Vegan Autumn Pumpkin Bread

 I have loved this recipe since 2003, and though I'm not sure where it originally came from, my best guess is that it came from a dear church friend. I have it in a spiral binder handwritten on a piece of printer paper complete with arrows, stars and hearts to differentiate and guide my 17 year old self. Things were simpler, though messier, back then. :)

Who knew that such a messy recipe could yield such a yummy treat!? Never judge a book by its cover!

Vegan Autumn Pumpkin Bread

Ingredients:

1 3/4 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup canned pumpkin
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 flax eggs 

Whisk dry ingredients in a medium bowl. In a larger bowl, combine pumpkin, oil, sugars, and eggs and mix well. Add flour mixture to the pumpkin mixture and beat on medium high until smooth and well blended.

Grease your baking pan and bake at 350°F or 177°C for 50-55 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Enjoy!

Vegan Dinner in a Pumpkin

My sister posted a recipe for a dinner in a pumpkin last Autumn and I never got around to making it. This year, being a Vegan didn't stop me from making it, but I did have to more or less come up with a new (& healthier) recipe! Both my husband and I loved it, and I'm looking forward to trying different variations for more pumpkin goodness! Did you know how good pumpkin is for you? Read all about it at World's Healthiest Foods. Knowing how nutritious they are, I can't believe that most pumpkins are used for decoration and then smashed and trashed! Well not anymore in our home! Make sure that you use the smaller pumpkins known as sugar or pie pumpkins for this recipe. Brown rice takes about 45 minutes to cook, so before anything else, start your rice! 

 
 Wash your pumpkins. Dry thoroughly, making sure that the bottoms are completely dry. To remove the tops, use a sharp serrated knife and cut into the top at a 45° angle to ensure the top can be placed back on without falling through. Scoop out the seeds and stringy fibers gently with a spoon. Preheat oven to 350°.

Vegan Dinner in a Pumpkin 

Ingredients:

Two 2 1/2-3 lb pumpkins or One 5 1/2-6 lb pumpkin  (we liked having our own)
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 large onion, chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 bouillon cubes
4 ounces mushrooms, minced or sliced (we minced, but next time I'll slice for more variety in texture)
1/2 cup milk (we used original Silk)
1 can lentils (and liquid)
2 cups cooked brown rice
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon thyme
1/4 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon parsley
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
parsley, for garnish

Directions:
Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and onion and cook until golden brown. Add 2 bouillon cubes, 1/2 cup milk, mushrooms, and lentils. Add both black and white pepper, thyme, cumin, parsley and sea salt and mix well. Turn heat down to low and allow to simmer while rice cooks. Stir every 5 minutes. Cook rice according to package directions. Once cooked, add rice to the lentil mixture and mix well. Fill pumpkins with lentil and rice mixture, then sprinkle with parsley and place the tops on.

Place on a cookie sheet and bake for 1 hour, or until the pumpkin is easily pierced with a sharp knife. Allow to cool for 15 minutes before eating!

 Enjoy!

PS.
When you're done eating, remove any leftover filling and scrape out the remaining pumpkin. You'll be amazed at how much will be left after you've stuffed yourself. We got about 2 cups of pumpkin from each one, and that was after we ate until we were stuffed!

Pumpkin Pie Oatmeal

My lovely sister introduced me to this recipe and I am officially hooked! What could be yummier than the combination of oats, pumpkin and pecans?

photo courtesy of my niece, Holly.

Oatmeal:
1 cup old fashioned oats
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon milled flax
2 1/2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 1/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice (or 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon allspice & 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg)
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 teaspoon butter, softened
3/4-1 cup pumpkin puree
3/4 cup milk (we used almond - use your favorite!)

Topping:
1/2 cup chopped pecans
3 teaspoon softened butter
2 tablespoon brown sugar

Preheat the oven to 375° and grease 4 individual ramekins - then set them aside. If you don't have ramekins, you can use any oven safe dish.

Combine ingredients and mix well. Divide the mixture evenly among the ramekins or spoon the entire mixture into an oven safe dish. If using ramekins, place the them on a baking sheet (this makes it easier to get it in and out of the oven) and bake for about 10 minutes. Meanwhile, combine the ingredients for the topping.

After the oatmeal has baked for 10 minutes, remove and divide the topping evenly over each one, then bake for an additional 7 minutes. Cool for 5 minutes before serving.

I soaked the oats the second time I made this recipe and the result was much creamier and softer. If you prefer firm oats, make it according to the recipe above. If you want them soft, soak the oats in 1 cup of milk overnight and then continue as directed above, but be sure to bake for an additional 20-25 minutes until the mixture reaches desired consistency. It will jiggle slightly in the middle until it cools, then it will be firm.

Enjoy! Check out some other yummy recipes at my Sissy's blog here: Home and Lovin' It!

A French Culinary Delight

I usually don't make dishes I can't pronounce, so the first thing I did when I found this recipe was to find out how to say the French word, Gougere (listen here). A Gougere is a French puff pastry stuffed with cheese. Sound good? Then you're going to love this recipe! Oh, and don't be scared away by the fancy name, this is easier to make than icing a cake!

Mushroom Gougere
 recipe from The Vegetarian Cookbook

Ingredients:

Choux Pastry

1/2 cup white bread flour (I used Organic white flour and it worked well)
pinch of salt
4 tablespoons butter (I used Earth Balance)
2/3 cup water
2 eggs
2 ounces Emmental cheese, grated (I used Swiss-it's less expensive)

Filling

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 white onion, chopped
8 ounces baby bella mushrooms, sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon white flour
2/3 cup vegetable stock
3/4 cup walnuts, chopped
2 tablespoons parsley (fresh or dried)
salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400°F. To make the pastry, combine the flour and the salt and mix well. Melt the butter with the water in a saucepan over medium heat, but do not let the mixture boil. Add the flour all at once and beat vigorously with a wooden spoon until the mixture is smooth and comes away from the side of the pan. Remove from heat, let cool for 10 minutes, (while the pastry cools, prepare your vegetables) then gradually beat in the eggs until smooth and glossy. Beat in the cheese. Grease a round dish (pie plates work well) and spoon the pastry around the side. 

To make the filling, heat the oil in a large, heavy bottom skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for 5 minutes, or until softened. Add the mushrooms and garlic and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Stir in the flour and cook, stirring constantly for 1 minute. Gradually stir in the stock. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly, and cook for 3 minutes, or until thickened. Set aside 2 tablespoons of the chopped walnuts, and stir the remainder into the mushroom mixture with the parsley. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Spoon the filling into the center of the dish and sprinkle the remaining walnuts over the filling.  

Bake for 40 minutes, or until pastry is risen and golden. Serve immediately. I served this with sundried tomato couscous. 

My pastry was nice and fluffy when I pulled it out of the oven, but it sunk down (as you see above) after it cooled slightly. I think it's because I used sliced Swiss cheese that I cut into shreds, so I recommend that you use finely shredded Swiss instead. 
One thing I would change about this recipe is that I would spread the pastry across the bottom of the dish as well, to make it more like a pie or quiche. I may try that next time, and if I do, I'll post about how it comes out. 


Hope you enjoy this Autumn dish!

Happy First Day of Autumn!

I am so glad that Summer has come and gone. We had a record high filled Summer here in Northern Louisiana, and we are ready for some cool, pollen-free weather!

A few things I am looking forward to this season: (thanks to my friend Bethany for this idea)

visiting the pumpkin patch and going for hayrides!

baking lots of warm & yummy treats!

Starbucks Salted Caramel Hot Chocolate

Scarves, Sweaters and Uggs!

Watching the leaves turn colors...

Snuggling my husband and baby between cozy blankets.

Finding out what lies around the bend.. mainly where we will be living next year for Grad school!

Cinnamon scented pine cones throughout the house!

The wonderful combination of it all... that's what I love about Fall!