Sweet Potato Pie with Pear Glaze

Sweet Potato Pie with Caramalized Pear Glaze

I had a pear and a couple sweet potatoes I needed to use up, and this idea came to me. Originally I was going to make mashed sweet potatoes with the glaze, but a friend suggested I make it into a pie! I told her my basic idea and we were able to come up with this AMAZING pie this afternoon. Seriously, everyone who has tried it so far has fallen instantly in love with it.

pie:
• 2-3 large sweet potatoes
• 1/2 package firm silken tofu*
• 3 tbsp apple butter*
• 2 tbsp margarine
• 2 tbsp maple syrup
• 1-2 tbsp plain soy milk
• 1/4 cup light brown sugar
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 1 tsp almond extract
• 1 store-bought vegan graham cracker crust

caramalized pear glaze:
• 2 small or 1 large green pear
• 3 tbsp margarine
• brown sugar, white sugar
• cinnamon

* I used the Mori-Nu vacuum packed kind
* you could substitute cinnamon applesauce for this

Also, all of the measurements except for the potatoes and tofu are estimates; I didn't measure when I made this pie. add a little at a time and adjust the amounts to your taste!
preheat oven to 350.
1. poke holes in your potatoes and microwave on high 10-12 minutes or until cooked through.
2. once done, let potatoes cool. once cool, cut the potatoes lengthwise and scoop the insides into a medium size mixing bowl.
3. open the tofu and give it a couple good squeezes over the sink. add 1/2 the block of tofu to the mixing bowl.
4. add all other ingredients to the bowl. with a hand mixer, blend all ingredients together until creamy and all tofu lumps are incorporated. taste and adjust the ingredients to your taste.
5. pour into the graham cracker crust (btw, the mixture should be thick like pumpkin pie, if not add a little flour and mix again) and spread with a spatula. bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes.
6. let cool, and pour pear glaze over the pie. serve warm or cold.

to make the glaze (make the glaze while the pie is baking, so it's ready by the time the pie cools)1. peel and slice pears (small chunks)
2. add margarine to a small saucepan over medium heat. once melted, add pears and sugars (I didn't measure how much sugar I used and frankly I don't have a good estimate. start with a couple tbsp of each, taste it, and add more if necessary).
3. bring to a boil and reduce heat. continue to simmer over low heat until the mixture thickens slightly.
4. once the pie is done and has mostly cooled off, pour the glaze over the pie and serve!