Pumpkin Season!!

Although I claim to be all about the summer, October is probably my favorite month. The autumn foliage is at its peak, there are pumpkins and vibrant mums everywhere, and it's home to one of my favorite holidays. I've always loved Halloween. It's even more fun now that I have Logan to join in the festivities. I still love watching the old Halloween classics with Bugs Bunny and Witch Hazel on YouTube, and I'll never tire of movies like Hocus Pocus and Nightmare Before Christmas. Logan and I watched that last one this morning actually. He loved the scenes with Christmas trees, and I had to rewind the song "What's This" a few times.

Another great thing about the month is the return of pumpkin as an ingredient. It's a tradition for me to grab a pumpkin latte and take a stroll around the Mill Pond in Setauket. Andrew and Logan joined me last year for the first time, and we plan on going again soon.

Last year at the Mill Pond

I tried something new this year, I made my own pumpkin puree from a locally grown cheese pumpkin. What. A. Pain. I try to avoid cans whenever I can (I'll pass on the BPA, thanks), but peeling and chopping the pumpkin was such a big production that I'll stick to the canned pumpkin for the rest of the season.

Cheese pumpkin.

I peeled and cubed the pumpkin, then
steamed the pieces until easily pierced with a fork..

and blended them into a puree.

That one pumpkin made a lot of puree!

Logan looking festive while eating oatmeal
with pumpkin and apple puree.

It never occurred to me to make my own lattes and frappes, until I saw recipes on Pinterest. I used coconut milk to take them vegan, adjusted the ingredients to suit my tastes, and wow. They're delicious!

Iced Pumpkin Frappes

Makes 2 large servings

Freezing the coffee in ice cube trays
was my stroke of genius.

• 16 coffee ice cubes
• 1/4 cup of pumpkin purée
• 1/2 cup coconut milk
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice

1. Brew 2 cups of coffee ahead of time, and freeze in ice cube trays.
2. Once frozen, add the cubes along with the rest of the ingredients to a blender, and blend until the ice is blended enough to drink.
3. Pour into glasses, sprinkle with a dash of cinnamon, and enjoy along with the warm fall weather we've been blessed with so far :-)

I cheated and added traditional whipped cream to these,
but if you're feeling ambitious you can top them with coconut
whipped cream, like I made here. These were delicious with
pumpkin muffins, fresh from the oven!

The latte recipe I found was made in a crockpot and took 2 hours. Who wants to wait 2 hours in the morning for their latte? Not me, so I made it in a pan on the stove and it still came out wonderful.

Pumpkin Spice Lattes

Makes 4

Cooling on the windowsill

• 2 cups fresh brewed coffee
• 1/4 cup pumpkin puree
• 1 Tbsp. vanilla extract
• 3 cups coconut milk
• 1 tsp. pumpkin pie extract
• 2 tsp. sugar

1. Combine all ingredients in a saucepan over the stove.
2. Heat over a low flame until warm, but don't let it boil.
3. Serve immediately.

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.

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.

The Quest to Find the Perfect Vegan Brownie- Part 3

Ok I've almost got this down. I've been searching for the perfect vegan brownie recipe. I've had a couple near successes so far, with one recipe producing cake like brownies, and another one that was more moist, but not as fudgy as I'm looking for. After a failed attempt or two, I finally came up with these. They're moist, fudgy and rich. A little too rich though, since they're incredibly sweet. It's not too often that I say something is too sweet, but I could only have a few small bites of these before my sweet tooth objected. They really hit the spot when you have a craving for sweets, that's for sure. I have a couple ideas on how to perfect this one, so stay tuned for part 4!

Example of a failed attempt. Not sure what happened here..

Logan is having a great time on this "quest",
especially since he's my official taste tester. The
Christmas decorations in the background are an
indicator of how long I've been at this.

Sweet Brownies!

• 1/2 cup apple purée or applesauce
• 2 bananas, mashed
• 1/2 cup coconut oil, melted
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 cup cocoa powder
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 cup flour
• 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt

1. Preheat the oven to 350.
2. In a large bowl, combine the banana with the apple purée.
3. Stir in the coconut oil.
4. Add the rest of the ingredients and stir until combined.
5. Pour the batter in a greased 8 x 8 pan and bake for 40 minutes, or until a knife comes out clean.

Cantaloupe Bread

I adapted this bread from a recipe sent to me by my creative culinary coworker, Terra. She saw cantaloupes ripening past their prime one day and made bread with them. Genius! The second she told me about them I knew I had to make a vegan version. Logan loves cantaloupe!

Cantaloupe Bread

Makes 2 loaves

• 2 cups cantaloupe, mashed
• 1 cup organic sugar
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup safflower oil
• 3 cups unbleached flour
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1tsp. cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp. ginger
• 1 Tbsp. vanilla extract
• Egg replacer (replaces 3 eggs):
• 9 Tbsp. water
• 6 Tbsp. unbleached flour
• 1 Tbsp. baking powder
• 1 1/2 tsp. baking soda

1. Preheat the oven to 350º.   40 minutes
2. Combine all ingredients except the egg replacer in a large bowl and mix until combined.
3. In a small bowl, whisk together the egg replacer until thick and foamy.
4. Add the egg replacer to the rest of the ingredients and stir until incorporated.
5. Pour into two greased 9 x 5 bread pans, and bake for 40 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Lilac Muffins

Spring has never been more delicious!

Lilacs are my absolute, hands down favorite flower. The smell, the delicate purple color, the tiny blossoms, I love it all. My favorite time of year is when the lilacs bloom in May (or April as it was this year). Andrew knows how much I love them, so he bought me a bush on my first birthday that I celebrated with him, and planted it in my parents yard. I told him I would love him as long as lilacs bloom in spring. I know, I'm so romantic. Well the bush hasn't bloomed since that first year, but I still love him! (Does anyone have any idea why a lilac bush wouldn't bloom btw? It's growing fine, it just doesn't flower). We have a small bush outside of our bedroom window now, and even though I avoid opening that window because of my allergies, I make an exception when the bush is in bloom. I hate how short the blooming season is though. The blooms are on their way out, so get on this recipe right away! I never thought to bake with lilacs. It didn't ever cross my mind that they could be edible until I came across the recipe that I adapted this from. I switched out eggs, milk and butter for healthier, vegan ingredients, and topped the muffins with a thinned out version of my vegan buttercream icing and candied lilac blossoms. If you're looking for something unique, pretty and delicious to make for Mother's Day, look no further. This recipe is perfect.

The lilac blossoms on their own are pretty bitter. I thought the muffins would take on that taste, so I iced them to add some sweetness. It turns out they're not so bitter once they're baked, so the muffins tasted fine on their own. Feel free to skip the icing and candied lilacs, but they do make for a nice presentation. And candying the lilacs makes them "taste exactly like they smell", according to my brother Jesse.

Lilac Muffins

Makes 6 muffins

• 1/4 cup of coconut oil, melted
• 1/8 cup of apple puree or sauce (or 1 cube if you freeze the puree in ice cube trays)
• 1/4 cup of Turbinado sugar
• 1/2 cup of almond milk
• 1 cup of unbleached flour
• 1 1/2 tsp. of baking powder
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/2 cup of lilac blossoms, stems removed

1. Preheat the oven to 350º.
2. Hand mix all the ingredients besides the blossoms in a mixing bowl until well blended.
3. Fold in the lilacs.
4. Spoon the mixture into 6 greased muffin tins.
5. Bake for 20 minutes.
6. When cooled, top with icing and candied blossoms (recipe below).

Vegan "Buttercream" Icing

Ices 6 muffins

• 1/4 cup of vegetable shortening
• 1 cup of powdered sugar, divided
• 1 tsp. of vanilla extract
• 2 tsp. water (this is the thinned out version, to make the original, use only 1 tsp. of water)

1. Cream the shortening and 1/2 of the sugar with an electric mixer.
2. Add the rest of the sugar, vanilla and water and cream until smooth.

Candied Lilac Blossoms

Makes about 1/2 cup of simple syrup.. which will candy a lot of blossoms

• 1/4 cup of water
• 1/2 cup of granulated sugar, plus extra for dusting (I tried to use organic for dusting, but the blossoms came out kind of brown and rotten looking, so this might be the only time I say this, but skip the organic version. This also makes it non-vegan, since it's bone char that whitens the sugar). 
• Lilac blossoms, stems removed

1. Heat the water and 1/2 cup of sugar in a sauce pan over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the sugar is completely dissolved to create the simple syrup.
2. Set aside to cool to room temperature.
3. Once cool, dip blossoms in the simple syrup using (clean!) tweezers.
4. Blot off the excess syrup on the handle of the wooden spoon, and dip in sugar.
5. Place on a sheet of wax paper to harden.

Raw Thin Mints

I was sent a recipe for One Green Planet's thin mint recipe from my friend Bri. After hearing her rave about them I had to try it, even though it called for stevia. I just can't stomach the stuff. I figured it couldn't be so bad since a batch only needed 1/2 a teaspoon, so I borrowed the sweetener from my mom and got to work. Bleh! I could taste the stevia in every bite. I ended up tossing the whole thing. I have no idea why I hate that stuff so much. Maybe it's one of those polarizing foods like cilantro, some people love it, other people say it tastes like soap. I was determined to make these work though, so I tried again using a couple substitutions. Since I used up all my protein powder in the first batch, I used homemade almond flour the second time. You can probably buy it in the store, but here's how I make my own: after I make almond milk in the juicer, I dehydrate the pulp, then grind it into a fine powder using the baby bullet. Since there was no way I was using stevia again, I replaced it with agave. I also added a few crushed leaves from an organic chocolate mint plant I picked up over the weekend. It was perfect for these cookies! While the end result wasn't exactly like the girl scout version, these were still delicious and much healthier. Logan and I couldn't get enough of them, and I can't wait until I have more almond flour so I can make them again!

Raw Thin Mints

Makes about 15

The mixture should be about this consistency when you
roll them on the cookie sheet.

• 3/4 cup of almond flour
• 1/2 cup + 2 Tbsp. of cocoa powder
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 tsp. peppermint extra
• 1 tsp. agave
• 6 Tbsp. coconut oil, melted
• A few chocolate mint leaves, crushed very fine (optional)

1. Mix all the ingredients in a large bowl.
2. Let the bowl sit on the counter for a few minutes until the mixture has just started to solidify.
3. Using a melon baller (a spoon would work too, but I have a thing for the melon baller), scoop out small portions of the batter.
4. Place the scoops of batter on a cookie sheet lined with wax paper, and mold them into the desired shape.
5. Chill the cookie sheet in the fridge for about an hour.
6. Store covered in the fridge or freezer.

Ready to be chilled

Done!

Cocomon Balls

Coconut + lemon = cocomon

I whipped up this raw, vegan dessert yesterday while waiting for my curried split pea soup to cook (check back for that blog post soon!). When I found the recipe this was adapted from I was excited to see that it called for almond flour. For weeks I have been making almond flour, hoping that I would someday find a use for it. Every time I make almond milk in the juicer, I dehydrate the pulp, then grind it into a fine powder using the Baby Bullet. Almond flour!

Popping these in the dehydrator for an hour gave them a crunch on the outside, but left them warm and gooey in the center. Omg yum. They're phenomenal with the lemon, but next time I make them I'll use lime. Lime and coconut? Yes please!

Cocomon Balls

Makes 2 dozen

• 1 1/2 cups of almond flour (homemade or store bought)
• 2 1/2 cups of shredded coconut, unsweetened
• 1/3 cup of coconut flour
• A dash of salt
• 6 Tbsp. of agave
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract
• Zest and juice from one lemon

1. In a large bowl, stir the almond flour, coconut, coconut flour and salt until combined.
2. In a small bowl, mix the agave, vanilla and lemon.
3. Slowly add the agave mixture to the large bowl, mixing with a hand mixer until combined.
4. Roll the mixture into small, one inch balls.
5. Place in the balls in the dehydrator for one hour.
6. Serve immediately.