Ingredients
Crust:
- 10 dried apricots
- 1 cup pecans
- 1 cup sunflower seeds
- 1 ½ cups rolled oats
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- ½ cup gluten-free flour (I used Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-free Baking Mix)
- 1 Tbsp. sesame oil
Filling:
- 3 cups cooked squash puree (canned or cooked from a kabocha squash*)
- ¾ cup maple syrup
- 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup coconut milk or other dairy-free milk
- ¼ cup arrowroot starch or cornstarch
- 1 ½ teaspoons agar powder
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
Instructions
- Make the crust: If your apricots are dry, soak them in some warm water to cover for 5 to 10 minutes. You can cook them on low heat for 5 minutes. Dry roast your sunflower seeds in a large skillet on medium-low heat, stirring frequently for about 5 minutes. Remove the toasted seeds from the skillet and place in a bowl to cool. Then toast the pecans the same way for 5 to minutes, or until fragrant and a little golden. Toast the rolled oats using the same method over medium-low heat for 5 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Place the toasted sunflower seeds and pecans in a food processor and grind them into a fine meal. Add the toasted oats and grind them up as well, until you reach a fine flour. Drain the apricots and add to the food processor. Add the sea salt, flour and sesame oil. If you need a little extra moisture you can add a couple of teaspoons of the apricot soaking water to make it stick together.
- Lightly oil a deep dish 8 or 9-inch pie plate with sesame oil. Pour the crust mixture into the pie plate. With moist hands, evenly press the crust into the pie plate. Be sure to cover the sides as well as the bottom.
- To make the filling, first rinse and dry the bowl of the food processor. Place the 3 cups of squash puree in the food processor. Add the maple syrup, pumpkin pie spice, vanilla, coconut milk, arrowroot starch, agar powder and sea salt. Blend until smooth.
- Pour the squash filling mixture into the prepared pie crust. Bake for 10 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F. and bake for another 45 to 50 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool to room temperature. Refrigerate overnight. Bring to room temperature before serving. You can serve topped with dairy-free whipped topping on each slice and a little sprinkle of ground nutmeg.
* To cook the squash from scratch: Peel 1 medium sized kabocha squash. Cut in half and remove the seeds. Place the chunks in a medium size saucepan with about an inch of water on the bottom. Bring to boil on high heat, then reduce the heat to simmer on low, covered, for about 20 minutes. Drain and reserve any remaining cooking liquid. Mash the cooked squash with a potato masher.
* I like a firmer cheesecake-type of consistency, but if you prefer a creamier pie you can cut the agar powder down to just ½ teaspoon, or even leave it out altogether.
Notes
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