So you're feeling in the spirit and buy a pumpkin... now what? There are many possibilities but I am going to show you how to cook your pumpkin and make vegan cookies (actually we should refer to them as circle muffins to correct your expectations) and how to roast the seeds! Let's start with the pumpkin. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Slice your pumpkin in 1/2, scoop out the seeds (save these) and strings (this will be easier to accomplish fully after your pumpkin is baked) and poke some holes through the skin. Use a rimmed baking sheet and put some water in the pan. Place your pumpkins with the skin side up and bake for about an hour. Whenever your pumpkin becomes soft it is done. 

Now, let your pumpkin cool, scoop out the stringy part from the middle and discard, scoop out the rest of the pumpkin and place it in a food processor and process until smooth. (A blender may work here, let me know if you try it with a blender!) Now you have fresh pumpkin! 

Next you're ready to make circle muffins! First I should explain how to make an egg substitute- a flax egg. Every recipe is different but Angela Liddon is who I got the cookie recipe from, and her flax egg is 2 teaspoons ground flaxseed and 2 tablespoons water. You just stir that together and let it sit (I normally toss mine in the fridge) until it is a thick, almost raw egg appearance.

Make your cookies or circle muffins!

Pumpkin Circles

o  1 flax egg

o  1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

o  3/4 cup freshly cooked, pureed pumpkin (or canned)

o  1/2 cup pure maple syrup

o  1 teaspoon cinnamon

o   some chopped nuts (optional)

o  1/2 teaspoon baking powder

o  1/2 teaspoon baking soda

o  1/2 teaspoon allspice

o  1 cup old-fashioned oats

o  1 cup wheat/white organic flour

o  1/2 teaspoon sea salt

Gather your ingredients, preheat your oven to 375 degrees. This recipe will make about 12 cookies, and will bake for about 12 minutes until they are slightly golden brown on the top. Mix your first 4 wet ingredients in a bowl. Now mix the following dry ingredients in a separate bowl. Combine together and stir until just mixed. Then place scoops of dough on a cookie sheet, I line my vegan baking projects with parchment paper so they don’t stick.

While your cookies are baking, you want to simmer your seeds on medium low heat for about 2 hours. Then rinse any extra pumpkin off of them. Lay them on a baking sheet and add about enough olive oil to cover the seeds (it depends on how many you have, but probably around a couple teaspoons) and sprinkle salt to taste. These bake for an hour or so at 250 degrees, and need stirred once or twice during the baking process. When they are golden brown and crunchy, they are done!

Apple Sauce

Applesauce

o  1 bag of apples

o  1-2 cups of water

o  Cinnamon and sugar to taste (optional)

Applesauce is such a nice fall recipe; this one could not be simpler! Basically all you have to do is wash your apples, cut them up, removing the core, and toss them in a pot. You may prefer to remove the peel, although you do not need to remove them if you are leaving it a chunkier consistency. Why miss out on all the vitamins and fiber of an entire apple? So depending on how many apples you have, you may need 1-2 cups of water, cover, bring to a boil on medium high heat and allow apples to cook. It only takes 15-20 minutes so you will need to stir it, smash it, and check on it periodically. Add water if it starts to stick to your pan. If you feel like you have too much water, just allow it to boil off without the lid. As soon as it is the consistency you enjoy, it is ready! I add a dash of cinnamon and if my apples are sweet I find I do not need any sugar, but feel free to add this as well!

Spicy Green Chips

Spicy Green Chips

o  1 large bunch of kale- washed, dried, and torn it into pieces- remove the big stems

o  2 tablespoons of olive oil

o  1 tablespoon chili powder (I use hot or Mexican hot)

o  2 cloves fresh garlic, minced

o  1/2 teaspoon salt, more or less to taste

o  1 teaspoon cumin

o  ½ teaspoon red pepper/ cayenne red/ black pepper

A good friend informed me that “kale chips” do not sound appealing so I spiced up a recipe from Mark’s Daily Apple. A lot of spices make these chips super tasty so use what you have or use this recipe as an excuse to add to your spice collection! After washing it, take your kale and tear it into big pieces, I removed a lot of the big stems. Make sure it is very dry! Make a glaze with your olive oil, chili powder (use hot or Mexican hot if you like spicy food), garlic, salt, cumin, and any variety of pepper you have. Toss the glaze with the kale and spread the kale on a baking sheet or two, with little overlap. Bake for 250 degrees for 30- 40 minutes. You have to stir it around 20 minutes into your baking time. At this point, I was convinced that these would never be chips. With a little patience, continue checking on them until they do not stick to your baking sheet anymore. Then, voilà- spicy green chips!