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Cardamom Sweet Potato Pie with Graham Cracker Crust
Prick with fork and roast 2-3 medium sweet potatoes at 350F for 45-60 minutes. They will be done when a fork pierces through easily. 
Remove skin and puree. Press through a wire mesh strainer to make it especially smooth.

Mix 1.5 cups crumbled graham cracker crumbs, 1/3 cup white sugar, 6 tbsp melted “butter”. 
Press into 8 or 9 inch pie pan. Sprinkle with 1/4 cup brown sugar and bake 5-7 minutes at 350F.

In a bowl mix together 1 1/2 cups pureed sweet potato, 3/4 cup milk substitute combined with 3 ener-g egg replacers, 1/4 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp cardamom and 1 tsp vanilla extract. 
Sift 2 tbsp flour over the mix and stir in to fully incorporate. 
Remove crust from oven and pour filling over pie crust but don’t overfill.
Sprinkle with cinnamon.
Return to oven and bake for 40-45 minutes, until pie is set and jiggles only slightly when the pan is bumped. Cool to room temperature then refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving. 

Caramelized Coconut Milk Pumpkin Pie
with Maple Crust, topped with Coconut Whipped Cream
This takes a really long time to make, but the techniques are simple and it is divine. And you can make it a lot more beautiful than this by dolloping the coconut topping on and then swirling it gently with the back of a spoon. This slice was the sole survivor of a potluck last night.

Caramelized Coconut Milk
Pour two cans of coconut milk, regular fat NOT light, in a pan or skillet over medium heat.
When warm, stir in 1/2 cup brown sugar to dissolve. Reduce heat.
Stir gently over low heat, scraping down the sides of the pan occasionally, until the liquid has reduced to about 1 1/3 cups and is a thick syrupy consistency. This will take around 2 hours. Do NOT let it boil, a very gentle simmer or foamy bubbles is acceptable but faint steam will produce the best results.

Maple Pat in the Pan Crust
This is a crispier, chewier crust. If you prefer traditional flakey crust try halving this recipe for cardamom crust, replacing 1 tbsp of butter with maple syrup.
 In a medium bowl stir together 1 1/2 cups flour and 1/2 teaspoon salt.
In a separate bowl combine 1/4 cup oil, I used walnut but sunflower or another fairly neutral cooking oil would work, 3 tablespoons maple syrup and 2 tablespoons milk substitute, whisked until frothy, I used unsweetened almond milk. Stir together.
Pour over flour and stir with a fork to combine.
Pat into pie pan, prick bottom and sides with a fork and fill with dried beans or weights. Bake 5-10 minutes at 350 until slightly golden with darkened edges. 

Filling
Melt 3 teaspoons “butter” (I used coconut earth balance) in a skillet over medium heat. Add 3 1/2 cups fresh or 2 1/2 cups canned pumpkin puree, I like using fresh pumpkin that I’ve roasted while caramelizing the coconut milk.
Stir in 1/3 cup white sugar.
Cook until thickened and reduced to 2 cups.
Remove from heat and transfer to a bowl.
Whisk together 2 egg substitutes until creamy/frothy. I used ener-g egg replacer substituting water with some of the coconut milk reserved mid way through the caramelization process so it was thick but not syrupy. Arrowroot or cornstarch would also suffice. Add to pumpkin.
Pour caramelized coconut milk over the pumpkin.
Stir in 1 tsp ground ginger, 1 tsp ground cinnamon, 1/2 tsp nutmeg, 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp cloves.
Stir all of these together. 

Pour filling into warm crust and bake at 350 for 45 minutes - 1 hour. A fork should come out moist but fairly clean. Let cool to room temperature then transfer to fridge to set fully.

It will most likely come out of the oven with a little bit of a bubble, which will turn into a wrinkly skin when cooled. It will taste fine, but to make it beautiful top with vegan dad’s coconut cream topping.

Rhubarb & Pear Pie with Cardamom Crust
Sift together 1 cup whole wheat flour, 1.5 cups all-purpose flour, 1/3 cup confectioners sugar, 1 tsp cardamom, 1.25 tsp salt.
Cut 1 cup “butter” and 1/8 cup shortening into the flour with a pastry blender or work in lightly with the tips of your fingers until you reach a consistency like cornmeal. Cut another 1/8 cup shortening into the dough until pea-sized crumbs form.
Sprinkle the dough with 6 tbsp ice water.
Blend gently into the dough until it just holds together.
Divide the dough in half, shape each half into a disc, wrap in plastic and refrigerate for 45 minutes.
Roll out into 2 circles. Line a 9 inch pie pan with half the dough. Slice the other half into half inch wide strips.
Preheat oven to 425 F.
Measure 5 cups rhubarb, unpeeled, cut into 1-inch lengths, into a bowl.
Add 1.25 cups sugar, 1/4 cup cornstarch, 1/4 tsp salt. Stir to combine.
Let sit 15 minutes,  stirring occasionally.
Cut 1 large pear into chunks and add to rhubarb mixture along with 1 tbsp lemon juice.
Pour filling into crust and sprinkle with 1 tbsp “butter”, cut into small pieces.
Weave strips of crust to form lattice crust.
Brush with milk or cream substitute of your choice and sprinkle with coarse sugar.
Bake in lower third of oven at 425 for 30 minutes then lower temperature to 350 and bake for 30 minutes more. Juices should be thick and bubbling. Cool completely on a rack.