- By Ksenia Lova, Breakfast Criminals

Even though I didn't grow up with Thanksgiving around, the cozy hominess of the Holiday takes a special place in my heart. Perhaps because it encapsulates the essence of Fall: the contrasts of cold weather and the warming spices, of going inside (physically and metaphorically) and as a result finding more connection (within ourselves and in our communities). 

To me, no Thanksgiving festivity is complete without two things: a proper cranberry sauce (with secret ingredient--orange zest), and a proper pumpkin pie. 

In this case, the flavor and hearty texture is more than proper--it's phenomenal, while the ingredients are carefully thought through to be whole food, gluten free, dairy free, refined sugar free and non-GMO.  

While any gluten-free flour will work, I experimented with sorghum--a naturally gluten free grain with neutral flavor ideal for baking. It's also a nutrition powerhouse high in protein, iron, and dietary fiber. Read more about sorghum here. 

Crust: 

1 cup gluten-free flour (I used sorghum flour)
1/2 cup melted coconut oil
1 tablespoon honey (or brown rice syrup)
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 egg

Filling:

1 can  (15oz) pumpkin (or 2 cups baked and blended pumpkin)
3 eggs
1/2 tbs maca
1/3 cup honey (or brown rice syrup)
1 teaspoon cinnamon & pumpkin pie spice 

Directions: 

1. Warm up the oven to 350F. 
    
2. Mix all crust ingredients well, then press the dough into a 13-inch baking pan, and bake for 15 minutes or until it the crust starts to brown. 
    
3. In the meantime, mix all the filling ingredients.  
    
4. Pour the filling into the crust and bake for about an hour, or until the filling is solid. 
    
5. Cool and refrigerate. Serve with love in your heart bowl! 

About Breakfast Criminals

Breakfast Criminals is a movement that stemmed from Ksenia's personal passion for delicious breakfasts and superfood living. An avid meditator, certified Strala yoga guide, Ksenia is on a mission to inspire everyone to start their day with love, one acai bowl at a time. Breakfast Criminals retreats, workshops and recipes have been featured by Harper's Bazaar, Cameron Diaz' The Body Book, Shape, Self Magazine, Well+Good, Refinery29 and MindBodyGreen.

Connect with Ksenia on Instagram and Twitter.