Pumpkin Pie Recipe for Vegetarian or Vegan Diets

Sometimes cooking for a family gathering can take on new challenges when the meat-eaters sit down to dine with the vegetarian crowd and a vegan couple. Everybody at the table needs pleasant tasting food that will not offend any of the three diets involved. Making a vegetarian or vegan pumpkin pie as a side-dish, or as a dessert, can often work to bring smiles to all faces involved.

How to make a vegetarian or vegan pumpkin pie:

With vegetarian or vegan pumpkin pie, do not buy a store bought crust. Don't go there for any reason. Store bought crusts cause vegetarians to leap from the table at a dead-run toward your trashcan to find that ingredient list. Vegans will start yelling to the vegetarians for brand name information to determine if the company kills animals for a living. Meat-eaters will ask what all of the fuss is about... Then it gets messy.

This vegetarian or vegan dish makes its own 'almost' crust that helps it all hold together without any eggs involved:

¾ cup brown sugar (Or, maple syrup if your family will not eat refined sugar.)
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 can (15 oz.) Pumpkin Puree
12 oz heavy soy milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ cup rice flour
¼ cup tapioca flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon powder
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
Optional: ½ cup raisins

~ Preheat Oven to 350 degrees.

~ Lightly oil one 9" pie pan or casserole dish.

~ Sift dry ingredients together into a mixing bowl.

~ Put dry ingredients and everything else into a blender or food processor and mix until very smooth. Yes, raisins can be blended too if you'd like.

~ Pour into the lightly oiled pan and bake for about 1 hour, or until a toothpick put into the center comes out clean. Chill before serving to firm this vegetarian or vegan dessert.

How to make a vegetarian or vegan pumpkin pie as dinner side-dish:

The vegetarian or vegan pumpkin pie recipe above can be altered to create a nice hot casserole style side-dish for a holiday gathering. Prepare and cook in a casserole dish as explained above. Serve hot. This can be reheated in a microwave.

1/3 c. brown sugar (Or, maple syrup if your family will not eat refined sugar.)
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 can (15 oz.) Pumpkin Puree
12oz heavy soy milk
¼ c. rice flour
¼ c. tapioca flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ tsp. salt
½ tsp. cinnamon powder
¼ tsp. pie spice
¼ tsp. ginger powder
¼ tsp. grated orange rind
1 c. cooked brown rice
Optional: ½ cup chopped nuts