I write quite a lot of "poetry" or whatever you want to call it, and the amount of writing I do has increased in the past month or so. Mostly due to me getting out of a heart-breaking relationship and knowing that I need to reconquer my independence; not merely as a girl or human, but as a spiritual, living unit of energy in this universe. I am happy to say I have been successfully rediscovering old pastimes and finding renewed fulfillment in them. Some are yoga, meditation, writing, reading, and general arts and crafts. Music has also been playing a paramount role. Music done right is, in my humble opinion, the sound of the human condition, often begging a reaction. Fortunately I have friends who are offering up some amazing artists and albums, and currently my favourite way to spend an evening is by myself, lights out, incense and and candles lit, lying in corpse pose (or low-back Savasana) and meditating on an entire album.


My happiness comes down to my selfishness. I'm not ashamed to say that I'm a selfish person; because I think we all are, it's part of being human, but many of us don't want to admit as much. I care for others' and their well being deeply, but ultimately I put myself first. My logic is: I can't love anyone if I don't love myself. So, I am constantly working on improving me, so I can love myself in a more fundamental way. It seems (to me) that a lot of people don't love themselves enough or at all, so they don't feel whole unless they are with others who give them validation and affection. Obviously this is not practical. On the other end of the spectrum, we have those who only love themselves in an inflated way, and they don't give love to anyone else. The solution is a balance: find wholeness in you and you alone, then progress to sharing that wholeness with others. Be happy in being yourself, and love whatever you are. If you don't love what you are, work out what you would like to change and go from there. But certainly everyone deserves all the love in the world, there are no exceptions in my opinion. 


Now, where were we!? Ah yes, pumpkin pie. This Autumn, get healthy/jiggy with it and serve up a pie filled with whole food goodness and mind-blowing flavour. My mom bought a couple sugar pumpkins at the farmers' market and I immediately chopped them up, threw them on a raw pie crust and voila. Bliss in a bowl/plate/whatever. For real, all that is in this is walnuts, raisins, pumpkin, coconut oil, spices, and whatever sweetener you like. THAT'S IT. Ain't life magical? Here's where you answer, "Yes"! This recipe gets simpler every time I make it, and what we've got here is the truly bare-bones version. So go ahead and change it up as you want to. It's all about what you want. Let's eat.


RAW VEGAN PUMPKIN PIE with WHIPPED COCONUT CREAM

Crust:
2 cups walnuts
2 cups raisins
Pinch of salt (optional) 

Pie filling:
1 sugar pumpkin, peeled, seeded and cubed (about 6-7 cups) 
1/4 cup melted coconut oil 
3-5 tablespoons coconut nectar or other preferred sweetener
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon each of nutmeg, ginger and cloves 

Whipped coconut cream or cashew cream

To make the crust: pulse the walnuts in a food processor until they're crumbs, add the raisins and salt and process until it begins to stick together. Press into a pie dish and put in the fridge.

To make the filling: blend all the ingredients until smooth, adding however much of the spices you like. If it's quite runny, let it thicken in a bowl in the fridge. Spread into your crust and refrigerate overnight until it's set. Slice and serve with whipped coconut cream, cashew cream or your fave vegan ice cream!