Vegan Pumpkin Pie

So, the first recipe I decided to make from Urban Vegan is the Punka' Pie (p.160). Yum!


Ingredients:
1 pie crust (I used a 9 inch graham cracker pie crust and I had a lot of filling leftover)

One 14-16oz can of pumpkin puree (unsweetened)
Two 12.3oz boxes Mori-Nu firm tofu
3/4 cup sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt (I omitted)
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon ginger
1/4 teaspoon cloves
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
egg replacer for one egg(I used Ener-G brand egg replacer)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 425F.
Mix all batter ingredients in a food processor until smooth.
Pour into crust. Bake for 15 mins, then lower heat to 350F and bake an additional 35 mins. Top will be golden and perhaps a bit cracked when done.

Note: If I use a premade 9 inch graham cracker crust again, I'll just use one box of Mori-Nu. That would increase the pumpkin to tofu ratio and I might not have so much leftover. :)

New arrival!

My copy of Urban Vegan arrived today!
Oooh ... What will I make first?! I'm so excited!



Order here at Amazon!

New Vegan Product Discovery!

Huzzah! I must admit that I am a big fan of the Kraft Mac & Cheese in a box ... you know ... the flourescent stuff ... yeah. I friggin' love it. So sue me.

Well, while I was perusing the health food store on Saturday, I came across this! YES!

You can also buy online at these sites:
http://edwardandsons.com/pastas.itml
http://www.amazon.com
http://www.veganessentials.com

I had the Cheddar Style Shells & Chreese and it was delicious! I also picked up the Alfredo Style Mac & Chreese, but I haven't tried that yet. I'll post a review when I do. Mmmm.

It can be easy being vegan ...

A lot of people have been asking me about veganism recently and it seems like people just think it's too hard to do. I think it's only hard because we've learned to eat a certain way and you sort of have to rethink that way of eating.

So ... to those people who think "what will I eat?" ... Here are some examples!

Vegan Breakfasts:
♥ Peanut butter and banana on toast
♥ Vegan cereal and a non-dairy milk (like hemp milk, oat milk, rice milk, or almond milk) note: loads of cereals are accidentally vegan - just read the label
♥ Soy yogurt and some granola
♥ Fruit
♥ Oatmeal with maple syrup swirled in
♥ Tofu scramble
♥ Vegan Muffins (I usually make a bunch on Sunday and eat them all week!)
♥ Link to vegan brunch ideas


Vegan Lunches:
♥ Hummus with a pita for dipping and some raw veggies
♥ Salads with no cheese or meat (I love to throw some beans in mine)
♥ Amy's Brand frozen non-dairy meals (great to keep in the freezer at work so it's just there when you need it)
♥ Veggie wrap sandwiches (let your imagination go wild)
♥ Veggie Chinese food (most Chinese food that is vegetarian is also vegan)
♥ Veggie sushi
♥ A veggie burger
♥ Thai food ... Middle Eastern (falafel, baba ganoush, etc) ... Indian ... the list goes on ...

Vegan Dinners, cocktails, and desserts ... See this blog!

Some of my favorite vegan cookbooks are:
Vegan Brunch by Isa Chandra Moskowitz
Veganomicon by Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero
Vegan Fire & Spice by Robin Robertson
Vegan with a Vengeance by Isa Chandra Moskowitz
La Dolce Vegan! by Sarah Kramer
The Garden of Vegan by Sarah Kramer
... and my subscription to Vegetarian Times is always a wonderful source of recipes.

Please comment with your vegan lunch and breakfast ideas!
I'm always looking for new ideas. :)

Why I'm eating vegan 80% of the time now ... aka Books that changed my life ... (I still indulge every once in a while ... I hope to cut that out eventually.)
The China Study by T.Colin Campbell
Diet for a New America by John Robbins
The Food Revolution by John Robbins
Total Health Makeover by Marilu Henner
Thrive: The Vegan Nutrition Guide to Optimal Performance in Sports and Life by Brendan Brazier

Muhammara (Middle Eastern Vegan Roasted Red Pepper Dip)

This recipe is loosely based on the one on p.99 of the cookbook Vegan Fire & Spice.

Ingredients:
16oz jar of roasted red peppers (in water)
15.5oz can red kidney beans (Beans are not usually in Muhammara, but I just threw these in. It's really tasty! Omit if you want.)
3/4 cup walnuts
2 garlic cloves, halved
3 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 small bunch of italian flat leaf parsley

Directions:
Throw all the above ingredients into a food processor and process until smooth.
Enjoy with pita. Mmmm.

Cranberry Orange Nut Muffins (vegan)

Recipe from Vegan Brunch p.162 (These just might be the best muffins I've ever tasted, let alone baked myself!!!)

Ingredients
2 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup fresh orange juice
1/2 cup canola oil
2 tablespoons orange zest
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon pure almond extract

1 1/2 cups fresh cranberries, roughly chopped or pulsed in a food processor
1 cup pecans or walnuts, roughly chopped (i used walnuts)

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 375F. Line muffin tin with paper muffin cups.
In a large mixing bowl, mix together flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Make a well in the center and add orange juice, oil, zest, and extracts.
Mix until all dry ingredients are moistened. Add nuts and cranberries about half way through mixing.
Fill the muffin cups 3/4 of the way full and bake for 23 to 27 minutes, until muffins are lightly browned on top and a toothpick comes out clean.
When cool enough to handle, transfer the muffins to a baking rack to cool completely.
Enjoy warm with some vegan butter. Mmm.

MAKES 12 MUFFINS.

Key Lime Pie (Easy Lowfat Recipe - No eggs!)

Image from: http://www.myrecipes.com/recipes/gallery/0,28548,1728688_1738994_1586296,00.html
(Mine looks exactly like this but I'm a bad photographer! haha.)

1 9-inch graham cracker crust pie shell
1/3 cup cold water
1 envelope unflavored gelatin
4-5 regular limes (or 20-22 key limes)
1 can (14oz.) fat free sweetened condensed milk
1 ½ cups plain fat free yogurt

1. Add water and gelatin to pot, let stand 2 min to soften, cook on low to dissolve, stirring. Remove from heat.
2. Grate 2 tsps zest of lime and squeeze ½ cup juice. Whisk lime zest, juice, condensed milk, and yogurt together in a bowl. Whisk in gelatin mixture.
3. Spoon filling into crust. Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours.

4. Garnish with whipped cream, if desired, before enjoying. Yum!

Nutrition:
235 calories, 7g protein, 42g carbs, 5g fat (1g saturated), 0g fiber, 6mg cholesterol, 185mg sodium

NOTE: I think next time, I'm going to cut this in individual pieces, put a popsicle stick in each one, dip each slice in chocolate, and freeze 'em. MU HA HA Frozen key lime pie, dipped in chocolate, on a stick! Hells yes!