This vegan dessert pie will warm you with the autumn spices and the stunning combination of butternut squash and coconut. Slightly sweetened with dates, all flavors will blossom in your mouth. Enjoy all the butternut squash goodness on each slice.
Although many people consider the butternut squash a vegetable it is in reality a fruit. It comes from the same family as pumpkin and zucchini (also a fruit!).
Butternut squash is a good source of complex carbohydrates, that means it is high in fiber and contains vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. Your body will take longer to digest therefore avoiding spikes in blood sugar. On the other hand if you consume simple carbs like candy, white flour or soda to name a few, your blood sugar level will keep increasing quickly and in the long run you will have an increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes, heart disease or being overweight.
A serving of one cup of butternut squash has more than 100% of your daily requirement of vitamin A, more than 50% of vitamin C, 18% of potassium and 15% of magnesium and to make it even better is low in calories.
Vitamin A is needed for eye and bone health and immune function. Vitamin C is also essential for the immune system, wound healing and tissue repair. Potassium intake can reduce your blood pressure therefore reducing your risk of cardiovascular disease. Magnesium helps fight inflammation and it is needed for strong bones.
As mentioned before this pie is a delicious dessert but I love having a generous piece for breakfast with a nice cup of tea.
Prep: 20 mins | Cook: 55 + 25 + 15 mins | Total: 1 hour 55 mins
Ingredients
1 Oat & Chia Pie Crust – add ½ tsp of ground cinnamon to the dough for extra flavor
3 ½ cups of butternut squash or canned pumpkin puree
1 cup of shredded unsweetened coconut
1 cup of pitted and chopped dates
3 tsp of pumpkin spice (check the Sweet Potato Coconut Bread post if you want to make your own spice mix)
1 good dash of ground cloves
1 can of coconut cream refrigerated overnight
1 tbsp of maple sugar or sweetener of your choice
Toasted coconut and pumpkin seeds for decorating
Prep
Preheat the oven to 350ºF (180ºC).
If using canned pumpkin puree skip this step and start to prepare the Oat & Chia Pie Crust.
Using a sponge, water and soap wash your squash and rise well. Pad dry, using a sharp knife cut the butternut squash in half lengthwise. Remove all the seeds with a spoon. Place the two pieces of squash on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper with the squash flash facing down. Bake for 55 minutes or until the flesh is tender.
Thirty minutes after the butternut squash is in the oven, you can start preparing the Oat & Chia Pie Crust, baking it for 25 minutes.
These two steps can be prepared the day before. Once the squash has cooled down you can scoop the flesh with a spoon and store in an airtight container in the fridge. The pie shell has to cool down so it can be store covered in the fridge as well.
In a medium saucepan add the prepared squash (or canned pumpkin puree), the shredded coconut, chopped dates and the pumpkin spice. Cook on medium heat, stirring often for 15 minutes or until the dates have dissolved. Pour the filling in the crust, smooth it out and let it cool down.
Once the filling has cooled, scoop the thick layer of cream from the refrigerated coconut cream leaving the watery liquid below. Add to a medium bowl together with the maple sugar.
Using a mixer, beat on high speed until the cream thickens and soft peaks form. Don’t over mix your cream, if the cream gets warm it will lose consistency.
Top the pie with the cream, leaving the center cream free so you can see the butternut squash filling. Decorate with a few pumpkin seeds and toasted coconut. Refrigerate covered until ready to serve. Enjoy!
The pie will stay fresh for 4 days covered in the fridge.