Pumpkin-Nog Pie | vegan, oil-free, gluten-free

I know Thanksgiving has come and gone, and I’m sorry for not getting this recipe up before then, but hopefully some of you are looking for just the right vegan pumpkin pie recipe for the Christmas holiday.  PumpkinPie2014I’ve been “scolded” by readers in the past for not having a pumpkin pie recipe on my blog.  Oops.  I’ve been making vegan pumpkin pies for years but have never been 100% satisfied with them.  Flavor is always yummy – pretty hard to screw that up, but the texture is where I felt improvement could be made and until I made it, I didn’t want to share a recipe.  Vegan pumpkin pies, or those not using sweetened condensed milk, often come out too soft for my liking. I like a firm pumpkin pie and this pie fits the bill.  In fact, it’s so firm that you don’t need crust at all! You can bake it directly in a pie plate! So, if you like a gooey, mushy pumpkin pie, don’t make this one!  I also ADORE non-dairy, eggless eggnog (i.e. soy nog), and have combined the yummy pumpkin with it in this pie.

For Thanksgiving this year, I created a gingerbread crust for this pie at the request of my daughter.  The crust was yummy, however, combined with this already spiced pie, it was a bit overpowering.  My suggestion for this pie filling is to use it with a mild flavored crust.  You can buy a pre-made plain wheat crust, or make your own, of course.  I really despise working with dough – makes me anxious – which is partly why I was happy to create a crust made from oats, dates, walnuts, etc.  Fatfreevegan.com has a yummy Oatmeal Cookie Crust that would work well too.

Also, if you don’t like eggnog, feel free to substitute any other type of nondairy milk.

Delectable Mushroom Soup | vegan, oil-free, gluten-free

MushroomSoup1txtDelectable was the word used by my sister to describe her feelings on this soup, so I figured I’d call it just that – Delectable Mushroom Soup.  Much more fun than plain old Mushroom Soup.  And honestly people, not to toot my own horn or anything but it really is delectable.  I got lucky with this one, for sure.  I had a ton of cremini and chanterelle mushrooms (thanks to Costco) and realized I’d never made a creamy mushroom soup before, and it sounded really good to me.  I was hopeful the recipe would work out so I made copious notes as I went along.  So glad I did.  The best part?  It’s EASY to make!

This soup is rich and creamy but not overly fattening.  I used only 1/3 cup raw cashews which adds fat of course, but not too much.  The items I used for garnish are optional and do add a small amount of fat.  I grated a very small amount of Miyoko’s killer Smoked Farmhouse “cheese”, and a few drops of truffle oil on top of the fresh chives. Deliciously delectable.  🙂

 

Summer Fruit Cobbler

Summer Fruit Cobbler. Vegan. Oil-free. Gluten-free*

A fruit cobbler is one of my favorite desserts.  I take it or apple pie over something chocolatey any day! We were having company and I wanted a dessert that would be nice for a chilly evening, and that incorporated seasonal fruit.  Most fruit crisps are loaded with fat and lots of sugar, but not this one! The only fat is naturally occurring in the oat flour.  No added oils or butter.  I used peaches, mango and blueberries and they tasted wonderful together, all warm and saucy.  For an extra special treat, serve warm with non-dairy ice cream.  🙂

*gluten-free if using certified gluten-free oat flour.

Zesty Potato-Corn Chowder

Fresh corn would have made this thick, chunky chowder even better but I was unable to find organic.  Corn is one of those items I always buy organic due to the possibility of GMO’s.  A very small portion of domestic sweet corn in the produce section is actually GMO, but since it’s not the law for it to be labeled (lame), it’s better to err on the side of caution.  Most of the GMO corn is used in processed foods (aka JUNK) and animal feed – just another reason to stay away from that crap and eat WHOLE plant foods!

Anyway, I digress.  This soup is delicious….and even better the next day.  For more intense and “zesty” flavor, add more cumin and chili powder, and use medium or hot green chiles – I used mild.  Jalapeños would be good here too, but as I’ve said before, I’m a spice wimp.  I used 2 teaspoons of chili powder and found it to be a bit too spicy, though the fam disagreed (told ya…wimp).  One of the two teaspoons was chipotle chili powder since I love that smoky flavor.  In one of the pictures below you will see something green in the chowder.  I stirred in some steamed kale and it was super yummy.

Update 9/26/13: I made this without the cashews (accidentally) and it was every bit as creamy and delicious.  So, I’ve changed the ingredient above to OPTIONAL.  

Peach Crisp

I needed to make a dessert for company recently and I knew I wanted something sort of summery, but warm since evenings are still cool here.  Wasn’t in the mood for cake, pie or the Chocolate-Banana Muffin Cakes I always make.  I decided a peach crisp was definitely in order since peaches are abundant and delicious right now.  Unfortunately, most recipes for any kind of crisp are laden with sugar and butter. This version does contain some Earth Balance, so it’s best for special occasions, but it’s definitely less fattening than standard recipes – and every bit as good!