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Vegan MoFo: Pumpkin Oatmeal  »

It’s motherfucking pumpkin season, folks. Every year around this time, I gorge on the sweet squash by inserting it into as many concoctions as possible. The amazing flavor and lovely color herald the fall holidays, my favorites. So when I woke up this morning with a headache brought on by far too much wine last night, I needed something sweet, bright, and comforting. Hence this pumpkin oatmeal was born:

Pumpkin Oatmeal for One

Ingredients
1 cup water
1/4 cup rolled oats
1/4 can pumpkin puree
1/4 tsp. vanilla
1 Tbsp. agave nectar (or maple syrup, or sugar, or whatever)
assorted pumpkin-esque spices (allspice, cloves, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg—OR just some pumpkin pie spice)

Directions
Put water in saucepan and bring to a boil. When it’s boiling, add everything else, and reduce the heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until it’s as runny or dry as you like. Add raisins or nuts or something if you’re nasty. Eat away your hangover.

Dina’s pumpkin cheesecake brownie cupcakes recipe!  »

Remember that pumpkin cheesecake brownie cupcake from reader Dina we showed you last week? Here, let’s refresh our memories:

Yeah, that’s the stuff.

Dina was so pleased with the response, she wanted to give you guys her recipe so you can make your own, just like hers! Aren’t you lucky?

Dina says, “The brownie is a modified version of the Vegan Diner (by Julie Hasson) Ooey-Gooey Brownies. I used black cocoa and omitted the chocolate chips. The pumpkin cheesecake is where it gets dicey since I use the unwritten recipe in my head. 

For the pumpkin cheesecake:
1 container cream cheese
1/2 to 3/4 container of silken tofu
1/2 to 3/4 cup pumpkin
1 cup sugar
1/4 tsp. clove
1/4 tsp. ginger
1/4 to 1/2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
1 tsp vanilla
dash of salt
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Toss it all into a food process and blend until smooth. Pour a little brownie batter into cupcake pans and top with some cheesecake batter. Bake until the knife comes out clean from brownie batter.”

There you go: pumpkin cheesecake brownie cupcakes. Thanks again, Dina!

Guest recipe: Pumpkin brownies!  »

What up, my sexy vegan ladies (and dudes, y’all are welcome, too)? It’s getting to be fall here in the Midwest, which means I’m arbitrarily dumping pumpkin into everything I’m baking. This week, it’s dark chocolate pumpkin brownies. I’m giving you the recipe as a half-batch (because I have no self control and eat the entire pan, so, you know, I’m being healthy this way, right?), but the times for a full batch are included.  Let’s bake, bitches!

Ingredients
1/2 cup vegan butter
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup pumpkin (I buy the canned stuff, but you can be fancy and cook your own, too)
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp baking soda
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp cinnamon
3/4 to 1 cup flour
1/2 to 3/4 cup roughly chopped dark chocolate

Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 F.

Melt your butter, and mix the ingredients in order, making sure each is well combined before moving on.

Grease and flour an 8x8” baking pan, pour the batter in, and bake for 26 minutes. If you’re hungry (or you have to share), double everything, pour into a 9x13” pan, and bake for 32 minutes.

Cool, cut, devour. Goes best with coffee.

Lisa Holmes is a vegan art student living in Missouri. Her free time is spent baking, swing dancing, singing a capella music, and building things out of stained glass. Find her on Twitter at @labelledinosaur.

Your holiday novelty food, veganized: Pumpkin Pie Pop-Tarts!  »

I saw this weird/gross/totally fascinating post on Limited Edition Frosted Pumpkin Pie Pop-Tarts about a month ago, and it made me feel funny inside. “We might be delicious,” they said to me. “Don’t you want to find out how delicious we might be?” Yes, oh yes I did. Once upon a time I was a novelty Pop-Tarts junkie; never the fruit flavors, only the nastiest kinds like S’mores and Chocolate Fudge, and Cinnamon and Brown Sugar right out of the foil, though that wasn’t for pleasure so much as binge-time, ahem. When I went vegan, I assumed Pop-Tarts were on the list of foods I’d never eat again; but then, I was unaware of the genius for creativity in the vegan community. Look at what our guest chefs have done with Project Just Desserts!

Eventually I learned to make a lovely vegan Twinkie, and 10 months ago, our pal Natalye gave us her recipe for vegan Pop-Tarts. When I came upon the Pumpkin Pie Pop-Tarts, I knew I wanted to make them; I just needed the opportunity. THEN I found out that the Great Canned Pumpkin Shortage of 2009 had ended, so I could break open one of the cans my mother had been hording and get baking.

First, I made a vegan pumpkin pie. I used this recipe from VegWeb, making two adjustments: I used 1/2 cup sugar and 1/4 cup maple syrup; and I dissolved the cornstarch into a little hot water and slowly poured it into the food processor. Also, no crust, obviously. I let it cool on the counter and refrigerated it overnight. When I was ready to make the Pop-Tarts, I took the pie out of the fridge to bring it to room temperature.

Following Natalye’s instructions, I doubled the pastry recipe. For the filling, I mushed up the pie—avoiding the extra-cooked edges—and substituted it for the blueberry preserves in the original recipe.

For the icing, I used the cinnamon icing recipe on page 126 of Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World, without the non-dairy butter. For authentic replication, I left out the cinnamon when icing half the Pop-Tarts, and applied it with a quality food brush.

There you go: vegan pumpkin pie Pop-Tarts! Everything you wanted for your novelty holiday breakfast!