Pumpkin French Toast with Apple Cider Syrup

OK, I've been playing with this idea for a while now, and today seems like a good day to post it, just one weekend before Thanksgiving here in the United States. (Sorry I was too late for my Canadian friends, I'm sure it's good for Christmas morning as well!).

I love pumpkin in anything, French Toast seemed a pretty natural option. The "pumpkin" flavor isn't overpowering here, but it makes a nice alternative to "regular" French Toast. I also whipped up a last minute "Apple Cider Syrup" which was spectacular, but I could NOT get a decent photo where it looked like something more appetizing than nuclear pond sludge. So just imagine that it's there...

Pumpkin French Toast

◘ 10 (more or less) slices really thick bread (slice your own homemade, or use store-bought baguettes.
◘ 1/3 cup cashews soaked overnight (if you remember to soak them, great!! If not, they won't blend up as smooth, but will still be fine)

◘ 1/2 cup pumpkin puree

◘ 3/4 cup Silk soy Chai or Pumpkin (or any soy chai or pumpkin flavored "milk", Bolthouse Farms makes one too)
◘ 1 tablespoon cornstarch
◘ 1/4 cup chickpea flour
◘ pinch salt
◘ 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
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Blend cashews in a food processor until a paste starts to form (this can take a few minutes). Scrape down the sides then add Silk soy Chai and blend until you have a nice creamy "milk". Add pumpkin, cornstarch, chickpea flour, salt and oil and blend again, it should be thinner than pancake batter. If batter is too thick, add more soymilk, if it's too thin add more chickpea flour. Pour into shallow bowl.
Heat a nonstick skillet over med-high heat. Add a good teaspoon of oil and brush around.
Dip the bread slices in the mixture, let soak for a moment if you like your French Toast more moist, scrape off excess if you want (depending on how soft you like your French toast) and then transfer to the skillet.
Cook each side for about 2 min; if they are not brown enough when you flip them, heat for 1 to 2 more minutes on each side. They should be golden brown with flecks of dark brown.

Apple Cider Syrup

◘ 2 cups unfiltered apple cider

◘ 1/4 cup brown sugar

◘ 2 Tbsp. Earth Balance

◘ 1/2 teaspoon apple pie spice

Combine ingredients, bring to a boil. Stir and keep to a low boil for five minutes or until syrup starts to thicken. Turn off, let cool somewhat and serve over waffles or pancakes.

Pumpkin and Potatoes in Red Curry

My Mom gave me a small mountain of wonderful fall veggies this weekend, and tonight I made just a smallish dent in them with this random curry sort-of-thing.

Sorry for the dreadful picture - winter lighting in my kitchen is awful.

I think Caribbean cooking uses pumpkins and curry, so hopefully the flavors I came up with don't seem too outrageously weird to anyone... I know it was devoured by my family.

Pumpkin and Potatoes in Red Curry

2 Tbsp. coconut oil

1 medium onion,chopped

2 red or green bell pepper,chopped & deseeded

1 Tbsp. Red Curry Paste (or any curry paste you like, or curry powder)

1/4 Tsp.ground cloves

2 medium tomatoes, chopped

2 cups peeled, cubed pumpkin or Hubbard squash

2 cups cubed white or red potatoes

1 regular size can stewed tomatoes

1 cup water

1/4 tsp. salt

1 large garlic clove,crushed

1 tsp. finely shredded fresh ginger

fresh cilantro (optional)

Heat oil in a large heavy saucepan.

Add onion and pepper, stirring a bit until onion is tender but not browned.

Add the curry paste or powder and cook for just a minute or two to incorporate the curry into the oil.

Add the cloves, tomatoes, pumpkin, potato, stewed tomatoes, water and salt.

Stir to mix.

Cover and cook on lowest possible heat, stirring occasionally to prevent burning. If it gets too thick, add more water, you want it to be stew-like.

When pumpkin and potatoes are tender, and pumpkin is thick and sauce-like, stir in garlic and ginger and cook uncovered for 5 more minutes. Taste and add more salt or pepper if desired. Garnish with cilantro if you suddenly remember at the last minute that you have some!

Pumpkin Scones

OK, so I found a recipe that was supposed to be just exactly like those yummy (but not vegan) Pumpkin Scones that Starbucks sells... I used to be in love with those things. Well, the recipe wasn't all that great, so I messed it all around and made them much better (if I do say so myself).

Yes, LOTS of ginger in these. But I'm a fan. And it's good for you!

PUMPKIN SCONES

1/2 cup sugar

3 1/2 cups flour (I use 1/2 white, so shoot me!)

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

2 tsp ginger powder

2 Tbsp. finely minced candied ginger

1 Tbsp. finely shredded/grated fresh ginger root

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1/4 cup margarine

2 TB. coconut oil

2 cups pureed pumpkin (fresh or canned, either is fine).

In a large mixing bowl, combine dry ingredients (flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and dry ginger and cinnamon).

Cut in margarine and coconut oil, adding a bit at a time until mixed. Add pumpkin and candied and fresh ginger and combine well.

On a lightly floured surface, knead dough a few times, pushing it into two circles, a few inches thick.

Cut each circle into 5 or so fat triangular pieces. Imagine you are cutting a pizza so that you get even, triangular slices.(Not that it matters if they're even.)

Bake at 425 degrees for 12-15 minutes, or until done.

I usually sprinkle the tops with sugar before baking, or drizzle with an orange glaze or something if I'm feeling all Martha Stewart-y.

And while we're on the subject - here's a picture of an elk that's been nicknamed "Pumpkin Harry" by my friend Sunny.

He's been destroying the Halloween decorations on her back porch in Arizona...Bad Harry!! Hope the poor guy can figure out how to get those lights off his antlers. Sorry about your porch decorations though!!

Happy Pumpkin Days...

Curried Pumpkin (or Squash) Soup

My Mom gave me this funny-shaped Hubbard Squash that we thought looked rather like a Turkey. So we decided to have it for Thanksgiving dinner. But then plans changed; we didn't end up doing Thanksgiving at home, we didn't have squash... (I'll tell ya all about it in a day or two) instead, we cooked this up first thing, upon our return tonight...

Repeat of one of my old favorites: And it makes for the most beautiful pictures. I couldn't stop snapping photos, it was so colorful!

CURRIED (and Roasted) PUMPKIN (or Squash) SOUP

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2 Tbsp. margerine

1 small onion, chopped

1 small garlic clove, pressed

2 tsp. curry powder or paste (I much prefer paste!), or to taste

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp freshly-ground black pepper

cayenne to taste

2 Tb. brown sugar

1 Tb. very fine grated fresh ginger

Aprox 24 oz. vegetable broth

3 cups pumpkin or squash puree - either from a can, frozen or bake/steam your own and mash (my fav.) **See Note following

3/4 cup coconut milk (or 1 can of it is fine, so there's no waste)

chopped fresh green herbs for garnish

Melt margerine in a large saucepan over medium heat. Cook onion 5 minutes, until softened. Add garlic, curry powder, ginger, salt and pepper and cook 1 minute more.

Add broth, sugar, water and puree; mix well. Reduce heat to low.

Cook, stirring occasionally, for 20 minutes.

Stir in coconut milk. Puree soup in blender in batches until smooth.

Heat through before serving.Adjust seasonings - sometimes needs a pinch more sugar, or salt or cayenne - depending on your tastes.

Garnish with whatever green herby things you can find.

**I cut small sugar pumpkins or squash in quarters and roast until soft, then puree with a little vegetable broth for this recipe. Today I used the hubbard squash.

Happy Almost-Halloween!

OK, I think I'm ready to start blogging after the Great Computer Disaster of 2008.
First; Gratuitous cute-kid pictures,
then my Pumpkin-Lentil Stew:

OK, not they're not "kids" but teens ("Come on Mom, get it right!").

In Halloween costumes.

And they don't like being called "cute" I've been informed.
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But I'm their Mom,
so I get to say what I want.
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. They attended a Halloween Costume party the other night, and before I get to my recipe, I just had to show off their great costumes.
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. Snow White and Pippi Longstockings (sorry, I don't know who Zorro is).
And if you knew my kids, you'd know how perfect those costume choices were for them. They got a lot of compliments and had a great time with friends!
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When they came home from the party all chilly and frozen-nosed, I had this soup in the crock-pot because it seemed very fall-ish and warming and the Good Mom thing to do.
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Seemed pretty popular with my resident story-book characters too. Enjoy!
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Pumpkin-Lentil Soup (or Stew)

3 cups sugar pumpkin or butternut squash, peeled and diced in 1/2 inch cubes
1/2 cup brown lentils
2 cups coined carrots
1 can stewed diced tomatoes
3 tbsp vegetable oil
1 cup diced onion or leeks
3 cups vegetable or vegetarian "chicken-flavored"broth
1/2 tsp ground mace
1 tsp salt
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Fry the onion and carrots in oil in a pot over medium heat for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Rinse the lentils. Add the lentils, veggie broth, salt and mace to the pot. Stir and bring to the boil.
Turn the heat down to low, cover and simmer for about 30 - 40 minutes.

Add the tomatoes and pumpkin, stir well, recover and simmer for another 20 minutes until the stew becomes thick and the pumpkin is tender, adding more broth or water if needed.

For a crock pot, fry veggies as directed above, then add everything to crock pot and cook on high for 4 hours or until veggies and lentils are soft.

Ginger Pumpkin Scones

OK, so I found a recipe that was supposed to be just exactly like those yummy (but not vegan) Pumpkin Scones that Starbucks sells... I used to be in love with those things. Well, the recipe wasn't all that great, so I messed it all around and made them much better (if I do say so myself) AND made them vegan.

My family LOVES them. Then I posted them over at VeggieBoards and got a good reception there as well, so I thought I'd post them for you fine fellow-bloggers too.

Yes, LOTS of ginger in these. But I'm a fan. And it's good for you!

PUMPKIN SCONES

1/2 cup sugar

3 1/2 cups flour (I use 1/2 white, so shoot me!)

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

2 tsp ginger powder

2 Tbsp. finely minced candied ginger

1 Tbsp. finely shredded/grated fresh ginger root

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1/4 cup margarine

2 TB. coconut oil

2 cups pureed pumpkin (fresh or canned, either is fine).

In a large mixing bowl, combine dry ingredients (flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and dry ginger and cinnamon).

Cut in margarine and coconut oil, adding a bit at a time until mixed. Add pumpkin and candied and fresh ginger and combine well.

On a lightly floured surface, knead dough a few times, pushing it into two corcles, a few inches thick.

Cut each circle into 5 or so fat triangular pieces. Imagine you are cutting a pizza so that you get even, triangular slices.(Not that it matters if they're even.)

Bake at 425 degrees for 12-15 minutes, or until done.

I usually sprinkle the tops with sugar before baking, or drizzle with an orange glaze or something if I'm feeling all Martha Stewart-y.

More "Pumpkin-y-ness"...

Just made these for breakfast this morning. The Sprouts loved 'em! (Tried to post the photo I took, but I may have to come back to that tomorrow.)

PUMPKIN PANCAKES WITH CIDER SYRUP

WARM CIDER SYRUP:
3/4 cup apple cider or juice
1/2 packed brown sugar
1/2 cup corn syrup
2 Tbs Earth Balance margarine
1/2 tsp lemon juice
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
1/8 tsp ground cinnamon

PANCAKES:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 Tbs sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/8 tsp ground cloves
3 tsp Ener-G egg replacer
4 tbs warm water
1 1/3 cup soy milk
1/4 cup canned pumpkin
2 Tbs canola oil

Instructions:------------

SYRUP:In a saucepan, combine all the syrup ingredients.
Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally.

Reduce heat simmer uncovered for about 20 minutes until slightly thickened. Let cool for 30 minutes before serving. Syrup will thicken as it cools.

Any syrup you don't use can be stored in a sealed container in the refrigerator. Just warm it in the microwave for 1 minute before serving. If it gets too thick you can add a little more cider to thin it.

PANCAKES:Sift together all dry pancake ingredients except for egg replacer.
In another bowl whisk together the pumpkin, soy milk and oil.

Mix together egg replacer and water and stir it in with the pumpkin mixture. Stir dry ingredients in with wet ingredients.

Ladle batter onto a hot greased griddle. Turn when the bubbles on the top start to pop and the outer edge of the pancake starts to look set.
Serve with Earth Balance margarine and warm cider syrup.

Don't be tempted to add extra pumpkin. Too much pumpkin will cause the pancakes not to cook all the way through. Also they may take a little longer too cook than traditional style pancakes so be patient and wait till the sides start to look a little cooked and the bubbles on top actually start popping.

The cider syrup is very sweet. A little bit goes a long way, so don't pour too much on at once.