Pumpkin Cookies with Spiced Pumpkin Icing

These don't need much of an introduction. They are pumpkin heaven on your tongue. Soft and moist, with an icing that you could just lick plain off of a spoon (I know, I did!). These are a must try!  Have a great weekend!

Pumpkin Cookies with Spiced Pumpkin Icing

makes 12-14 cookies

printable recipe

What You Need:

1/2 cup Earth Balance butter

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup + 2 Tbsp Pumpkin puree

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 Tbsp cornstarch or arrowroot powder mixed with 2 Tbsp. milk of choice (i used soymilk)

1 1/4 cup white whole wheat flour

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp salt

Spiced Pumpkin Icing (recipe follows)

To Make:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a standing mixer or using a hand mixer, mix the butter and the sugar until pale in color and slightly whipped. Add the Pumpkin puree, vanilla, and cornstarch and mix to blend well. Mix the dry ingredients. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix again.  Using a small ice cream scoop or spoon, drop by the heaping tablespoon on a parchment or silpat lined baking sheet. Bake cookies for 12-13 minutes. Let cool for 1 min. before removing from the baking sheet. Cool completely before icing cookies.

Spiced Pumpkin Icing:

2 Tbsp. Earth Balance butter

1 Tbsp Pumpkin puree
3/4 cup of powdered sugar

very generous pinch of freshly grated nutmeg

1/8 tsp cinnamon

1 Tbsp. milk alternative (soymilk, almond milk, etc.)

With a whisk beater blend until creamy and mixed well. Place in the freezer for 15 minutes to chill well to help it spread easily.

Crispy "fish" tacos with cabbage slaw and spicy tomatillo cilantro sauce

These are ridiculously delicious. We have been making them continually at my house lately! We cant get enough! I came up with the recipe trying to think a fun way to use the leftover dressing from our Taco Style Salad the other night. It worked perfectly for these. If you don't love tofu, you have to try my recipe for crispy baked tofu. Its healthy, baked, not fried, with no oils added, and is so crispy and satisfying.  This is  my vegan spin on a fish taco. Enjoy!

Crispy "fish" tacos with cabbage slaw and spicy tomatillo cilantro sauce

serves 4

printable recipe

For the crispy tofu "fish":

1 package of extra firm tofu

1/2 cup of white whole wheat flour, whole wheat pastry flour, or regular wheat flour

2 Tbsp. creole seasoning

1/2 cup of milk of choice (soymilk, almond, coconut, hemp, rice,)

1 cup Panko Japanese breadcrumbs (these are a must!! They make them really crunchy/crispy!)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Spray or oil a large heavy baking sheet.

Drain the tofu and gently press it between a towel to remove some of the moisture. Be careful not to smash it. Cut the tofu into 1 inch thick "sticks". You should get about 14-15 of them. If you have a Trader Joe's, I highly recommend their Super Firm Tofu. It is the firmest one that I have found and works so good for this particular recipe.

Lay out 3 bowls. In one combine the flour and creole seasoning, in another bowl pour the soymilk, and in the last pour the Panko Japanese breadcrumbs. Dredge the tofu in the flour first, then dredge in the milk, and then into the Panko breadcrumbs, pressing to make sure it is covered well. Lay on the baking sheet. Finish this process with the rest of the tofu, and bake for 25 minutes until crispy.

For the Colorful Cabbage Slaw:

1/2 head of green cabbage

1/4 head of purple cabbage

1 large carrot grated

1/2 cup cilantro

3 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar

1/2 tsp sugar

1/4 tsp salt, and pinch of pepper

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

2 Tbsp Veganaise vegan mayo

Add shredded cabbage and carrots into a large bowl. Add the rest of the ingredients and toss to coat well.

For the Tacos:

Crispy Tofu "fish"

Colorful Cabbage slaw

Spicy tomatillo cilantro dressing

corn tortillas (look for a clean brand that contains only 3-4 ingredients. Trader Joes has really good ones also)

Gently warm the tortilla. Place 1 tofu "fish" stick in to the taco. Top wit a little cabbage slaw and a nice generous drizzle of the spicy tomatillo sauce.

Taco Style Salad with Spicy Tomatillo Cilantro Dressing

Happy Monday foodies! I hope you all had a great weekend! With Loving Hut in the mix for me two times over the weekend, I was a very happy girl. Even though cooking is in my soul, and I love it so  much, I also appreciate a night out where I get a break from cooking and someone else cooks for me! It was so nice and relaxing!

OK, if you want a double whammy dinner, make my Chili one night, and reserve a few cups of the chili for this recipe. To me, nothing beats homemade chili, but obviously we don't always have a nice fresh pot sitting around, right? So if you don't have chili planned for the week, then just use your favorite store bought vegan chili. It works great for this too and makes for a quick and easy meal!  And you are going to looooooove this dressing! It is packed full of flavor! I have another really fun meal planned using the leftover dressing, so stay tuned for that! coming soon!

Taco Style Salad

with Spicy Tomatillo Cilantro Dressing

serves 4-6

printable recipe

What You Need:

1 package Lightlife smart ground or any meatless ground product

1 Tbsp. olive oil

1/2 tsp salt

crack of pepper

1/2 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp coriander

1/2 tsp garlic powder

2 cans of your favorite vegan chili, or 4 cups of homemade vegan chili

In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the meatless ground, and all of the spices. Cook until browned slightly, then add the chili. Stir and heat through, about 5 minutes on low heat, then remove from heat.

Spicy Tomatillo Cilantro Dressing:

3/4 cup Veganaise (vegan mayo)

1 clove garlic

7 tomatillos

1 cup cilantro (nice big handful)

juice of 1/2 lemon
1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp cumin

1/4 tsp dried dill
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

Blend in a blender until smooth. Taste and add any additional salt and pepper if needed.

For the Salad:

Layer on a plate

Crushed tortilla chips

Chili mixture

Romaine lettuce

Sliced tomatoes

Salsa

Spicy tomatillo cilantro dressing

And as always...ENJOY!!!!!

Creamy Potato Bacon Soup with Chives

My inspiration for this soup came from one that I had as a kid. I suffered from migraines pretty badly when I was young, and they would make me so sick. So my Mom would ask me what she could do, and I would say, "Make me some of your soup". After I would have some I would always instantly feel better. Of course it wasnt actually the soup that made it all better, but mentally I thought it did. Probably because I loved it so much! It was like magic soup to me.  So I was talking to my Mom the other day on the phone and I was telling her that I wanted to try and make a version of the soup she made back in the day. Without a recipe and just playing off the flavors I remembered, I came up with something that definitely fit the shoe (the soup shoe that is!).  This soup is creamy, comforting, bursting with so much flavor, and very good for you too!  Oh, not to mention inexpensive to make, which is always a bonus. I used tempeh bacon here, and if you are not fond of tempeh, or aren't familiar with it, this is a perfect way to incorporate it. It has so many health benefits. And adds a really great smoky bacon like flavor to the soup. If you cant find the tempeh bacon, any vegan bacon will work fine.  Hope you enjoy!

Creamy Potato Bacon Soup with Chives

Serves 6-8

printable recipe

What You Need:

4-5 Tbsp. olive oil

1 large yellow onion, diced

6 cloves garlic, minced

3 carrots, peeled and diced

2 bay leaves

2 1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp paprika

1/2 tsp  turmeric

1/2 tsp chili powder

1/4 tsp cayenne

2 32-ounce boxes Vegetable stock

6 potatoes, peeled and diced

1 1/2 cups soymilk

2 Tbsp whole wheat flour

1 package of Lightlife Tempeh Fakin' Bacon

1/2 cup chives

To Make Soup:

In a large soup pot over medium heat, heat the olive oil and saute the onions and garlic for about 5 minutes, until softened. Then add the carrots and all of the spices. Cook another 3-4 minutes. Add the vegetable stock and potatoes. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to the lowest setting. Simmer, uncovered for about 25-30 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender.While the soup cooks, in a saute pan, crisp the tempeh bacon, cut it into cubes, and set aside. In a small bowl, mix a little of the soup broth with a few Tbsp of whole wheat flour and mix well until no clumps are left. Then add that mixture back into the soup. Add the milk, and cook for about 5 additional minutes to gently thicken the soup. Stir in half of the chives. Ladle the soup into bowls, and garnish with the crisped bacon and chives.  And as always eat up and enjoy!

Pumpkin Butter Squares

These little squares of pumpkiny deliciousness lasted about 2 seconds in our house. They turned out soooo good!  After I made the pumpkin butter that I posted yesterday, I knew I had to make something with it. And these are perfect for this time of year, with all of the parties, get togethers, sports games, etc. where you need something to bring to share with the crowd. Cut them into small squares, or cut out a larger square and serve with a little vegan ice cream on the side. YUM.  Make this the day ahead, the pumpkin layer is a little like pumpkin pie. It will need about 1 whole day to fully set. It will seem soft and unset, but be patient and let them rest for a day and they will set up perfectly. Hope you all enjoy! Have a great weekend!

Pumpkin Butter Squares

Makes 1 9x13 baking dish full

printable recipe

To make the squares: preheat oven to 350 degrees

cake layer:

2 cups white whole wheat flour or whole wheat pastry flour

1 Tbsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

1 tsp baking soda

1 cup evaporated cane juice sugar or reg. sugar

1/2 cup earth balance original butter

In a standing mixer or hand mixer, combine all the ingredients until the butter is distributed very well. and there are no noticeable chunks. The mixture should look like fine sand. Reserve 1 cup of this mixture, and set it aside for the top layer. With the remaining cake mix, add...

1/4 cup melted earth balance butter

1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce

2 tsp apple cider vinegar

mix well until all ingredients are incorporated. Lightly spray a 9x13 inch rectangular baking dish with cooking spray. Press the mixture into the the pan.

Pumpkin Butter Layer:

2 cups of homemade pumpkin butter

1 Tbsp. arrowroot powder or cornstarch

3 Tbsp. white whole wheat or whole wheat pastry flour

1/4 tsp xantham gum (this will help to hold this mixture together)

1/2 block of firm tofu

6 Tbsp. soymilk/almond milk

Mix the pumpkin butter, 3 Tbsp. milk, arrowroot/cornstarch. flour, and xantham gum. Mix to blend. In a blender blend the firm tofu with the additional 3 Tbsp. milk. Then mix the pumpkin mixture with the tofu mixture and blend well. Layer this mixture on top of the cake layer.

Top crumble layer:

reserved 1 cup cake mix

1 Tbsp. white whole wheat or whole what pastry flour

1/4 cup evaporated can juice sugar, or reg. sugar

1 cup rolled oats

3 Tbsp. Earth Balance Butter

4 Tbsp soymilk/almond milk

mix ingredients well and crumble over the top of the pumpkin butter layer. Bake for 40 minutes at 350 degrees. After cooking, allow to cool completely! This needs to be treated kind of like pumpkin pie. It needs about 1 day to let the pumpkin mixture fully set. Cut into squares and enjoy! These are to die for! So so yummy!

Morgan's Pumpkin Butter

OK, I warned you....pumpkin overload is happening this week! I love pumpkin so much, and I love to take advantage of it during the Fall season, even though it really isn't much like Fall at all here in Southern California, reaching 90 degrees in November!! Crazy, right?!
So this is one of my all time favorite things. Pumpkin butter. Its so good, intensely pumpkin, and makes your whole house smell delicious. It is perfect for just spreading on a piece of toast or pumpkin bread. But I took it up a notch and created some amazing pumpkin bars with it. You will have to wait one more day for that recipe. Trust me though...worth the wait. Again, this pumpkin butter is great just on its own, served on the table during Thanksgiving as an alternate spread for rolls. Or just kept in the fridge and used in place of your typical bread, butter, and jam.  I made mine in a saucepan, which cuts the cooking time down to about 35 minutes or so, but you can definitely make this in a crock pot, and cook it on low for a whole day, about 10 hours. Mmmmmmmmm...yum!

Morgan's Pumpkin Butter

Makes a couple cups

printable recipe

What You Need:

2 15-ounce cans plain organic pumpkin

1 cup good quality apple juice (not from concentrate!)

2 Tbsp sugar

3 Tbsp brown sugar or sucanat

1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp mace

pinch of cloves

pinch of nutmeg
juice of 1/2 lemon

To make:

if cooking in a saucepan:

put all ingredients into a saucepan, and bring to a boil, immediately after mixture comes to a boil, reduce to low, partially cover to (help prevent splattering) and simmer about 30 minutes stirring frequently. The pumpkin butter is done when is is slightly darker in color, and you can run a knife through it and the line will stay in the butter. Finish it off by squeezing 1/2 lemon into the mixture, stir, and allow to cool. Store in the fridge or freezer.

if cooking in a crock pot:

place all ingredients in a crock pot, and cook on low for a whole day, about 10 hours. Once finished cooking squeeze 1/2 fresh lemon juice into the mixture, stir, and let cool. Store in the fridge or freezer.

Whole Grain Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread

I hope everyone had a great Halloween weekend! As you can see from my lack of blog posting, I have been so busy!
OK, so the vote was in and pumpkin it is!  I have had quite a few requests this past month for pumpkin bread so I thought I would start there. But the pumpkin is not going to stop there. There will be lots more pumpkin to be had in my kitchen during the fall season, so stay tuned. Pumpkin overload warning!  I also have some delicious sandwiches, soups, salads, and football season appetizers I have been coming up with that are coming your way soon! This bread turned out so delicious! And the best part about it is your whole house will smell like Fall!

Whole Grain Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread

makes 1 large loaf or 2 small

printable recipe

What You Need:

1/4 cup Earth Balance original butter

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup evaporated cane juice sugar, or regular sugar

1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce

1/3 cup + 2 Tbsp. apple juice (not from concentrate)

1 15-ounce can pumpkin

1 1/2 cups white whole wheat flour

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp cinnamon

fresh grated nutmeg (about 1/4 tsp)

1/4 tsp cloves

1 tsp baking soda

3/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp xanthan gum

1/2 cup vegan chocolate chips (opt.)

Mix in a small bowl and set aside:

1 Tbsp. arrowroot powder or cornstarch

3 Tbsp. wheat germ

4 Tbsp. water

To Make:

preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease 1 regular loaf pan or 2 small loaf pans.  In a standing mixer or with a hand mixer, mix together the butter and sugar. Add the apple juice, pumpkin puree, and the arrowroot/wheat germ/water mixture. 

In a separate bowl whisk all the dry ingredients. Add the wet to the dry and incorporate all ingredients well.  If using chocolate chips, fold in.

Fill the bread pans and bake for about 1 hour, or until a toothpick comes out fairly clean. Remove from the oven and allow the bread to cool completely before cutting into it. This is important. Be patient. If you cut it open too early it will be soft and wet and gooey. If you let it cool off completely it will be perfect! Serve with a little earth balance butter on top!