Vegan Pumpkin Pie

After my battle with the cheese pumpkin I swore off making my own purée. Then I became intrigued by the use of sugar pumpkins in baking. Now that I've come up with an easier way to make purée, I'm swearing off the canned stuff.. at least when pumpkins are in season. The sugar pumpkins make delicious, flavorful purée, that tasted excellent in pumpkin pie.

Sugar Pumpkins 

We have an impostor!

I made the purée by cutting the pumpkins in half and scraping out the seeds. They were placed cut side down on a greased baking sheet and baked for about 30 minutes at 400º. Once cool enough to handle, I scooped out the flesh and puréed in a food processor. This was much easier than peeling and cubing the pumpkin before it was cooked, like I did with the cheese pumpkin.

Scoop out the seeds

Bake cut-side down

They're done when easily pierced with a fork.

For the past couple weeks I have been experimenting with different vegan pumpkin pie recipes to make the perfect pie for thanksgiving. I've finally developed a winner! I couldn't find any appealing vegan recipes online, so I did what I always do and just made my own! Traditional pumpkin pie calls for sweetened condensed milk (or whatever that stuff is called), but I replaced it with a mix of coconut milk and coconut oil. I used a homemade egg replacer, also.

I was worried that this wasn't going to work, since it didn't seem to be cooking through in the oven. I took it out, thinking I had another failure, and left it on the counter overnight. The next day, I decided to have a bite, and it was great! I guess the coconut oil just needed time to solidify. So if you're making this for Thanksgiving I would make it a day or two in advance (like tomorrow.. these holidays keep sneaking up!) and leave it in the fridge. (Update*- I made this again, this time with only 1/4 cup of coconut milk instead of a 1/2 cup. It came out much more solid, and had the perfect consistency of a regular pumpkin pie.)

Vegan Pumpkin Pie

• 1 1/2 cups of pumpkin puree
• 3/4 cups sugar
• 1 Tbsp. flour
• 1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
• Dash of cinnamon and ginger
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 egg substitute (see below)
• 1/4 cup full fat coconut milk
• 1/4 cup melted coconut oil

I rimmed the edges with fall themed sprinkles.

1. Preheat the oven to 450º.
2. In a large mixing bowl, mix the puree and sugar.
3. Add in the flour, salt and spices.
4. In a small bowl, whisk up the egg substitute (3 Tbsp of water, 2 Tbsp of flour, 1 tsp of baking powder, and 1/2 tsp of baking soda) until frothy.
5. Add the egg substitute to the pumpkin mix and stir until combined.
6. Gently stir in the coconut milk and oil.
7. Add the mix to a pie crust that has been fitted into a dish. I used my recipe for a galette as the pie crust, but you could use a pre-made crust, too.
8. Bake for 10 minutes. 
9. After 10 minutes, turn the oven down to 350º and bake for an additional 35 minutes.

You're just going to have to trust that it's done, since a knife won't come out clean. Just leave it on the counter to cool, move (covered) to the fridge to chill for a day or two before serving. 

Is there anything I can't do?? Ok, I'm done bragging now.

Fall Favorites

October is a busy busy month! So many leaves to admire, foods to make, pumpkins to carve, birthdays to celebrate, costumes to sew, classic thrillers to watch, produce to harvest, festivals to attend..
Not to mention that classes are in full swing. I'm still loving every bit of them though, especially after the A I received on a midterm I was seriously stressing over!

I've been trying to do it all this month. I don't ever recall being as stressed as I am currently, but I at least know I won't have regrets when October is over and things slow down.

One of my favorite places in the fall is the Mill Pond in Setauket. I've been twice in the past couple weeks, and not many things make me as happy as strolling around the pond observing the wildlife and changing foliage. Logan loved watching the turtles sunning themselves on a log, and we even saw a great blue heron!

Logan contemplating life under one of the huge trees.

Logan and Terra watching the turtles.

He's very excited about the ducks.

The great blue heron. I was so excited to see one of these!

The leaves changed so much in just one week.

I've been looking forward to using my Halloween cookie cutters for months now. The pumpkin shape was really the only one that worked, so I ended up with lots of pumpkin cookies using my recipe for vegan sugar cookies. Logan helped me decorate them with a vegan cookie icing I found on Kelli's blog, animal-friendly eating. My little artist had as much fun "painting" the cookies as he did eating them.

Ready for decorating.

Logan is serious about this.

This was before he figured out how yummy the icing was.

My creations.

Though it was a drizzly day, we spent a lot of time outdoors. Andrew planted lily bulbs, Logan sang and played his guitar on the lawn mower (he likes to use the handle as a microphone!), and I hollowed out pumpkins to make mum containers.

I saved the pumpkin seeds and made two absolutely delicious recipes with them. One involved roasting them in the oven, and the other in a pan on the stovetop. If you haven't already carved your pumpkins, save those seeds! These only take minutes to make!

Candied Pumpkin Seeds

• 1/2 cup pumpkin seeds, rinsed
• 2 packed Tbsp. brown sugar
• 1/4 tsp. pumpkin pie spice

1. Mix very thing together in a small bowl.
2. Spread the mixture over a foil lined baking sheet.
3. Bake at 250º for 40 minutes.
4. Once cooled, break into pieces and store in an airtight container.

Toasted Pumpkin Seeds

• 1/2 cup pumpkin seeds, rinsed
• 2 Tbsp. butter substitute, like Smart Balance
• 1/4 tsp. tumeric
• 1/4 tsp. celery salt
• 1/4 tsp. cumin

1. Mix everything together in a pan on the stove.
2. Toast over a medium flame for about 20 minutes, stirring frequently until starting to brown.
3. Remove from heat and store in an airtight container.

These toasted seeds taste like crunchy popcorn, and are super addictive!

Peach Galette

I know, I know. I've been posting a lot of peach dishes lately. But as peach season is coming to a close I'm trying to make up for all the lost time I didn't have this summer when I was working so much. I barely had time to make dinner these past few months, let alone dessert. Now that work is done and classes have begun, I've had a lot more time for the fun stuff. That's not to say that grad school doesn't take up a lot of my time as well, but it certainly affords me more kitchen time. In fact, I'm loving everything about grad school.. classes, assignments, professors, new friends, experiences and opportunities.. just to name a few.

Galettes are the answer to the person who likes pie, without liking pie crust. Does that make sense? I love pie filling. Sweet, warm, tender fruit. What's not to love? But I've never been a fan of the crust. Something about it is just unappealing. When eating a slice of pie I usually scrape off the top and the crispy part on the end, and just eat the filling and the bottom crust. A galette is the answer to my pie dilemma, basically only having the parts of pie that I like, with a little extra around the edges.

This was my first attempt at making a vegan galette. Actually, it was my first time making a galette at all. I found a recipe for a plum galette, made a couple substitutions, and came up with this dessert. It was unbelievably delicious with homemade vegan cantaloupe ice cream that I made with cantaloupes from my garden. It's the same recipe as this one that I made a few months ago, but with cantaloupe puree instead of cherries.

Vegan Peach Galette

Serves 6

• 1 3/4 cups unbleached flour
• 1 Tbsp. sugar
• 1 tsp. salt
• 3/4 cups butter substitute, like Smart Balance
• 3 Tbsp. ice water
• 1 tsp. fresh squeezed orange juice (any citrus juice, like lemon, would work also)

• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 vanilla bean, seeds scraped out
• 2 tsp. corn starch
• Dash of salt
• 2 cups of peeled, sliced peaches (about 6 small peaches)

1. Combine the flour, sugar and salt together in a food processor. I imagine an electric mixer would work just as well.
2. Put the bowl with the flour mixture in the freezer for about 15 minutes. The trick to a good crust is to keep the dough cold, or so I'm told.
3. Add the butter sub to the flour and pulse until the dough becomes crumbly.
4. Add in the ice water and juice, and blend until the mixture still looks crumbly, but holds together when you pinch it between your fingers.
5. On a floured surface, roll the dough into a circle a little over a foot in diameter, and about 1/8 of an inch thick. 
6. Wrap this in plastic wrap, and chill in the fridge for at least an hour.
7. In the meantime, prepare the filling by rubbing the vanilla seeds together with the sugar. 
8. Stir in the cornstarch and salt.
9. Toss the peaches in the sugar mixture.
10. Preheat the oven to 350º.
11. Unwrap the dough from the plastic wrap, and transfer to a foil lined baking sheet.
12. Lay the peaches in a spiral pattern around the center of the dough, leaving about 2 inches around the edges.
13. Fold the edges over the peaches.
14. Bake for about 40 minutes, or until the edges just begin to brown.
15. Serve warm, or at room temperature.

Crumble dough, what it should look like after step 3

What the dough should look like after step 4

Rolled out dough

It doesn't have to be perfect

The vanilla and sugar rubbed together. The mixture made a lot,
so I saved some to use in tea.

Folding the edges over, as in step 13

Done!

I'm sure I'll be making this with different fruit
as the seasons change. It would be delicious with
apples I'm sure!

So Long Sweet Summer Peach Cobbler

Peach season never seems long enough to me!

Naked peaches, look away.

We've experienced the first of the fall weather on Long Island. Chilly breezes, crisp air, and the arrival of local fall produce hit Long Island this weekend. After the most humid summer I can ever remember, I'm embracing the change of seasons. Don't get me wrong, I'm a summer girl at heart, but this summer was way too.. sticky. As much as I'm looking forward to the fall, I'll miss the delicious produce that summer has to offer, particularly peaches. There really is nothing like a Long Island peach.

The cool air was welcome this weekend as we ran
the Survival Race 5K.!

A leap off the rock at Big Rock Beach was refreshing after the mud,
but it was freezing on the beach! You can see the clouds that brought
fall with them rolling in.

Sensing the end of the peach season, Logan and I spent a cool morning in a peach orchard, stocking up on the sweet summer fruit. We picked A LOT.

I think the last time I made peach cobbler I was 10. No joke. In 5th grade we were doing a unit on the American Revolution. As an assignment I had to make a recipe from that time period, and Mrs. Jones thought there was nothing more American than peach cobbler. I've been meaning to make it again ever since, but I always end up eating the peaches before they make it into this dish. I didn't have my moms awesome cast iron skillet to make this more authentic, but the stoneware baking dish I had worked well enough.

Vegan Peach Cobbler

Serves 10

• 6 Tbsp. butter substitute, like smart balance
• 
  
• 1 1/4 cups unbleached flour
• 3/4 cups of sugar
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• I cup coconut milk (from the carton, not canned)
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 
  
• 8 peaches, peeled and sliced
• Juice from half a lemon
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 2 Tbsp. sugar in the raw
• 2 tsp. cinnamon

1. Preheat the oven to 350º.
2. Put drops of the butter substitute in a baking dish. The dish I used is about 8 x 12.
3. Put the dish in the oven until the butter substitute is melted.
4. Combine the flour, sugar, powder, cinnamon and salt in a large bowl.
5. Add the coconut milk and vanilla, and stir until just combined.
6. Pour this mixture over the butter in the dish.
7. In another bowl, mix the peaches, lemon juice and vanilla together.
8. Spoon the peaches over the mixture in the baking dish.
9. Top with cinnamon and sugar.
10. Bake uncovered for about 50 minutes, or until a knife comes out clean.

Step 2, butter sub in the baking dish.

Step 6, batter over the butter sub

Step 8, peaches on top of the batter

Step 9, cinnamon and sugar topping

Done!

Chocolate Chip Sunflower Butter Bites

Sticky dough in the food processor.

I've been a little obsessed with my new food processor, using it for everything. Even cookies. Yup. Cookie dough in the food processor. These aren't your typical cookies though, these are vegan and gluten free, yet still delicious! The recipe this is inspired from was based with peanut butter. With the prevalence of people with peanut allergies (including my son), there are plenty of substitutes that are almost as good. Almost. The best I've come across so far is sunflower butter. I attempted to grow sunflowers this year to harvest seeds so I could make my own butter, but the chickens are enjoying the leaves too much. Only two plants have survived their plucking, and one of them is only a couple feet tall. It looks like out of all the seeds I planted, I may get one blossoming flower.

While these cookies aren't as rich and satisfying as my vegan chocolate chip cookies, they're a close second and a great gluten free option. Did I mention they don't have processed sugar either? They get their sweetness from honey. And who doesn't like honey?

Oh and don't get turned off by the chickpeas. I know it sounds weird to add chickpeas to cookies, but it's more for texture and substance. You won't taste them at all. Promise.

Chocolate Chip Sunflower Butter Bites

Makes 30 bites

• 1 can chick peas
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 3/4 cup sunflower butter
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup vegan chocolate chips

1. Preheat the oven to 350º.
2. Blend all ingredients except the chocolate chips in a blender or food processor until a sticky dough forms.
3. Add the chips and pulse until just combined.
4. With wet hands (this is important, otherwise the dough will stick to you), roll the dough into one inch balls and place on greased cookie sheets.
5. You can fit up to 15 bites per sheet, since these won't spread when baked.
6. Bake for 10 minutes.

Citrus Zucchini Bread

I know I start almost every post saying the same thing, but I really need to dedicate more time to blogging my recipes. A big reason this blog exists is to have something to look back on. Food plays a big part in almost all social gatherings, and it certainly is a factor of daily life. This blog, while mainly about food, will also serve as a reminder of all the fun, joyful things happening in my life, and will even be an indicator of my daily life. So I really need to keep up on writing, not only for the readers sake, but for my memories as well.

That said, I've been so busy lately that I haven't had much time to create new recipes. Working full time and spending as much time as I can with Logan doesn't allow me much kitchen time. I'm ok with that though, every day with him is something new. He learned to "swim" yesterday. Equipped with water wings, he headed right into the Long Island Sound until his feet no longer touched the bottom. He kicked his legs around and looked adorable while trying to keep his mouth out of the water. A couple times he became completely submerged, and came back to the surface laughing. I'm so lucky to have a baby that absolutely loves the water! He must get that from me.

I'm straying way too far from food here. Back to the recipe. My garden has been extremely productive, especially the squash bed. I ended up with a large harvest of zucchini last week, and my first thought was zucchini bread. I waited longer than I would have liked to pick a couple of the zucchinis, so some of them grew into monsters. One of them shredded into 8 cups, so I doubled this recipe to use 4 cups and froze the rest of the shreds. These are so delicious, I can't wait to make more!

Citrus Zucchini Bread

Makes two 9 x 5 loaves, or about 72 mini muffins

• 1 lemon
• 1 cup coconut milk (or other non dairy milk)
• 4 cups flour
• 1 1/3 cups of organic sugar
• 4 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/2 cup apple purée or applesauce
• 1 cup safflower oil
• 2 cups shredded zucchini

1. Preheat the oven to 350º.
2. Juice and zest the lemon. Keep in mind that it's easier to zest a lemon before it has been juiced.
3. Put one tablespoon of the lemon juice in a measuring cup. Fill the measuring cup to the one cup line with the non dairy milk. You've just made vegan "buttermilk"! Reserve the rest of the lemon juice.
4. In a large bowl, mix the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and salt together.
5. Add the apple purée, oil, reserved lemon juice and "buttermilk", and stir until combined.
6. Fold in the lemon zest and zucchini.
7. Bake mini muffins for about 15 minutes, and bread loaves for about 45.





I covered the mini muffins with an orange glaze,
made by mixing confectioners sugar and fresh squeezed orange juice.

Raw Vegan "Cheese"cakes

I've been posting (and eating) a lot of sugary desserts lately, so I figure it's time to take a break from those and make a dessert that's actually good for you. The desserts I usually post are healthier than traditional ones, as they have substitutions like coconut oil for butter, and apple purée for eggs, but they're still not exactly health food. These "cheese"cakes actually can be considered healthy and nutritious, and they're delicious! It's a win win!

I've made them in mango and strawberry flavors, but I bet most fruits would be delicious. Blueberry is next on my list. I made these in muffin tins lined with unbleached baking cups (I always walk out of Wild By Nature with something new), but I bet this recipe would work in a traditional cheesecake springform pan. I'll try it for Andrew's birthday next week and fill you in. He was a big fan of the strawberry ones!

I prepared the crust exactly as directed in the original recipe. I've tried other raw vegan crusts, but this one is by far the best. I even got over my intense dislike of stevia for use in the filling and found a brand that doesn't make me gag!

Non-nausea inducing Stevia

The original recipe called for coconut oil and cocoa butter.
I don't have the latter, so I improvised and used coconut butter.

Tasty medjool dates from Blue Mountain Organics.
I went a little nuts recently in their online store.

It's best to freeze these, then let them sit on the counter for a couple minutes before serving.

Raw Vegan "Cheese"cakes

Makes 12 cupcakes

Crust:

• 1 cup raw almonds
• 1/4 cup packed medjool dates, pitted
• 1 tsp. water
• Pinch of salt

1. Grind the almonds in a blender or food processor. Be careful not to over grind them, stop when you reach a crumb consistency.
2. Roughly chop the dates and grind them in with the almonds until they have turned to crumbs also.
3. Add the water and salt and grind again until a dough forms.
4. Press this dough into the bottom of lined muffin tins.

Almond crumbs

The crust in the muffin tins

Filling:

• 2 cups chopped fruit, such as mangos, strawberries or blueberries
• 1 cup cashews
• 3 Tbsp. agave
• 2 Tbsp. lemon juice
• 4 drops of liquid stevia
• 1 vanilla bean, scraped (vanilla extract could work, too)
• 4 Tbsp. coconut butter, melted

1. Blend all the ingredients in a blended or food processor until everything is thoroughly mixed.
2. Pour over the crust, and freeze for a few hours until firm.