Halloween Treats

SPIDER CRACKERS
Ritz Crackers with peanut butter inside to hold the 8 pretzel legs. Use a small dab of peanut butter to attach the raisin eyes.
Tailor these to your kids preferences. Another healthy variation is almond butter, cranberries, and Ritz whole wheat crackers.
My kids love making and eating these. A perfect October after school snack!




APPLE DUMPLINGS
1. Core and peel apples, leave an inch of the lower unpeeled.
2. Divide a pie crust for each apple and place the apple on top.
3. Fill the core with a small mixture of raisins, cranberries, sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg.





4. Press and seal the pastry around the apple. Put a dollop of coconut oil on the top.
5. Bake the dumplings @ 375* for about 15 minutes while making the basting sauce.
6. Bring 2 tablespoons Earth Balance, 3/4 C. apple juice, 3/4 C. water, 1/2 C. sugar, & 1/8 tsp. cinnamon to a boil in a small sauce pan. Reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes.





7. Baste the dumplings with the sauce and pour the rest in the pan and continue to bake about 30 minutes until they are tender. Continue to baste the dumplings about every 15 minutes.

Roasted pumpkin seeds are always a treat this time of year! I hope you are enjoying a healthy Halloween season!!

*recipe testing* The Urban Vegan: 250 Street-Smart, Animal-Free Recipes (6-14)

PUMPKIN SPICE BABY BUNDTS











COCO-MANDA MUFFINS











BERRY TART (with Clementine Oranges)













PEPPERY PARTY CRACKERS











SANDWICH MOUSSE














CRAN-APPLE OATMEAL












ROASTED ROOT VEGETABLE













REAL HOT CHOCOLATE













CARAMEL SAUCE

FALL . . . lots of sewing & soup

It's Fall. My favorite time of year. We've been immersing ourselves in bicycle rides, pumpkin patches, and piles of leaves.











Squirrels have been busily harvesting our two walnut trees. Hustling here and there stowing away for leaner times. As I read my newspaper recently, I mused how much smarter they are than we. Water has run out in Orme, Tennessee, and they say the crisis could serve as a warning to other communities to conserve water before it's too late. Any one's home town could be next, with long-term droughts and dwindling water supplies.



Here's two of our best jack-o-lanterns. Nothing fancy here, folks, but it was fun to light them and turn off the lights for dinner.











'The Best Pumpkin Muffins' from Vegan with a Vengeance. Yes, these are good, and we thought even better with a cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips. But, really, there isn't much that those won't improve! :)








'Winter Squash and Sweet Potato Soup' from "Fresh from the Vegetarian Slow Cooker" is such a delicious soup, and this cookbook is the reason why I LOVE my crockpot. Here's it is before cooking. Six delightfully aromatic hours later, I pureed it, topped with toasted pumpkin seeds from the weekend carving, and served with crusty bread.





I was thinking about Amy's Mexican Casseroles, and wanted to see how close I could get on a homemade vegan version. Here's the ingredients minus some El Paso enchilada sauce.








Here it is out of the oven. The verdict? It was pretty good, and has lots of potential. Next time I'll cut the polenta in thicker slices instead of making a shell and add lots more sauce. It could be better.








'Roasted Carrot Coconut Soup' from La Dolce Vegan! I omitted ginger, lemongrass, corriander seeds, and cilantro and still this soup was plenty flavorful for me. I really like that the recipe yields 2 large or 4 small servings - just enough for me to finish myself during the week. The soup coincided with a giant bag of baby bell peppers from Costco.





I've had the sewing bug lately. I made four Halloween pillow cases using these helpful directions. Next time, I'll make the hem shorter because the case isn't quite long enough to cover the pillows.

I also sewed two baby blankets and 6 matching burp cloths for gifts that I forgot to take photos of. Congratulations to Esther & Elaine!!




I got the idea for these "Giving Thanks" or "Thanks Giving" banners from a Pottery Barn for Kids catalog. It is made from felt and sewing scraps. It was fun to sew, and the girls had fun helping me arrange the letters.








I also finished the anniversary quilt that I began in August. It's a full-sized and the back is completely denim.

Next on the sewing front, I want to refashion some clothes -- make a skirt out of old pants, or make a quilt from worn clothing. I vow to abstain from buying new material. I will use what I have, reuse items as fabric, and get it from a thrift store.


What's the latest on the vegan cookbook scene? These two much-anticipated gems, of course. Veganomicon is the size of a college textbook, and flipped through each page the night it arrived.









'A Hummus Recipe' from Veganomicon made into a pita "sammich" as those brilliant cookbook girls would call it. The hummus is thick, and there are beets and organic baby lettuce to add some crunch. I ate these for about a week. I opted for cumin, and discovered a love match.






'Sweet Potato Lentil Chili' from eat, drink, & be vegan. What a hearty and delicious chili! I love Dreena's flavor combinations. She gives some choices: I opted for coconut oil, green lentils, and black beans. I love the sweet contrast to the spices. I want to make everything in both these cookbooks!


Olivia and I received some exciting news recently....


We entered PeTA's first ever "Cooking with Kids Contest" and we actually won!! I feel so honored.
Fellow bloggers may remember that I posted about this recipe about a year ago, and decided to bring it back for the contest.

We're heading to southern California to spend Thanksgiving with family and we hope to check out some new places to eat... Any suggestions?

The Joy Of VEGAN BAKING

Look what I got in the mail yesterday! The Joy of Vegan Baking by Colleen Patrick-Goudreau. You've seen her column in VegNews, and ask a vegan, plus all sorts of other great accomplishments.

But let's talk about this cookbook! It's thick (287 pages) with full page photos on about every third page. She offers tips, serving suggestions, food lore, and clears up cooking confusion with clear explanations. This is the closest thing I've seen to a vegan baking "Bible" covering the full range. To help us find our way through the 15 chapters of baking options, she also sorts her recipes by ingredient, seasons, and celebrations & occasions.

I'm becoming somewhat of a vegan cookbook collector, and this one definitely deserves a tiara! I'm impressed.


I decided to make the 'Pumpkin Spice Bread' for the girl's snack since we were painting pumpkins and feeling very Fall-ish.

I appreciate her option of using either Ener-G Replacer or ground flaxseed, and I used the later. I used 1/3 ww flour and 2/3 white, which is the balance I seem to prefer. Being out of ground cloves, I subbed pumpkin pie spice. The rest was straight up, and of course I added the optional chocolate chips.


The verdict? Fit for a princess! Delicious. This recipe makes a lot. For me it yielded a full-sized loaf pan and 12 muffins. She recommends making 4 mini loaves to give as gifts, which would be a great treat to share. The girls are eating some of the left-over loaf for breakfast as I type -- and it's awesome the next day, too! I really can't wait to fully explore this cookbook, and at the moment, the book remains open, either in the kitchen or on the nightstand! :)

Thanksgiving

A turkey walnut marked each person's place at the dinner table. (duck & mouse nuts) Our extended families couldn't join us this year, so we invited friends who didn't already have plans. They also had to be willing to experiment with us on several new vegan dishes. Not too many food photos because they didn't turn out well due to poor lighting. I was also in a hurry to just serve the food already and spare our guests waiting for photographs. Anyway, -- this is how it went.





Jeanne's Flaky Pastry
2 1/4 c. Flour
1 tsp. Sea Salt
3/4 c. non-hydrogenated shortening
7 Tbsp. ice water

Combine flour and salt. Cut in 1/2 cup of the shortening until mixture resembles coarse meal. Cut in remaining shortening until mixture is size of large peas. Add ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time -- working the dough with a wooden spoon or your hands -- until particles cling together when pressed into a ball. Cover with a damp towel; let stand several minutes. (This is a good time to prepare your pie filling) Then, divide in half; roll into 2 9-inch pie crusts.

For the apple filling, I pared, cored, & sliced a 1 lb. bag of apples. Combined with 3/4 c. Sugar, 2 Tbsp. arrowroot powder, 1/2 tsp. nutmeg, 1/2 tsp. cinnamon, 1 Tbsp. lemon juice. Bake @ 425* for 50 minutes. When the pie edges are golden, cover with an aluminum ring to protect from burning.

Pumpkin Tofu Pie
1 15 oz organic pureed pumpkin
3/4 c. Sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp. ground ginger
1/4 tsp. ground cloves
1 tsp. nutmeg
3 Tbsp. Arrowroot Powder
1 package silken, firm tofu, cubed
1 9-inch unbaked pie shell

In the processor, blend the pumpkin and sugar. Add salt, spices and arrowroot powder. Then, add tofu, and mix thoroughly. Pour mixture into pie shell. Bake for 15 minutes at 425*, Then lower heat to 350* and bake for an hour. Chill and serve. This pie was a huge hit! :o)

This is 'Curly Kale with Caramelized Onions' from Vegetarian Times, Nov. 2006. This was good, but I'll go back to my regular way next time. We also had 'Best Brussels Sprouts' from Vegan Lunch Box, pg. 261. The name is fitting, and is our new favorite way to eat brussels sprouts -- lightly glazed with sweet & sour. I also made Idaho Mashed Potatoes with plain Silk and Earth Balance. I peeled and chopped the potatoes early in the morning, then put them in the pot and covered with cold water and ice for later. I made 'Old Fashioned Bread Stuffing' from Fresh from the Vegetarian Slow Cooker, pg. 148. This was another success to add to next year's meal. It's great using the crockpot because it frees up hands to work on other parts of the feast.

This is our Tofurkey Roast -- Art added some carrots & onions. He also made Sweet Potatoes, Cranberry Sauce, and a Green Bean Casserole. I was striving for a vegan Thanksgiving, and we came very close. If The Vegan Police had made a surprise visit, they would've tagged us for the marshmallows on top of the sweet potatoes and the whip cream for the pie.

It was a great meal, and we have so much to be thankful for. Happy Thanksgiving!




Left-Overs Pot Pie
2 Tbsp. Olive Oil
1 small onion
1 shallot
2 Stalks Celery
Sea Salt
2 Sweet Potatoes, cubed (optional)
left-over mashed potatoes
Fresh or Frozen Corn
2 Vegan Bouillon
3 c. Water
3 Tbsp. Arrowroot Powder
1/4 c. Fresh Parsley
Puff Pastry Sheet

Heat oil and saute onion, shallot, & celery until translucent. Add sweet potato, corn, bouillon, & water. Cover and bring to a boil, reduce heat an simmer until cooked through. Mix 1/2 c. liquid from mixture and arrowroot powder -- stir back into mixture. Simmer until it thickens. Preheat oven to 425*. Coat with cooking spray and press a layer of left-over mashed potatoes in the bottom of a pie tin. I also added some left-over tofurkey. Then fill with the vegetable mixture. With a pizza cutter, and using the pie tin as a guide, cut a circle from one puff pastry sheet a little larger than the pie tin. Cut air release holes in the top of the pastry and fit on top, crimping the edges. Bake 15 minutes, or until brown and puffy.

Pumpkin Puree & Cookies

I used our longest knife to cut my two pie pumpkins. Then, scraped out the seeds & guts with an ice cream scoop into a colander -- where I could later wash the seeds for roasting.

Preheat the oven to 350* & place the pumpkin, cut side down, on a lightly oiled pan with an inch of water. Tent with foil and cook for about an hour - until very tender.






Let the pumpkin cool a bit before scooping out the flesh into the food processor. Puree the pumpkin with just enough water to keep it moving.


This was the first time I've roasted a pumpkin, and was inspired to do so by Melissa because of this post at Cooking Delights. It was much easier than I thought -- the toughest part was cracking the pumpkin. Next time, I may just drop it on the sidewalk & wash him up before cooking....









I'm so glad I did this because you just can't beat the taste of fresh pumpkin in recipes. Sure, a can of pumpkin is fine in a pinch -- but why not make it fresh and freeze it so that you can have it all year long?

My 2 small pumpkins yielded: a half jar pumpkin seeds, two 1 cup baggies of puree in the freezer, plus enough puree to make a batch of 'Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies' from VwaV, pg. 198.



For these, I skipped the walnuts & flaxseeds, and added extra oatmeal to compensate. They were really good, and I'm planning to make them again for our next road trip because they don't fall apart & are chewy, aren't too sweet, and compared to other cookies - are healthful.

We are looking forward to Art's parents visiting us this week, and I'll have my camera and cookbooks out, but I'll be away from my computer until Saturday. Have a great week, and I look forward to checking in with you!

Pumpkin Muffins

PUMPKIN MUFFINS (veganized from the newspaper)
2 1/2 C. whole wheat Flour
3/4 C. Sugar
1 Tbs. Egg Replacer
1 Tbs. Baking Powder
2 tsp. Cinnamon
1 tsp. Salt
1/4 tsp. Nutmeg
1 1/4 C. Vanilla Silk
1 C. Pumpkin puree
1/3 Canola Oil
2 Tbs. Molasses
1 tsp. Vanilla


1 Preheat oven to 400* F.
2 Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl.
3 Add remaining ingredients & stir until moistened.
4 Divide batter between lined or oiled muffin cups.
5 Bake 15 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Let them cool on a rack a minute or two before serving with Earth Balance or Peanutbutter & Jelly. Art especially enjoyed these muffins and ate several, including day olds -- though he refused a photo op. Dragon-Girl, on the other hand was fine with the camera.....and the muffins.




For me, this recipe yielded 18 muffins, and that's just too many, even for a pumpkin lovin' family. I remembered reading in VwaV to freeze the extra. Just pour batter into liners and put them in the freezer. Once frozen, transfer to a storage container. When you want a fresh muffin, but don't have the time -- just bake one of these! Put in a muffin tin, adding an extra 8-10 minutes to the cooking time. Brilliant idea, Isa! And now, I'm wondering... where's my Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World, Amazon.com? Kindly put it in the mail and nobody will panic - you know the address.

Mr. Pumpkin Head & Pepitas

Here's our first attempt at a pumpkin carving this season. The fun here is in using vegetables to create different facial features -- we used: broccoli for his hair, pea eyebrows, walnut eyes, rutabaga nose, and a corn mouth.

Basic Tips:
Eyes Use a melon baller to carve holes for small vegetables like radishes or okra to sit in. Secure the veggies with skewers or toothpicks.

Nose/ears/neck plugs Slice one side off spherical produce (like eggplants) to increase the amount of surface area that rests flat against the pumpkin; affix the veggies with skewers. (Spritz sliced sides with lemon water to keep them from discoloring.) For a long pepper or rhutabaga nose, carve a hole that's a little smaller than the biggest end of the veggie; secure with skewers.


Mouth To cut out a mouth the exact size of a squared-off corn-cob, first trace its outline on the pumpkin with a water-based marker (which can be wiped right off). A mouth that requires no carving (nor parental help): Draw a smile with the marker, prick holes along the line with a skewer, wipe off the marker, then place whole dried cloves in the holes. We want to try this next....

Hair Use a rubber band to attach parsley or cilantro to the pumpkin stem. Affix green beans or snow peas with skewers. Or, do like us, and just put a bunch of broccoli in his head hole for a curly do. Asparagus makes pretty hair also.

"Not a thing inside there, Mr.Pumpkin. Where'd your corny teeth and seed brains go?"



Little and big fingers alike dug into these roasted pumpkin seeds. Emmy of Vegan Diva is right -- these are easy to roast and a very addicting snack. Just rinse the seeds in a collander until clean. Dry on a towel, and then toss with some canola oil and sea salt. Lay the seeds in a single layer on a rimmed cookie sheet, and bake them in a 250 (or less) degree oven. I checked mine every 10 minutes, and it took a while for them to completely dry out. A couple times, I just turned off the oven and left the pepitas inside for up to 30 minutes to slow cook. Then, if they weren't ready, I'd fire up the oven again. As Emmy suggested, we tested a few along the way to know for sure when they were done. Liv ate what remained from yesterday for breakfast this morning.


This picture reminds me of an old cartoon on Saturday Night Live, Mr. Bill, "Ohhhhhhh Nooooooooo!"

Pumpkin Preservation Tips:
Look for pumpkins with a sturdy stem, this is the sign of a healthy pumpkin. Don't lift the pumpkin by the stem, this can damage the pumpkin and make it age faster.

Put the pumpkin in a wash tub full of cold water, carved side down -- it'll absorb the water and become firm.

After you've carved your pumpkin, wipe vaseline along the cut edges to preserve -- this prevents water from getting out. If your pumpkin does shrivel, resoak it for several hours and even over night. A little unscented clorox bleach in the water will prevent premature molding by killing evil pumpkin germs. Here's a link to WH Foods with some great information about pumpkin seeds.