Starting Early

Last year around December, I remember being totally overwhelmed. The holidays snuck up on me at the very last second, and I barely had time to enjoy my holiday baking and relax before all the hustle and bustle began. This year, I don't want that to happen, so I've started early.

My favourite part of the holidays (besides getting time off work!) is the baking. I've baked many holiday treats over the years, and this year I have bunch of new recipes I'd like to use. But while in the past, I've baked edible presents for those I love with tried and tested recipes, this year, I'm branching out. But you can't bake a present with a recipe you haven't tried yet .. am I right?

So I'm taking the next three weeks to test all the new recipes I plan on baking for family and friends. I know ... hard job, but it's gotta get done! ;)

I've started with these little cut-out gingerbread cookies. And let me tell you, the dough is a dream. I usually save roll-out cookies for the holidays specifically because they take a lot of time to make. The dusting, the chilling, the rolling, the chilling again .. It's a labour of love. With these cookies, you still have to dust and chill and all the jazz, but the dough is so easy to use that it takes half the work out of it. It doesn't crack, you don't have to take it out of the fridge 30 minutes before rolling and it doesn't even stick that much to counter, provided you give it just a small dusting of flour when rolling out. They also don't need to be chilled right before baking in order to keep their shape, which makes them perfect for using your cute holiday cookie cutters.

And the dough is delicious -- spicy and deep but not too sweet (making them perfect for decorating with icing and sprinkles!) and since it's vegan, you can snack on it without worrying about eating raw egg. It's also perfect if you have left over pumpkin puree that you're dying to use up.

Bake up a batch and don't forget to share. 'Tis the season!

Vegan Gingerbread Cookies
adapted from That's So Vegan
makes about 3 dozen smallish cookies

1/3 cup of Earth Balance
1/2 cup of brown sugar
1/4 cup of pumpkin puree
1 tablespoon of ground flax
3 tablespoons of molasses
1 teaspoon of baking powder
1 teaspoon of cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon of ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon of nutmeg
1 cup of spelt flour
1.5 cups of all purpose flour
2-3 tablespoons of soy milk as needed

1. In a large mixing bowl, cream the earth balance and sugar until well combined. Add the flax, pumpkin puree and molasses and mix well.

2. Add the baking powder, spices and flour and stir gently. Add soy milk one tablespoon at a time, stirring gently in between, until you get a nice firm dough.

3. Chill your dough for at least an hour, or over night.

4. On a lightly floured surface, working in batches (I divided my dough into 4 batches), roll out the dough to your desired thickness, dusting with flour as needed. Cut out using your favourite cookie cutters and place on a non-stick or parchment-lined baking tray. If you're using sprinkles, press them into the cookies.

5. Bake at 350 for about 10-12 minutes (depending on the thickness). Let them cool completely before adorning with icing.

Pumpkin Everything!

It's that time again when the blog world is flooded with pumpkin posts, and I'm not going to try to be different. Let's go with the flow. Pumpkin everything! Well... I actually used golden hubbard squash for these muffins.  Golden Hubbard Squash everything! No. That doesn't have the same ring to it. Pumpkin everything!

I first came across the golden hubbard squash at the advice of a friend and colleague, whose mom used to make pumpkin pie with hubbard squash because it simply was sweeter and more flavourful than a regular pumpkin. And I can't disagree. Regular pumpkin is perfect for soups and stews, but when I'm baking, the golden hubbard or golden nugget squash is hard to beat.

These muffins are very quick to make, provided that you already have your squash roasted and pureed. In pinch, go ahead and used canned pumpkin puree, but I urge you to give the golden hubbard squash a try, just once this season. You won't be disappointed. A large handful of dried cranberries add a nice burst of tangy flavour. I used fresh Ontario cranberries from the farmer's market when I made these the first time, and they were also lovely. Chopped fresh apple would be a great addition as well. But what makes these muffins special is the pumpkin seed butter. It lends a rich, nutty, hearty flavour to the muffins and combined with the spelt flour and ground flax seeds, you have a protein-packed, energy-filled snack to look forward to in the middle of your day.

The original recipe called for peanut butter which I'm sure is delicious as well, but while I'm a definite peanut butter addict, I would strongly recommend making that trip to the health food store to pick up pumpkin seed butter. The flavour is just too unique to substitute. And despite being vegan, these muffins baked up light and fluffy and held together perfectly.

It's a chilly day out there today which is making me believe all the rumors about winter arriving early. Bake up a batch of these muffins and they will definitely warm up your day.

Vegan Pumpkin Cranberry Muffins
adapted from Crazy for Crust
makes 12 medium-sized muffins

2/3 cup of pureed squash

1/4 cup of brown sugar
1 tablespoon of ground flax + 3 tablespoons of water
1/4 cup of pumpkin seed butter
2 tablespoons of soy milk + 1/2 teaspoon of cider vinegar
1 cup of spelt flour
1/2 teaspoon of baking soda
1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon
1/2 cup of dried cranberries

1. In a large bowl, combine the squash, sugar, flax, water, pumpkin seed butter, soy milk and vinegar. Stir well to combined.

2. Sift in the flour, baking soda and cinnamon. Gently mix until just combined. Stir in the dried cranberries.

3. Spoon the mixture (it will be very thick) into lined muffin tins and bake in at 350 degree oven for about 20 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted comes out clean.

Just in Time

I think the holidays came just in time this year .. just in time to save me from jumping over the edge of a never-ending pile of marking and never looking back. In plain language? It saved me from actually taking a sick day, not because I'm sick, but because I'm sick. I don't have a fever, sore throat or hacking cough. I'm not bogged down by a migraine or nausea. This sick comes from a never-ending fatigue, too much florescent light entering my brain, and hearing negative things said about my profession all day long on the news.

The holidays came just in time to save me from being overwhelmed and bringing that negativity into the classroom -- something the children never deserve to see.  It also came just in time to give me that little bit of extra time to catch up on all the various tasks that need to be done, just so I can probably fall behind again come February.

So in the spirit of things happening just in time, I'm offering you this delicious squash pie, just in time for the holidays. It has a flavourful, easy press-in crust, and a sweet, smooth, spicy filling. And it's vegan! It's also almost healthy, but I'm sure you'll enjoy it, especially if you love squash. Although I love pumpkin anything, this fall, I discovered the a whole new squash world. Hubbards, kobochas, buttecups and ambercups -- all delicious, nutty, and impossibly buttery and sweet. That's the real secret to this pie -- a flavourful squash.  They're all over the markets now, so don't be scared. Just halve it, scoop out the seeds, chunk it up and roast at 350 in an inch of water. About an or so later, you'll have perfect squash, ready to be pureed and baked into something delicious.

The pie comes from two different sources; the crust is from have cake will travel --  always a good source for tasty vegan baked treats -- and the beautiful filling is from post punk kitchen. The inspiration came from a good friend of mine at school whose mom used to use hubbard squash to make squash pie (in the old fashioned way of course, with lots of cream and sugar and a buttery crust). The squash was so beautifully sweetened that it didn't need too much help -- a few spoonfuls of apple butter and a big splash of maple syrup did the trick. The real secret is the teaspoon of agar powder to give it a custardy texture without the use of eggs. A teaspoon is all you need to make this beautiful filling set up like a dream.

This pie would make a beautiful dessert to a wholesome holiday meal, and you don't even have to feel bad eating a piece in the morning for breakfast.

Vegan Squash Pie with Spelt Crust
adapted from have cake will travel and post punk kitchen

Crust:
1/14 cups of spelt flour


2 tablespoons of organic cane sugar
a pinch of salt
1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
1/4 cup of canola oil
2 teaspoons (or more if needed) of almond milk

1. In a bowl, mix together the flour, sugar, salt and cinnamon until well combined. Add the oil and start mixing with a rubber spatula. Add the milk, 1 teaspoon at a time, mixing well in between, until the dough comes together.

2. Press the dough into a 9 inch pie plate. Make the edges fancy if you like. Go for it!

3. Place the dough in the freezer while you make the filling.

Filling:
3 cups of pureed squash
2 tablespoons of apple butter (you could totally skip this if you don't have it)
1/2 cup of almond milk
1/4 cup of maple syrup
2 tablespoons of canola oil
2 tablespoons of corn starch
1 teaspoon of agar powder
1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon of freshly grated nutmeg
a pinch of allspice

1. Mix all the ingredients together in a large bowl with a whisk. Keep going! Get it smooth and well-combined.

2. Pour the squash filling into your crust and bake in a 350 degree oven for about an hour, or until the edges get nice and golden brown, and the middle of the pie is set but still a bit jiggly.

3. Cool, slice and serve.

An Impromtu Thing: close but not quite is good enough for me!

I promised a more seasonal and festive post-- a more thought out and interesting one too, but amidst a super busy time at work, this is the best I can come up with: Pumpkin Pie Bars. Technically, I could have baked it in a pie dish and called it pumpkin pie, but I think they work better as bars. Let's discuss.

My family is traditional in some ways, not so in others. There wasn't a turkey in sight on Thanksgiving weekend; instead there were lots of greasy fried noodles and rice, malaysian style curry and chicken and baby bok choys with soy. My offerings to the gathering were simple: a quinoa and swiss chard stew that turned into more of a salad (recipe coming soon!) and a vegan apple and cranberry crisp (just apples cranberries, a touch of sugar and lemon juice and that beautiful spelt crisp topping), which I thought my parents' old-fashioned guests wouldn't care too much for but surprisingly loved. Let's not talk about my dream Thanksgiving dinner -- it would definitely not include greasy Chinese food. But anyway, my sister mentioned that her beloved would be making pumpkin pie for the gathering, so I resisted the urge to bake up something spicy and cinnamon-y with my mound of roasted pumpkin. Turns out, he didn't have time to make the pie and so Thanksgiving was pumpkin pie-less. Shame on us.



The next day, I kinda craved pumpkin pie. My other half wanted apple crumble -- the old fashioned way, with butter and brown sugar. So I conceded, but I still wanted pumpkin so I thought up a plan. I didn't have enough patience to make a pie crust and I was tired up pumpkin pies that only taste like butter and cinnamon; I wanted to taste pumpkin. What I did was totally impromptu and I wasn't even sure that it would work, but it did. Not quite a pumpkin pie, but close enough for me. The crust is a combination of graham cracker crumbs -- the last that half cup that had been sitting in my cupboard for too long -- spelt flour and canola oil. And the pumpkin custard? Totally experimental. I remembered Michael Smith saying that a bread pudding custard was always standard: 1 egg gets 1/4 cup of brown sugar and 1 cup of milk. I went for that I hoped for the best. Results? Yummy, creamy, spicy and very pumpkin-y. It's a super soft custard and unlike a firmly set pumpkin pie. The crust? Wholesome tasting, nutty, but a bit tough. But it was close enough and I enjoyed each bite.



Pumpkin Pie Bars
with help from Michael Smith

For the Crust:
1/2 cup of graham cracker crumbs
1/2 cup of spelt flour
1/4 cup of canola oil or melted margarine/butter

For the Filling:
1 cup of roasted pumpkin or pumpkin puree (I roasted my pumpkin but didn't bother to puree it.)
1 cup of soy milk
2 tablespoons of maple syrup
1 egg
1/4 cup of brown sugar
a splash of vanilla extract
1 teaspoon of cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon each of allspice and cardamom
a small pinch of nutmeg

1. Make the crust by mixing the oil into the flour and crumbs with a fork. Press it into a square baking pan. Set aside.

2. In a large bowl whisk together all the ingredients for the filling until everything is smooth and combined. Pour it over the crust.

3. Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 50 minutes or until the top gets a nice sugary, glaze-y look and the custard is set. Let it cool, and cut into bars.

Pumpkiny Goodness

Ok, let's be truthful: How many of you use canned goods out of convenience, laziness or thriftiness? No matter how I try to justify the health benefits, I often find myself opening up that can of chickpeas or black beans instead of planning ahead and soaking up some try ones, or turning to canned tomatoes when I need a quick pasta sauce. I'm guilty, and I'm sure a lot of you are as well. We do our best, but sometimes, the can just wins over.

Not this time! And this is serious -- we're talking homemade pumpkin puree! Yup, pumpkin puree. Before this year, I had never really worked with pumpkin too much. I had tried pumpkin pie, but I'd never really got my hands dirty with the seeds, or waited patiently for it to roast in the oven. So, when I saw that the local market was selling little sugar pumpkins at 2 for $1.49, I knew my time with pumpkin was about to begin. And it has been a most delicious journey. After splitting, gutting and roasting the pumpkin in a 350 degree oven with a splash of water, I was left with the most fresh-tasting pumpkiny goodness you could imagine. A quick buzz in the blender and it was good to go. I have made pumpkin loaf, pumpkin and black bean soup ... and these yummy pumpkin cookies. Not only are they chewy, sweet, spicy little packages of autumn, but they're healthy and vegan. What more could you want out of a cookie?



But I warn you: these cookies are not dessert-y. If you're not into cookies packed with seeds, dried fruits and that nuttiness of whole wheat flour, then you're going to be disappointed, because they definitely taste healthy .. in a good way .. in a very very good way. I only made a little tweak to the original recipe to reduce the amount of oil and also replacing the molasses for maple syrup (which I have come into an abundance of just recently). A cookie or two definitely helped to pick up my energy level after a morning of parent-teacher interviews, and the process of baking them helped me to relax and ease into my semi-long weekend. You should go ahead and bake up a batch while we're all still in pumpkin mode.





Fruity Pumpkin Cookies
adapted from Post Punk Kitchen

1/3 cup of fresh or frozen cranberries
splash of water
1/2 cup of pumpkin puree
1/2 cup of brown sugar
1 tablespoon of maple syrup
2 tablespoons of canola oil
1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract
1 cup of whole wheat pastry flour
3/4 cup of large flake oats
1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon of nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon of cardamom
1/4 cup of raisins or dried cranberries
1/4 cup of pumpkin seeds

1. In a small saucepan, cook the cranberries in water until they pop and start to break down. Turn off the heat and smash with a fork.

2. Whisk together the cooked cranberries, pumpkin, sugar, oil, maple syrup and vanilla extract. Sift in the flour and spices and stir.

3. Add the oatmeal, raisins and pumpkin seeds and give it one final mix.

4. Drop spoonfuls of cookie dough on a sheet and bake in a 350 degree oven for 10-15 minutes, or until the tops get a little bit brown. Savour that pumpkiny goodness!