small pumpkin (about 1-1.5 lbs) or 3 cans of no added sugar pumpkin puree
Crust
9 long Graham crackers
5 tbsp of honey or maple syrup
1 tbsp vanilla
2 tbsp lemon juice
Layer 1
2 packed cups pumpkin puree
one 14-16 oz pack of extra firm organic tofu, drained
½ cup Medjool dates*
1 tsp pumpkin spice
½ tsp cinnamon
2 tbsp organic corn starch
⅓ cup+2 tbsp honey or maple syrup
Layer 2
2 cups cashew nuts
1 packed cup pumpkin puree
½ cup almond milk
1 tsp pumpkin spice
½ tsp cinnamon
¼ cup honey or maple syrup
2 tbsp lemon juice
Instructions
if using a whole pumpkin, cut it into half, cut off outer skin, and chop into chunks
place into a sauce pan that is big enough to contain the pumpkin, cover with water, so it barely goes over pumpkin chunks, bring to boil, reduce heat to low ore medium low, cover and boil until done (15-20 minutes)
when done, strain water, let pumpkin cool, then squeeze as much water as possible out of pumpkin chunks. you can use paper towels to help you with this task.
do the same if using canned pumpkin. you need your pumpkin to be as "dry" as possible. each can should yield one packed cup of pumpkin puree.
preheat oven to 375 F
Crust
while pumpkin is cooking, chop graham crackers into flour. you can get fancy and use a food processor, or use a heavy rolling pin to help you do the job.
place graham flour in a mixing bowl, add honey, vanilla and lemon juice and mix well until combined
while first layer of the pumpkin cheesecake is baking, take all ingredients for the second layer, place into a food processor or a blender (I use the Twister jar with my Blendtec to keep otherwise thick mixture going) until very smooth
refrigerate
once Layer 1 has been baked, cool it off until cool or barely warm
spread Layer 2 mixture over it, place in the fridge covered for 2-3 hours before serving
you can garnish with graham cracker crust mix (graham cracker, honey, lemon juice and vanilla), or even drizzle the top of the cheesecake with melted dark chocolate (it's a treat--relax, it is totally ok to indulge every now and then!)
Notes
*if using other dates, soak them in hot water for 20-30 minutes beforehand to make them easier to blend, and strain as much water as possible before using them **time to table after baking 2-3 hrs.
Recipe by Vegalicious at https://www.vega-licious.com/double-layer-pumpkin-cheesecake/