Pumpkin-Ricotta-Spinach Casserole

1 small pumpkin (or spaghetti squash), roasted
1 bag frozen spinach
1 container fat-free ricotta
1 egg
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp roasted garlic powder

1 tsp white pepper
1 tsp salt
nutritional yeast
pine nuts


Shred the squash/pumpkin flesh.  Mix with the frozen spinach, ricotta, beaten egg, nutmeg, salt, white pepper and roasted garlic powder.  Dust with nutritional yeast and sprinkle on some pine nuts.  Bake at 350 for 45 minutes.

Vegan Pumpkin Spice Bread

This recipe was originally from PPK, back in the day.  I think it's no longer available online, but you really can't go wrong with this pumpkin bread.  It's all kinds of moist and delicious.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Spray a loaf pan with canola oil.

Mix together:
2 cups flour
1 Tbsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp allspice (I used garam masala)
1/8 tsp cloves

In a separate bowl, combine:
1 cup pumpkin or squash puree
1 cup light coconut milk
1 tsp vanilla bean paste or extract
2 Tbsp maple syrup (I used sorghum molasses)
1-1/2 tsp powdered egg replacer OR 1 Tbsp soy yogurt

Fold dry ingredients into wet ingredients. Pour the batter into loaf pan and bake for 1 hour, or until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean.  (Mine didn't exactly get to the clean/knife stage, but that's fine by me. And since the batter's vegan, it's safe if undercooked.)

This photo is all that remains after taking this to a gathering of friends.

Pumpkin-Tahini Spice Dip

2 cups baked pumpkin or winter squash
2 Tbsp hummus
2 Tbsp tahini
1/4 tsp garam masala
1/2 tsp chipotle pepper powder
1 Tbsp maple syrup
1 tsp egg replacer (optional)

Puree all ingredients together. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes, then serve on fresh apple slices or crackers.

Pumpkin Patties w/ Chipotle Sauce

I roasted a pumpkin earlier this week, and so I'm putting it into *everything*. Tonight I was making zucchini patties, and I remembered the squash patties my mom used to make. A little sweet, crispy on the outside and soft inside, redolent of spiciness and warmth.

1 cup cooked pumpkin/winter squash, roughly mashed or pureed
2 heaping Tbsp chickpea flour
2 heaping Tbsp vital wheat gluten
1 Tbsp hummus (optional)
1/2 tsp garam masala
a pinch of cloves
1/4 tsp chipotle pepper
1/2 tsp salt
1 Tbsp sugar

Mix all ingredients together. You should have a stiff batter. Heat a thin layer of olive oil in a skillet. Using a scant 1/4 cup of batter for each, flatten into patties and fry until browned and crispy on both sides.

Chipotle Sauce
1/4 cup vegan mayo
1/3 cup silken tofu
1 chipotle pepper in adobo
2 tsp capers
1 Tbsp smokey chipotle jam

Puree and serve.

Pumpkin Chili

2 cups chopped cooked pumpkin
2 cans red kidney beans - drained
1 head roasted garlic
1 16-oz jar enchilada sauce
2 Tbsp adobo sauce
2 cooked sweet potatoes - diced
1 small roasted beet - diced
1 Tbsp cocoa powder
1 vegan sausage - diced

Put all ingredients in slow cooker and cook on low for 4 hours or high for 8 hours.

Pumpkin-Chevre Empanadas & Spiked Honey Cider

1 tsp olive oil
1 clove garlic, diced
1/4 tsp each cumin & chili powder
1 can black eyed peas OR black beans
1/4 cup salsa
1/2 cup frozen corn
1-1/2 cups pureed pumpkin
1 can diced green chiles, drained (optional)
2 oz. Northern Prairie Chevre (Summertime Salsa flavor preferred)
1 batch Gateway Market pizza dough or 1 sheet puff pastry, thawed
cornmeal for sprinkling

Preheat the oven to 425. Sprinkle a pizza stone with cornmeal and roll/stretch out the dough into 1 large or 2 medium-sized discs (you can make as many as you want, but I'm lazy and only do two at most).

Heat the olive oil over medium heat. Saute the garlic for 1 minute, or until fragrant. Add the cumin & chili powder, beans, salsa, corn, chiles and pumpkin and cook for 3-5 minutes, or until heated through.

Place dollops of the goat cheese down the center of the pastry. Top with the bean/pumpkin mixture, and fold the dough over to seal into half-moons. Bake for 15 minutes, or until the pastry is golden brown.

***

Spiked Honey Cider

Mix equal parts:
Sutliff apple cider
Summerset mead

Add a tablespoon of grenadine, if desired. Serve hot or cold.

Chocolate Pumpkin Pie

We had this for Thanksgiving. Super-easy and delish.

1 can pumpkin puree
2/3 cup Mexican hot chocolate mix (or normal hot chocolate + 1 tsp cinnamon)
2 Tbsp maple syrup
1 Tbsp cornstarch/arrowroot
1/8 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
1 Oreo crust
1 handful chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350.

Combine all ingredients except crust and chocolate chips in a bowl. Taste and adjust sweetness as desired. Pour the filling into the crust. Sprinkle chocolate chips on top. Bake for 30 minutes. Chill overnight to set.

Eat with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

Pumpkin Bread

Original recipe:
http://www.theppk.com/recipes/dbrecipes/recipe.php?RecipeID=234

1-3/4 cups all-purpose or whole wheat pastry flour
1 cups brown sugar, raw sugar or Sucanat
1/3 cup light sugar
1 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 pinches ground cloves
1 cup pumpkin puree
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup coconut milk
1 tsp vanilla

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a loaf pan.

Combine the flour, sugars, baking soda, salt, nutmeg, cinnamon and cloves in a medium bowl. In a larger bowl, mix the pumpkin puree, vegetable oil, coconut milk and vanilla. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and stir very gently until combined.

Bake for one hour, or until a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean.

Pumpkin-Eggplant Polenta Lasagna

Yet another variation on Susan's Eggplant Parmesan at Fat Free Vegan. One of our eggplants turned out to be past its prime, so I threw in some pumpkin puree and swiss chard from our garden to make up the difference. The result was incredible: creamy, savory and decadent. I have to say that this recipe is incredibly forgiving and amazingly tasty.

1 smallish eggplant, sliced 1/4 inch thick
1 cup marinara sauce

2 cups pureed roasted pumpkin (or 1 can pumpkin puree)
1-2 pinches nutmeg

1 tsp olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 bunch swiss chard, rinsed and torn into pieces

1/2 block polenta, sliced paper thin
salt & pepper to taste
2 Tbsp each fresh basil and oregano, torn into bits

Cheeze sauce:
1/2 cup silken tofu
1/2 cup raw cashew pieces
1/2 cup soy creamer
1/2 cup veggie broth
1/2 tsp veggie bouillon powder (optional)
1 tsp onion powder
1-1/2 Tbsp nutritional yeast
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp cornstarch
1-2 dashes Tobasco

Preheat the broiler. Lay your eggplant slices on a cookie sheet, salt them lightly and spray them with olive oil. When the oven is hot enough, stick them under the broiler for 3-5 minutes, or until they're starting to brown.

Blend up the ingredients for the cheeze sauce.

Mix the pumpkin puree with 2-3 Tbsp of the cheeze sauce and the nutmeg.

Heat the olive oil over medium-high. Add the garlic and swiss chard and cook for a minute or two, until the chard is wilty. Mix in half of the basil and oregano.

Lower the oven heat to 350 degrees. Layer the ingredients in a baking dish in the following order:
* polenta slices
* marinara
* eggplant slices
* cheeze sauce
* swiss chard mixture
* pumpkin mixture
* salt/pepper
* cheeze sauce
* polenta slices
* marinara sauce
* drizzle of cheeze sauce

Bake for 20-30 minutes. Serve sprinkled with the remaining basil and oregano and freshly ground black pepper to taste.