Serving Size: 4

Ingredients:

• 1 large red onion, sliced thinly
• 1 tablespoon oil
• 1 & 1/2 lb. pumpkin or butternut squash, peeled and cubed
• handful Italian parsley, chipped
• 1/4 cup Thai sweet spicy sauce

Directions:

1. Prepare the pumpkin early enough to cool before serving.
2. Peel the pumpkin or squash. Remove the seeds and cut into bite-sized cubes.
3. Steam the pumpkin until soft yet al dente and still holding its shapes. (5-8 minutes)
4. Place the cooked pumpkin pieces in a bowl and cool in the refrigerator.
5. Prepare the onion in thin slices.
6. Heat the oil and saute the onion until soft.
7. Drain on a paper towel.
8. Chop the parsley, leaving a few leaves as garnish.
9. Add the onion slices and chopped parsley to the pumpkin and gently toss to mix.
10. Place the salad on a plate or in a bowl and drizzle the Thai sauce on top.
11. Garnish with a few parsley leaves.
12. We also sprinkled a few red pepper flakes as garnish.

Notes:

We used an Uchiki Kuri pumpkin, although it would be good with any pumpkin or winter squash, such as butternut.

Serving Size: 4

Ingredients:

for the dressing:

• 4 tablespoons walnut or pumpkin seed oil
• 1 lemon, juiced
• 1 tablespoon sweet grainy mustard
• 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, grated
• 1-2 tablespoons syrup (maple, agave, or fruit)
• pinch salt and pepper
• 1 tablespoon Thai sweet spicy sauce (optional)

for the salad:

• 1 & 1/2 cups pumpkin or winter squash, peeled and grated
• 1 & 1/2 cups apple chopped
• 1/4 cup raisins
• 1/4 cup walnuts, chopped
• red chicory or radicchio

Directions:

to mix the dressing:

1. Place the oil, mustard, syrup, ginger and lemon juice in a cup or small bowl.
2. Mix well.
3. Add the salt and pepper and Thai sauce if desired.

to make the salad:

1. Peel and grate the pumpkin or winter squash.
2. Place the grated pumpkin in a bowl.
3. Chop the apple in small pieces or optionally grate.
4. Add the apple pieces to the grated pumpkin.
5. Add the raisins and stir to mix.
6. Chop the walnut pieces.
7. Add most of the walnut pieces to the salad, reserving a few pieces as garnish.
8. Add the dressing to the salad and mix well.
9. Clean the red chicory or radicchio and separate the leaves.
10. Place a leaf on each salad plate as a cup to hold the salad.
11. Fill the leaf with the salad.
12. Top with a few walnut pieces and optionally garnish with a parsley leaf or chervil leaf.

Serving Size: 4

Ingredients:

• 4 baby pumpkins
• 2 apples
• 8 chestnuts pre-prepared
• handful raisins
• handful dried cranberries
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 tablespoon vegan margarine
• hot water
• date caramel sauce (recipe)

Directions:

1. Carefully using a knife cut a circle around the stem of the pumpkin about 1/4-1/3 of the way away from the stem to remove the stem and a bit of the top portion of the pumpkin.
2. Using a melon baller or spoon, scoop out the seeds and stringy parts. (I save he seeds to plant next year’s pumpkins).
3. If your apples are organic, then cut them in small pieces, discarding the core and seeds. Otherwise, peel the apple and cut in small pieces.
4. Place the apple pieces in a bowl.
5. Cut the prepared chestnuts in small pieces and add to the apple pieces.
6. Add the raisins and dried cranberries.
7. Mix the sugar and cinnamon together, sprinkle over the fruit mixture and mix well.
8. You will need about 2 cups of fruit mixture for the 4 small pumpkins, depending upon their size.
9. Spoon the fruit mixture into each of the small pumpkins.
10. Put a small dollop of vegan margarine on top of the fuit mixture so that as it melts it mixes with the fruit and pumpkin.
11. Place the pumpkins in a baking dish that has a lid. Don’t forget to put the pumpkin tops in there also.
12. Put the baking dish in the oven.
13. Add the water to a level 1/3-1/2 way up the pumpkins and put the lid on the baking dish.
14. Cook the pumpkins at around 415 F / 213 C for about an hour or until the pumpkins are soft and can be easily pierced with a sharp knife.
15. Meanwhile prepare the salty date caramel sauce. (see recipe)
16. When the pumpkins are done, carefully remove the baking dish from the oven. 
Using a slotted spoon or slotted utensil, carefully lift the pumpkins from the hot water and place on individual plates.
17. Allow the pumpkins to slight cool before serving.
18. We enjoyed the pumpkins with the salty date caramel sauce on top.

Serving Size: 4

Ingredients:

• 1 cup vanilla soy yogurt
• 1 cup pumpkin puree, chilled
• 1 cup orange juice
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon allspice
• 1 ripe banana
• dash of ground cinnamon as optional garnish

Directions:

1. Put the soy yogurt, pumpkin puree and orange juice in a blender and whiz to a smooth consistency.
2. Add the spices and banana and whiz once again.
3. Season to taste with additional seasonings if you feel they are needed.
4. Garnish with a bit of cinnamon and enjoy!

Yield: 24 bars

Ingredients:

• 2 cup flour
• 2 teaspoons. baking powder
• 1 tablespoon orange zest
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3 egg replacements
• 1 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 cup pumpkin puree
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon allspice
• 2/3 cup cooking oil
• 1/4 cup soy milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 cup carrots, grated
• 1 cup walnuts, chopped

for the orange icing:

• 1 1/2 cups sifted powdered sugar
• 3 tablespoons orange juice
• 1 tablespoon orange zest

Directions:

1. Grate the carrots and chop the walnuts.
2. Mix the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and zest in a large bowl.
3. In a separate bowl, mix the pumpkin puree, brown sugar, spices, oil and vanilla.
4. In a third small mixing bowl, mix and beat the egg replacements and add the soy milk.
5. Preheat the oven to 350 F / 177 C.
6. Oil a 15X10X1 baking pan.
7. Combine the pumpkin puree mixture with the flour mixture.
8. Add the grated carrots and chopped walnuts.
9. Pour the batter onto the oiled baking pan and spread evenly.
10. Place in the oven to bake for 20-25 minutes.

While the bars are baking prepare the orange glaze:

1. Put the powdered sugar in a bowl.
2. Gradually add the orange juice, stirring while you add.
3. If you wish to drizzle the glaze then it should be a bit more liquid then if you wish to spread it evenly over the top.

When the bars are ready (the center springs back after lightly touching), remove from the oven and allow to completely cool before frosting.
Cut in bar or triangle shapes and enjoy.

Notes:

This can also become a cake, if you use a smaller baking dish. It would then be about 8 servings depending on size you cut.

Serving Size: 4

Ingredients:

for the vegetables:

• 3 medium carrots
• 3 medium red skinned potatoes
• 1/2 small cauliflower
• 2 parsnips
• 1/4 pumpkin or butternut squash
• olive oil for baking

for the vegan creamed spinach:

• 1 & 1/2 lb. fresh spinach (or 1 package frozen)
• 1 tablespoon oil
• 1 small onion
• 1 clove garlic
• 2-3 tablespoons soy yogurt
• pinch salt and pepper
• pinch of nutmeg (optional but very nice)
• 2-3 tablespoons dried bread crumbs to thicken

for the English piccalilli:

• 1 jar English piccalilli

Directions:

1. Peel the carrots and slice as you wish to present them.
2. Scrub the red skinned potatoes well and slice in thick rounds.
3. Break the cauliflower into smaller florets.
4. Peel and slice the parsnips as desired.
5. Peel and slice the pumpkin into similar sized shapes as the parsnips and carrots.
6. Place all in a baking dish and drizzle the oil over the vegetables.
7. Sprinkle with a bit of salt and bake in a preheated 450 F /  232 C oven for 25-35 minutes.
8. After about 15-20 minutes of baking, take baking dish out of the oven and turn the vegetables so that they cook evenly. Check for doneness with a fork. Return for another 10 minutes or as needed.
9. While the vegetables are baking, make the spinach sauce.
10. Clean the spinach and roughly chop.
11. Chop the onion and mince the garlic.
12. Heat the oil in a large frying pan.
13. Add the onions and saute.
14. When the onions begin to soften, add the garlic and then the spinach.
15. Stir well while the spinach is wilting.
16. Cook only until the spinach has wilted.
17. Remove from the heat and place in a large blow.
18. Depending on the amount of moisture, you may want to squeeze some of the liquid off.
19. Using a knife and fork, we further chopped the spinach. We did not want to puree the mass, only have a finely chopped spinach.
20. Add the soy yogurt, salt and pepper and nutmeg if using.
21. Stir to blend.
22. The mixture will be rather liquid, so you will want to add some dried bread crumbs to make it a thicker sort of dip or sauce. Start by adding 2 tablespoons of dried breadcrumbs. Add more if you wish it to be thicker.
23. When the vegetables are roasted, remove from the oven and allow to slightly cool.
24. Serve the roasted vegetables on a plate with both sauces.

Note:

We would suggest you buy a nice jar of piccalilli. All of the various brands here are vegan. If you want to make your own, our favorite piccalilli recipe (without the honey) is from Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall and just like other pickle recipes it takes about 6 weeks to season properly.

We substituted soy cheese for the Mexican cheddar that she used, and we used soy yogurt instead of the sour cream and vegan margarine instead of butter. Actually, we used one of our last red kuri pumpkins instead of the acorn squash. So we did have a nice vegan version of this recipe. It was a great lunch that we both enjoyed.

Yield: 1 med-large pizza

Ingredients:

for one wholewheat pizza dough:

• 3/4 cup whole wheat four
• 3/4 cup AP flour
• 1 pkg. yeast
• 1/2 tablespoon olive oil
• small pinch salt
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1/2 cup warm water

for the pumpkin/butternut squash:

• 2-3 cups pumpkin, de-seeded and cut into small cubes

for the tomato sauce:

• 1 small can of tomato paste
• 1-2 cans water
• pinch salt
• 1 tablespoon Italian herb blend
• small sprinkle garlic powder
• small sprinkle onion powder

for the cheddar cheese dollops *1:

• 4 tablespoons vegan margarine
• 1/4 cup flour
• 2 cups soy milk
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup nutritional yeast
• 1-3 tablespoons miso
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• splash lemon juice
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/2-1 teaspoon grainy mustard
• pinch sugar or agave
• 1/2 block soy cheese grated

Directions:

to make the dough:

1. Place the flours and salt in a bowl and whisk to mix.
2. Put the sugar and yeast in the warm water and allow to bubble for 3 – 5 minutes or so.
3. Pour the yeasted water into the flour.
4. Add the oil and mix with a mixer.
5. Put a lid, plate or plastic wrap on top of the bowl and place in a warm spot to rise for 45 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare the rest of the pizza.

to make the tomato sauce:

1. Empty the can of tomato paste into a small bowl.
2. Refill the tomato paste can once or twice with water and add to the tomato paste to thin to a sauce consistency.
3. Add the seasonings and water and mix well.

to prepare the pumpkin:

1. If you have an organic pumpkin or squash, you can leave the outer skin on.
2. De-seed the pumpkin and cut in small pieces.
3. Place in a steamer and steam until soft.

to make the cheddar sauce:

1. Melt the margarine in a saucepan.
2. Add the flour and stir to mix.
3. Add the soy milk and stir to bed a thick sauce.
4. Add the salt, nutritional yeast, onion and garlic powders, stir well to mix.
5. Remove from the heat and add the miso, lemon juice and mustard.
6. Season to taste with a pinch of sugar and possibly some white pepper if desired.

to make the pizza:

1. Preheat the oven to 450 F / 232 C or whatever temperature you usually use to bake pizza.
2. When the dough has risen, turn it out onto a lightly floured workspace and roll the dough into a nice round pizza.
3. Place the dough on the pizza pan.
4. Top with the tomato sauce, then the pumpkin pieces.
5. Using a tablespoon, place dollops of cheddar sauce here and there on the pizza.
6. Grate the soy cheese over the top.
7. Place in the oven to bake for about 18-20 minutes or when ever the bottom of the pizza is lightly golden brown and the top is melted.

Notes:

Some may want to add sage as it is a nice seasoning with pumpkin or butternut squash, however we chose not to as the Italian herbs were perfect with this pizza. We really enjoyed this and will have it again during the winter.

*1 adapted from http://www.veganwolf.com/recipes/sauces/vegancheddarcheese.htm

Please, give the recipe a try as it is really tasty. It’s easy to veganize by using maple syrup instead of honey and change the butter to vegan margarine. Otherwise the recipe is vegan. We used a pumpkin but either butternut squash or pumpkin work well. And, please use a lime not a lemon.

The crust was gingersnap and almond, using:

• 2 cups ginger snaps
• 1 cup almond flour (almonds ground to flour consistency
• 4 tablespoons vegan margarine
• no sugar was added as the ginger snaps were sweet enough

For the topping we made a butterscotch streusel. If you can get vegan butterscotch morsels, I would use them instead of the brown sugar and vegan margarine. Merely put them with the almonds and flour in a food processor and whiz to a crumbly mixture and use as a streusel topping.
However, we do not have vegan butterscotch morsels available here – so we made it by mixing flour and almonds in a bowl.

Ingredients for the streusel topping:

• 1/2 c. brown sugar
• 2 tbsp. chopped almonds
• 2 tbsp. vegan margarine,
• 2 tbsp. flour

Melt the vegan margarine and brown sugar together, then pour over the almond and flour, mix well with a fork or whisk to separate into a crumbly mixture.

The little pies were then baked as usual, in a 350 F / 177 C pre-heated oven. As the forms were smaller than a full pie, we did not need to bake for 60 minutes, but 35-45 depending on the size. We baked the pumpkin pies without streusel for 30 minutes, then added the streusel and baked for another 10-15 minutes, until they were golden and crumbly. Removed from the oven, they were allowed to cool for 10 minutes to set. We decorated them with a bit of Soyatoo whipped topping.
This can make one regular pie, or 4-6 pastry rings or 2 pastry ring types with 4 small tartlets – it depends on the sizes you are using.

The gingersnap almond crust and the streusel topping added added a nice little extra to the already delicious pumpkin pie. Because of the type of the crust the tartlets didn’t come out of our tart forms, so depending on how you prefer it, the pastry rings might be the better choice.