Cauliflower Pumpkin Mash

Time still seems to be flying by for me lately, and somehow Canadian Thanksgiving has crept up so fast that it's only a few days away! I haven't even thought of any recipes or dishes that I could contribute to our family's meal this weekend, but I'm sure that it will be delicious no matter what!

I don't usually post side dish recipes on my blog because I tend to make one-dish meals for myself, but Thanksgiving for a vegetarian is the perfect opportunity to make a meal out of a bunch of side dishes, so I thought today's recipe would fit in perfectly with the upcoming holiday!

While I love regular mashed potatoes, I also like trying different versions of mashed vegetables, like this mashed rutabaga and this beet-parsnip mash I've made in the past.

This variation uses a mix of cauliflower and pureed pumpkin as the base of the mash, and since neither of those ingredients are particularly flavourful on their own, I added lots of extra herbs and spices like garlic, thyme, nutmeg, some cayenne for a bit of spice, and nutritional yeast to add a cheesy dimension.

I loved how fluffy and creamy this was, and while I was perfectly happy eating it on it's own, it also worked really well as a topping for thick and hearty slices of bread - I ate mine with my leftover pumpkin beer bread, which paired together nicely!

I hope my Canadian readers have a great long weekend filled with food, family, and relaxing! I plan on stuffing myself with veggies and pumpkin pie :)

Cauliflower Pumpkin Mash

1/2 head cauliflower, chopped

1 cup canned pureed pumpkin

1 clove garlic, minced

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp plain yogurt (optional)

1 tbsp nutritional yeast

1/2 tsp dried thyme

1/2 tsp sea salt

Dash of nutmeg

Dash of cayenne (optional, for a spicier mash)

Ground pepper

Bring a medium pot of water (filled a couple of inches high) to a boil over medium-high heat. Place cauliflower pieces in a steamer basket and place the steamer in the pot. Steam, covered, for about 10 minutes, until cauliflower is tender. Remove from heat and let cool until safe to handle.

Place cauliflower and all remaining ingredients in a food processor and process until everything is pureed (you can leave it a bit chunky if you like). Taste and adjust seasoning if desired.

Serve as a side dish or on top of toast. 

Makes about 4 side servings

Pumpkin Amaranth Beer Bread

Now that we're into October, I'm excited to share my first pumpkin recipe of the year with you! I'm not ashamed to admit that I'm one of those people who gets a bit obsessed with everything pumpkin related as soon as the weather starts getting cooler every year - I always look forward to pumpkin spice lattes, pumpkin pie, pumpkin scones and muffins, and pumpkin beer!

Last year, I made a variety of pumpkin based treats, but the one that didn't quite turn out was a pumpkin beer bread. I realized what my mistake was though (using a beer that was too strong and dark), so this year I was determined to try another beer bread.

I love beer bread because it's so simple to make, not to mention super fun watching the mixture bubble and fizz when you add the beer! I also like how versatile it is since it's like a cross between bread and a loaf cake - you can eat it plain or buttered, toasted or fresh, with savory or sweet toppings, as a side to soup or on its own for breakfast.

This particular recipe has lots of spices in it, a generous portion of pumpkin puree, and some maple syrup for a bit of sweetness to balance the bitterness of the beer. This time, I used a lighter blonde ale for the beer, but a light pumpkin beer would work really well too!

I also wanted to add a bit of texture to my loaf by mixing in a grain like quinoa or millet. Unfortunately, I didn't have either of those in my pantry, but I did have some amaranth so I decided to incorporate it instead. Rather than using it dry though, I popped the seeds first so that it puffed up like popcorn. If you've never tried popped amaranth before, there are some helpful tutorials on other blogs such as Edible Perspective.

The amaranth wasn't very noticeable in the baked loaf, but you could see some light speckles throughout and it added a hint of nutty flavour, not to mention a boost of nutrition since amaranth is high in protein, fiber, and vitamins.

I enjoyed most of this bread with Earth Balance coconut spread, but I also ate some with a delicious pumpkin mash which I'll be sharing on the blog next week!

Pumpkin Amaranth Beer Bread
Adapted from various sources, including Sunday Morning Banana Pancakes and Averie Cooks

1/4 cup dry amaranth grain (about 1 cup popped)

1.5 cups all purpose flour

1.5 cups whole wheat pastry flour

1 tbsp baking powder

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp pumpkin pie spice

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup canned pureed pumpkin

1/4 cup pure maple syrup

2 tbsp oil

1 tbsp molasses (I used blackstrap molasses)

1/2 tsp maple extract (optional, for more of a maple flavour)

12 oz bottle of light beer (I used a blonde ale)

Preheat oven to 375⁰F. Prepare a loaf pan by lining the bottom with parchment paper (optional) and spraying with cooking spray.

First, to pop the amaranth, place a medium sized pot on the stovetop over medium heat. Add a small amount of amaranth (about 1 tbsp) to the pot and heat until it starts to pop. Once it starts popping, cover pot with a lid and shake frequently until it stops popping. Immediately transfer popped amaranth to a bowl. Continue in small batches until all the amaranth has been popped. Note: You will likely need to throw out your first batch or two, as it won’t pop properly. Mine didn’t start going until the third attempt!

In a large bowl, add the flours, baking powder, spices, and salt. Whisk to mix thoroughly. Whisk in the popped amaranth.

In a separate bowl, stir together the pumpkin, maple syrup, oil, molasses, and maple extract. Pour wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir a few times. Pour in the beer and stir gently just until all the dry ingredients are incorporated.

Transfer mixture to the prepared loaf pan and smooth out the top. Place in the preheated oven and bake for about 50-60 minutes (I baked mine for 60 minutes just to be sure it was cooked all the way through – this could depend on your oven and the size of your loaf pan). Remove and let cool in pan for about 10 minutes, then remove loaf from the pan and cool completely on a wire rack.

Makes 1 loaf.  *Note: After a couple of days, I stored my leftovers, pre-sliced and wrapped well, in the freezer and defrosted slices when I wanted a piece.

Pumpkin Recipe Round Up 2013

I got a late start to my pumpkin baking this year, but once I opened my first can, I made sure to squeeze in as many pumpkin goodies as I could! I've heard people say before that they're going to turn into a pumpkin from eating too much of it, and now I understand how they feel...Not that I'm complaining - personally, I can't get enough of anything and everything pumpkin this year!

And instead of keeping all the goodies I've tried to myself, I thought I would post a round-up of the pumpkin recipes I've tried this season, similar to last year's post. Most of them were adapted from other blogs, so be sure to check out their sites too!

Pumpkin Stuffed Energy Balls

With all of the pumpkin recipes that I bookmark, there's never a shortage of ideas from other bloggers that I want to try. But the one pumpkin recipe of my own from this year were these pumpkin stuffed energy balls. With the "dough" made from raw nuts and dates, and a filling of pumpkin hummus, these made a healthy and tasty snack!


Pumpkin Pancakes

For breakfast a couple of weekends ago, I used some of my leftover pumpkin puree to make these vegan pumpkin pancakes from Daily Garnish. They turned out a bit thinner than my usual pancakes and took a while to make with my limited set of skillets (which is why I started making mini ones, seen on top in the photo), but they were worth the wait! They had a nice amount of pumpkin flavour and the pancakes themselves weren't very sweet, making them the perfect base for lots of maple syrup!

Pumpkin Coffee Smoothie

When I'm in the mood for a cold drink in the morning instead of hot coffee, I like to add instant coffee to a smoothie. This smoothie also had pumpkin puree and pumpkin spice to make it more appropriate for fall. I didn't really measure ingredients this time, but you can check out this post from last year for a recipe.


Pumpkin Banana Coffee Cake

One of my favourite pumpkin recipes that I've tried so far this year was this pumpkin banana breakfast cake from The Pancake Princess. The only changes I made were to use coconut oil instead of olive oil, chopped walnuts in the topping instead of ground, and I replaced the spices in the cake with 1.5 tsp pumpkin pie spice. I loved the texture of the cake, and I liked that it tasted light and not too sweet, so that you could eat it as a relatively healthy snack any time of day!

Mini Pumpkin Muffins

Another healthy baked good that I made with pumpkin were these mini vegan pumpkin muffins from Eating Bird Food. They were nice and fluffy and moist inside, despite having very little oil, and even though they looked a bit plain, I thought they still had lots of flavour!


Pumpkin Beer Bread with Pumpkin Butter

I've had a large bottle of this pumpkin beer sitting in my fridge for awhile, and since it was a relatively strong one, I decided to use some of it in a recipe rather than drinking the whole thing myself! I've been wanting to try making beer bread for awhile too, so when I saw this recipe for pumpkin beer bread on Gimme Some Oven, it was the perfect opportunity! With pumpkin puree, pumpkin spice, and pumpkin beer, this bread had a nice amount of pumpkin flavour, while still being more on the bread side than a sweet breakfast loaf cake. Unfortunately, my bread ended up with an unpleasant bitter aftertaste from using a dark, strong beer, so next time I would make this with a lighter pumpkin beer. 

To cover up some of the bitter taste, I made a thick, spiced pumpkin butter to spread on it, which was the perfect combination! I only had a small amount of pumpkin puree left in my can, so I roughly followed a couple of recipes that I'd seen for pumpkin butter, just guessing on amounts of spices and sweetener. Luckily, pumpkin butter isn't very finicky so it still turned out great! For actual recipes, I would recommend looking at these ones from Oh She Glows and Hidden Fruits and Veggies (I used a less sweetener in mine though).


Pumpkin Granola

I've made pumpkin granola in the past and remembered loving it, so I wanted to make another batch this year. I followed this recipe from Two Peas and Their Pod, except I left out the brown sugar because I didn't want it to be too sweet, and I added some coconut flakes near the end of the baking time. This was nice and crunchy and it was good for both snacking and eating with yogurt!


Pumpkin Swirl Brownies

Last but not least were these vegan pumpkin swirl brownies from The Balanced Platter. I'm not usually one for chocolate treats, but these had a good balance of richer chocolate with lighter spiced pumpkin. They turned out more like a snack cake than brownies, and were definitely more on the healthy side than a decadent dessert, but I loved them more for those reasons! I need to work on my swirling skills (and learn not to flip the cake upside down onto a wire rack, leaving lines all over them), but I would definitely make these again!

Of course, not all of the pumpkin treats that I've enjoyed this year have come from my own kitchen.  In addition to too many Starbucks' pumpkin spice lattes, my favourite storebought treats recently have been a pumpkin pie square, a pumpkin butter tart, and classic pumpkin pie (all pictured above).

Even though it's now November and holiday drinks and treats have made their way into every store and cafe, I still plan on enjoying pumpkin for as long as I can!

Pumpkin Stuffed Energy Balls

If I had to think of the one thing I make the most often in my kitchen, it would probably be energy balls. I almost always keep a stash in my office fridge as quick and healthy snacks to have on hand when afternoon hunger strikes, or before I head out for one of my exercise classes on campus.

Usually I'll just throw together random ingredients in my food processor until I get a mixture that holds together enough to roll into bite-sized balls. My general combo is nuts (I like raw almonds), oats, dates for stickiness and sweetness, either almond butter or peanut butter, and maybe some extra sweetener and a dash of cinnamon for more flavour.

With fall in full swing and pumpkin recipes everywhere, I was inspired to try something a bit different this time by making pumpkin flavoured energy balls.

Actually, make that double pumpkin stuffed energy balls! Not only does the base of the mixture include pumpkin puree and pumpkin spice, but I filled each one with a smooth and slightly sweet pumpkin hummus.

I admit that these were a bit more time-consuming and difficult to make than my usual energy balls, but it was a fun little kitchen project to work on, and I thought the end result was worth the extra work!  Plus you end up with leftover pumpkin hummus, which makes a great dip for apple slices or crackers.

I liked that these were a bit softer overall than other versions I've made, and I loved biting into the creamy filling inside! They had a nice amount of pumpkin flavour and they weren't too sweet, making them taste more like a healthy snack than a dessert-like treat (which is what I was aiming for!).

My supply of these is almost out already, so it might be time to make another batch!

Pumpkin Stuffed Energy Balls

Filling adapted from my pumpkin hummus; energy balls adapted from Oh, Ladycakes

Filling

1 cup canned chickpeas, drained and rinsed (preferably with the skins peeled first)
1/4 cup canned pumpkin puree

2 tbsp rolled oats
1 tbsp almond butter
1 tbsp + 1 tsp pure maple syrup
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
pinch of nutmeg and cloves
scant 1/4 tsp salt

Place all ingredients in a food processor and puree until smooth and fully mixed. Store in the refrigerator.

Makes about 1 1/4 cups (more than you will need for this recipe).

Energy Balls

1/4 cup raw cashews

1/4 cup raw almonds (can substitute another nut like walnuts or pecans)

1/2 cup rolled oats

2 tbsp ground flax

1/4 tsp pumpkin pie spice

Dash of cinnamon and salt

3 dates, chopped

2 tbsp pumpkin puree

2 tbsp pure maple syrup

Place nuts and oats in a food processor and process until finely ground. Add remaining ingredients and process until you get a thick, sticky mixture.

To assemble the balls, take a heaping teaspoon of the dough mixture and press it as flat and thin as possible in the palm of your hand without it tearing (note: it might get stuck if you press it out onto a cutting board or countertop, so I found my hand was the best method). Place about a ½ teaspoon of the filling mixture in the middle, then close the dough around the filling, pinching it closed (see picture below - I actually ended up making the dough portion a bit bigger than what is shown below):

Press the ball together to enclose the filling (it's okay if some of it has poked out to the edge), then roll it around in your hands to make it a round shape.

Repeat until the dough mixture is used up (you will have extra filling).  Store balls in the fridge.

Makes about 20 balls.

Pumpkin Recipe Round-Up

Now that both Canadian Thanksgiving and Halloween are over and the month of November is here, it feels like pumpkin season is practically over too!  So before you all get too sick of seeing pumpkin recipes on blogs, I thought I would do a round-up of some of the pumpkin recipes that I've tried so far this year!

Whenever I open one of those huge cans of pumpkin, I need lots of ideas for ways to use it up - it seems like most recipes only call for a small amount of it, especially when I'm making small batches or single servings, so it usually takes me a while to get through the can!

One way that I used my last can of pumpkin was adding it to a smoothie.  I based this one off of a few recipes I found on the internet and used my usual ratio of frozen banana and milk to get a nice thick, cold drink. The pumpkin was detectable without being too strong, and I liked the spices.  This is a nice option for the mornings if you're not in the mood for a hot pumpkin latte!

Pumpkin Latte Smoothie

1 frozen banana, chopped

1/4 cup pumpkin puree

1 cup almond milk

1/4 tsp pumpkin pie spice

1-2 tsp maple syrup or agave syrup (to taste)

1-2 tsp instant coffee

Dash of cinnamon

Blend all ingredients and serve immediately.

Makes 1 serving.

Other than smoothies, two other easy ways to use up canned pumpkin in the mornings are by adding it to hot oatmeal or to cold yogurt, both of which I've done a lot this season!  For my oatmeal, I admit to using a packet of instant oatmeal, with a couple spoonfuls of pumpkin stirred in and topped with maple syrup and lots of cinnamon  - a nice warm bowl to start off a cold Fall morning!

I also love making my own pumpkin yogurt by stirring a bit of pumpkin puree into vanilla yogurt and adding a dash of pumpkin pie spice.  If you use vanilla flavoured yogurt, I find that no extra sweetener is needed.

Add some granola and you've got yourself the perfect snack or breakfast - even better if you have pumpkin granola, like the one pictured above (which is actually a pic from last year because I didn't have a recent one of my pumpkin yogurt)!

One of my favourite things that I made with pumpkin this year was this snack cake.  I love baking with pumpkin because it adds a lot of moisture and produces such a nice texture. This recipe for pumpkin bars that I adapted from Chocolate Covered Katie is no exception!

Instead of baking mine in an 8x8 pan, I used one mini-loaf pan and one mini round cake pan, so that I ended up with a taller, fluffier cake. I loved the texture and taste of this cake - it had just the right amount of spices and was still really light and healthy.  It definitely didn't last as long as I thought it would before it was all eaten up!

I also wanted to make a healthy pumpkin snack in the form of energy balls that I could bring to school with me for a quick bite. I followed this recipe for raw pumpkin donut holes from Oh, Ladycakes with a few changes - I used half cashews and half walnuts, rolled oats that I ground into flour instead of the oat groat flour, and I added a dash of cinnamon and salt.

I really loved these - they tasted just like pumpkin pie but in a raw, chewy form! I cut the recipe down but afterwards I wished I hadn't!

Next was this pumpkin gingerbread soft serve, which is made in the same way as the popular banana soft serve, but has canned pumpkin, molasses, and pumpkin spice added in. I loved this seasonal variation on banana soft serve, and it's even healthy enough to eat for breakfast!

Of course, snacks, baked goods, and desserts aren't the only things you can make with canned pumpkin! I have lots of bookmarked dinner recipes that feature pumpkin, but the only one that I've actually made so far this year was this Golden Trio Soup from Healthy.Happy.Life.

I happened to have leftover butternut squash, sweet potato, and canned pumpkin (the golden trio) all sitting in my fridge, so this recipe was the perfect thing to make!  I made a few minor changes based on what I had on hand, like using coconut milk instead of almond milk, but I thought the flavours all combined really well and made a thick, creamy soup that I could scoop up with bread.

This definitely made me want to experiment more with savory pumpkin recipes!

Hopefully it's not too late in the season to keep trying out pumpkin recipes, because there are so many more that I've seen on other blogs that I'd love to try - including these pumpkin molasses cookies, pumpkin bagels, pumpkin black bean burgers, and pumpkin chili!  And if not, I guess there's always next year!

Sweet Potato-Pumpkin Toast

One of my favourite quick and easy meals to make is toast with mashed sweet potato.  Whenever I have leftover sweet potato, I cook it in the microwave, roughly mash it up, add some cinnamon and maple syrup, and spread it onto toast for a comforting and delicious lunch!

Now that pumpkin season has arrived, I thought that adding canned pumpkin to the mix would be the perfect Fall twist on my usual sweet potato toast, and would complement the flavours really well.

I guess I'm not the first one to come up with this combination, since Kathy already posted an amazing tofu sandwich with a sweet potato-pumpkin spread on her blog Healthy. Happy. Life. Her version was more on the savoury side, so I used her recipe as a guide to create this sweeter spread.

You can't really go wrong when you combine sweet potato, pumpkin, maple syrup and warm spices, and the toast is the perfect vehicle for eating the spread. A sprinkle of extra cinnamon on top helps to bring out the Fall flavours, and you can also add pumpkin seeds for a bit of texture and crunch.

I could eat this for lunch every day for a week and not get sick of it, plus if you're like me and you go through those giant cans of pumpkin very slowly, then this is a great idea for using it up!

Sweet Potato-Pumpkin Toast
Adapted from Healthy. Happy. Life.

1/2 cup cooked mashed sweet potato (Note: I boiled ~5 oz diced sweet potato for about 10 minutes)

3 tbsp pumpkin puree

1/2-1 tsp pure maple syrup (to taste)

1/4 tsp cinnamon, plus more for sprinkling

pinch pumpkin pie spice

pinch of salt

up to 4 pieces of toast

roasted pumpkin seeds (pepitas), optional

Once you've cooked your sweet potato, use a potato masher to mash it into a spreadable consistency (I prefer it a bit chunky, but if you want it to be smoother then you can use a food processor instead).  Stir in pumpkin, maple syrup, 1/4 tsp of the cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, and salt.  Taste and add more maple syrup and spices if desired.

Warm up the spread in the microwave if desired, then spread onto pieces of toast.  Top with the remaining cinnamon and sprinkle pumpkin seeds on top if desired.

Makes enough for about 4 pieces of toast.  Store leftovers in the fridge if you are not using it all at once. 

Pumpkin Apple Cider Cocktail

Happy Friday everyone!  With Halloween coming up, and the start of the holiday season after that, I thought it would be appropriate to share a seasonal cocktail recipe today that you can serve at any of your holiday parties  (which reminds me, I saw my first Christmas commercial of the season last night, courtesy of Target)!

I'm not usually one to mix my own drinks using different liquors - my drink of choice is most often wine, and the occasional beer or premixed cocktail.  But when I saw this recipe for a pumpkin apple cider cocktail on Serious Eats, I was intrigued because I love anything made with pumpkin!

The original recipe was a mix of pumpkin puree, vanilla vodka, apple cider, and gingerale to add some fizz.  For my version, I wanted to incorporate this honey-flavoured whiskey that I had just purchased on a whim, thinking that it would be nice to add to my tea on a cold Fall night! I loved the sweetness that the honey adds, but if you can't find this particular brand of whiskey, you can use any whiskey and add a bit of honey to your drink instead.

Along with the whiskey, I added a sparkling apple cider beverage that I picked up from my local farmer's market.  By using a carbonated apple cider, I didn't need to add the gingerale, but if you want to use regular apple cider, you might want to add a splash of gingerale or club soda for those extra bubbles in your drink!

I was a bit skeptical of using pumpkin puree in a drink recipe, but it actually works by shaking all the components together in a cocktail shaker and then straining the mixture into your glass, so that the pumpkin puree dissolves and adds a thicker texture.  I also thought it added just the right amount of pumpkin flavour, and a dash of pumpkin pie spice helps to bring out that  flavour even more!

Overall, this was a pretty sweet drink that made it taste almost like dessert, and I loved the combination of Fall flavours with the pumpkin, apple, and honey.  I enjoyed this as a treat for myself, but I think it would make a unique addition to a Fall party menu!

Pumpkin Apple Cider Cocktail
Inspired by Serious Eats

1 shot honey flavoured whiskey

2 shots sparkling apple cider

1/2 tsp fresh lemon juice

1 tbsp pumpkin puree

dash of pumpkin pie spice

a few ice cubes

Add all ingredients to a cocktail shaker with the ice and shake.  Strain into a martini glass or other glass. Garnish with an apple slice if desired.

Serves 1.

Spooky Pumpkin Spice Latte Hummus

If you thought there was a mistake in the title of this post, don't worry - I really did mean to add the word "hummus" after "pumpkin spice latte".  While this recipe is quite different from the famous Starbucks seasonal drink in some respects, it still has many of the same components - but in the form of a shareable dip!

As soon as I got my new food processor last week, I immediately started thinking about all the things I wanted to make with it. My first thoughts turned to hummus, but not just any plain hummus - it had to be something special!  And since I was recently reassured that pumpkin season is not over yet, I knew I wanted to make a pumpkin hummus... but instead of doing a savory version (like this Spicy Pumpkin Hummus at Once Upon a Cutting Board), I wanted to make a dessert hummus.

To come up with a good recipe, I turned to the blog The Broccoli Hut, which has lots of unique hummus ideas. I used their recipe for Sweet Maple Pumpkin Hummus as a guide, and made a few tweaks to get the pumpkin spice latte flavour I was looking for.

The result was a smooth and creamy hummus with the taste of pumpkin and Fall spices. I thought the amount of sweetness was just right, and there was just enough of the coffee to give it a bit of a kick without being too overpowering - but feel free to increase or decrease the amounts of sweetener and instant coffee to your own taste!

I've already made two batches of this hummus - the first I ate with apple slices, and the second I ate with some homemade vegan and gluten-free buckwheat graham crackers.

And since Halloween is coming up, I cut my graham crackers into "spooky" shapes (unfortunately I didn't have cookie cutters so they're a bit rough - but they are supposed to be tombstones and coffins!)  I loved the graham crackers on their own (they tasted more like gingerbread cookies), but they were even better dipped into the hummus!

This would be a great idea to bring to a Halloween potluck or party, with either apples or graham crackers.

Hope you all have a Happy Halloween!

Pumpkin Spice Latte Hummus
Adapted from The Broccoli Hut

1 cup canned chickpeas, drained and rinsed (preferably with the skins peeled first)
1/4 cup canned pumpkin puree
1 tbsp almond butter
1 tbsp + 1 tsp pure maple syrup
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
pinch of nutmeg and cloves
scant 1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp instant coffee

Place all ingredients in a food processor and puree until smooth and fully mixed. Store in the refrigerator.

Makes about 1 1/4 cups.


Buckwheat Graham Crackers


Recipe can be found at Sketch-free Vegan Eating

The only changes I made to their recipe was to use dark buckwheat flour instead of light (since that's all I could find), adding a pinch of ground ginger, and using a bit of almond milk to replace some of the water. I would also adjust the cooking time to 18-23 minutes, depending on the thickness of the crackers.

Pumpkin Chickpea Granola Bars

I feel like pumpkin season is practically over already, yet I've only posted one pumpkin recipe so far on my blog! So before it's too late, here's one more pumpkin treat that I made recently...

This is actually just an adaptation of my Chickpea Granola Bars that I posted earlier - since I loved them so much, I thought it would be fun to try a more seasonal version.  So I changed up the original recipe by replacing the peanut butter with canned pumpkin puree. I also added some pumpkin pie spice, pumpkin seeds, pumpkin granola, and used maple syrup instead of agave.

I wasn't sure whether all of the changes would work, but luckily the granola bars turned out great! The pumpkin flavour wasn't that strong, but all of the other ingredients came together to make a tasty and healthy Fall snack! These were a bit more fragile than the original version since they didn't have the peanut butter to help hold them together, but as long as you keep them refrigerated, they should hold up fine. I bet they would also be good crumbled up and eaten as a topping for yogurt or oatmeal!

Pumpkin Chickpea Granola Bars
Adapted from these Chickpea Granola Bars

1/2 tbsp ground flax

2 tbsp warm water

1 cup + 2 tbsp canned chickpeas, rinsed and drained

1/2 tbsp brown sugar

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice

Pinch of salt

1/4 cup canned pumpkin puree

2 tbsp pure maple syrup

1.5 tbsp melted coconut oil

1/2 cup  rolled oats + 1/4 cup granola (or ¾ cup oats) - I used this pumpkin spice granola

1/2 cup puffed rice cereal

1/4 cup dried cranberries and raisins (about 2 tbsp of each)

about 2 tbsp pumpkin seeds (pepitas)

Preheat oven to 375°F. Combine the flax with water and set aside.

Combine the chickpeas with brown sugar and cinnamon in a baking dish. Bake for 8 minutes, stir, then bake 8 more minutes. Let cool and then mash until there are no whole chickpeas left.

In a large bowl, mix together the oats, granola, puffed rice, pumpkin seeds and dried fruit, with the pumpkin pie spice and pinch of salt. Then add in mashed chickpeas and stir together.

In a separate bowl, combine the pumpkin puree, maple syrup, and coconut oil. Then stir in the flax mixture.

Add wet ingredients to dry and stir to incorporate.

Pour mixture into a greased 8 x 8 pan (Mine filled about 2/3 of the pan). Press down firmly with a rubber spatula. 

Refrigerate for at least 2 hours before cutting. Store in the fridge or freezer.

Makes 6 bars.

This recipe is being shared at Wellness Weekends hosted by Diet, Dessert and Dogs.

Pumpkin Coconut Snack Cake

If you've been following my blog since it started, you may have noticed that I like making healthy cakes that can be eaten for breakfast or as a snack. One reason I like to make them is because they're so simple - just mix up the batter and pour it into a pan - and there are so many different flavour variations to try! So far, I've posted pineapple, raspberry, and apple cakes, but I think this pumpkin coconut cake is my favourite version so far!

The recipe for this cake comes from this Vegan Pumpkin Snack Cake at Versatile Vegetarian Kitchen.  I changed a few things in the recipe, like using spelt flour and reducing the amount of sugar. I also wanted to enhance both the pumpkin and coconut flavours even more by adding some pumpkin pie spice, and using coconut milk and coconut oil instead of the water and vegetable oil that the original recipe called for.

The result was a dense and moist cake with amazing flavour! I loved the combination of pumpkin with coconut, and the pieces of shredded coconut throughout the cake gave it some extra texture that I really liked. This was not a very sweet cake and it actually tasted pretty light despite its dense texture, so I was able to enjoy it for breakfast.  It was also very easy and quick to make, and it stored well for a few days (although if you like it as much as I did, it might not last that long!)

Vegan Pumpkin Coconut Snack Cake
Adapted from Versatile Vegetarian Kitchen

1.5 cups flour (I used 1 cup of light spelt flour and 1/2 cup whole wheat)
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup shredded coconut (I used unsweetened but you could use sweetened for a sweeter cake)
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 cup canned pumpkin puree
1/3 cup coconut milk beverage (from a carton) or other non-dairy milk
1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
1 tsp lemon juice

Preheat oven to 350°F and spray an 8x8 square baking pan with cooking spray.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, pumpkin pie spice, salt, and coconut.

Combine all remaining ingredients (sugar through to lemon juice) in a separate bowl and mix until smooth.

Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir until just incorporated (do not overmix).

Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 30-35 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean.

Let cool in the pan for 5-10 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to finish cooling. Cut into squares once cool.

Makes about 12 pieces.

This is my submission to this month's Healing Foods Event featuring Coconut.

Thanksgiving Week - Day 2: Curried Pumpkin Cauliflower Soup

For Day 2 of Thanksgiving Week, I decided to post a recipe for the perfect comforting soup to add to your Thanksgiving meal. I realize that soup isn't traditionally served at Thanksgiving, but I think it makes a great addition to a vegetarian meal, for those who won't be eating turkey or ham.

Besides, this curried pumpkin cauliflower soup is so good that all of your guests will be happy to eat it! They will also be surprised at how healthy it is when you tell them that this super creamy and delicious soup has no cream or other dairy products in it!

I found the recipe on Cookstr, and made a few changes to improve the taste and texture. I decided to puree half of the cauliflower and leave the rest as whole pieces. This technique made the soup nice and creamy, and the pieces of toasted cauliflower that were mixed in throughout the soup made it extra special!

Besides the interesting mix of textures, I also loved the flavours in this soup - the cauliflower mixed with onion, garlic and curry powder would have tasted great on its own, but combining all of these ingredients with pumpkin puree gave the soup an even richer, smoother taste.

This was submitted to Souper Sundays, hosted by Deb at Kahakai Kitchen.

Curried Pumpkin Cauliflower Soup
Adapted from Cookstr, originally from Eat to Beat Prostate Cancer Cookbook

2 tbsp olive oil

One head of cauliflower, trimmed and chopped

1 yellow onion, peeled and chopped

2 cloves of garlic, peeled and minced

1 tbsp curry powder

4 cups vegetable broth

16 oz pumpkin puree (I used canned pumpkin)

3/4 tsp salt

Ground pepper

Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan on medium heat. Add the chopped cauliflower and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes, until cauliflower is lightly browned. Remove cauliflower from the pot and set aside in a bowl.

Add the onion, garlic and curry powder to the pot and stir around. Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until onion has softened.

Add 2 cups of the vegetable broth and about half of the cauliflower to the pot (try to choose the larger pieces of cauliflower to add to the pot, leaving the smaller pieces aside for now). Bring to a boil, then reduce heat, cover, and simmer for about 15 minutes.

Transfer the mixture to a blender and puree in batches. Return the mixture to the saucepan.

Add the remaining 2 cups of vegetable broth, pumpkin puree, salt, and the remaining cauliflower to the pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat, cover and simmer for about 10 minutes.

Serve hot with freshly ground pepper.

Makes 6 full-sized servings (or more as an appetizer).



Don't Miss:
Thanksgiving Week - Day 2 recipe on Once Upon a Cutting Board: Spicy Pumpkin Hummus - a unique dip idea to serve as an appetizer!