust into a pie dish and place in the fridge.

To make the filling:

Blend the cubed pumpkin, coconut oil, yacon syrup, ground cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves until smooth. If the mixture is too runny, let it thicken in a bowl in the fridge. Pour the mixture into your crust, spread, and refrigerate overnight until it's set. Slice and serve with whipped coconut cream.

Whipped Coconut Cream

Ingredients:

• 1 (13.5 oz) can organic coconut milk, refrigerated

• 1 1/2 teaspoons organic yacon syrup (or sweetener of choice), optional

Instructions:

Open the can of coconut milk, and scrape off the coconut cream into a medium bowl.

Blend with a hand until smooth and coconut cream has set up. Add sugar or sweetener of choice and blend/stir to combine. Serve on german pancakes, coffee, fruit, pies, crisps, or whatever floats your boat.