5 Smashing Pumpkin Recipes from Whole Foods Market

Lover that I am of food and pumpkins, I cannot resist any recipes featuring my favorite cucurbit. While Whole Foods Market’s website has a trove of vegan recipes stressing natural/organic/healthful ingredients, the following do not specifically sport the “vegan” tag. But why let that limit your culinary progress? Here’s how I did these:

• Turkey Pumpkin Chili—Substitute the turkey with mushrooms, tempeh, or your own choice of vegan “meat substitute.”
• Pumpkin Bread Pudding—I used Ener-G Egg Replacer for the eggs, coconut milk for the half-and-half, and coconut cream for the cream. I also tossed in two handfuls of golden and dark raisins. Serve warm with love.
• Pumpkin Chocolate Cake—Just forget the eggs. Sweet and moist and not too high in fat, this cake is a great snack for a fall afternoon.
• Creamy Pumpkin Brown Rice—The aroma of pumpkin cooking into a creamy, risotto-like supper for a drizzly autumn night drives me wild with happiness.
• Pumpkin Streusel Bread—I actually used crushed Cheerios in the topping since I had no walnuts or chestnuts, doubled the apples, and substituted canola oil and Ener-G Egg Replacer for the butter and eggs. Results were irresistible.

But there are even more pumpkin recipes to explore! I haven’t had the time or money to try them yet, so it’s up to you to make these vegan and delicious:

• Pumpkin and Mushroom Pie
• Pumpkin-Cream Cheese Truffles
• Roasted Pumpkin Bisque
• Date and Pecan Pumpkin Squares
• Easy Spiced Pumpkin Cheesecake
• Pumpkin and Millet Muffins
• Pumpkin Apple Pie
• Vegan Pumpkin Pecan Pie is already vegan, how about that.

Gingerbread Pumpkin Pie Cupcakes with Brown Sugar-Spice Pecans

You might not feel proud to serve these unpretty cupcakes to discerning guests. They appear deflated, a heavy mound of sugared pecans atop a soft gingery crust sinking into a creamy pumpkin crevasse. Oh well. You can just bake these for yourself and your friends with bad eyesight. If their tastebuds work, it’s a sweet autumn treat.

For lighter cupcakes (about 200 calories each), skip the pecans and top each cupcake with a dollop of Soyatoo! whipped cream.

Makes 12 cupcakes

Pumpkin pie filling

8 oz (1 cup) pureed pumpkin
6 Tbsp sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1 Tbsp cornstarch
6 oz silken tofu

Gingerbread cupcakes

4 Tbsp Earth Balance margarine
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup molasses
1/2 cup soymilk
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup graham flour
1 1/4 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda

Brown sugar-spice pecan topping

1 cup broken pecans
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup powdered sugar
3 Tbsp Earth Balance margarine
1 Tbsp soymilk
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground allspice

1. Mix all ingredients for pumpkin filling in a blender; set aside.
2. Cream margarine & powdered sugar in large bowl. Add brown sugar, molasses, & soymilk. Mix well.
3. Mix flours, spices, salt, baking powder, & baking soda in medium bowl.
4. Fold flour mixture into liquid mixture until thoroughly moistened (but not too much).
5. Spread about 1 Tbsp of gingerbread batter onto bottom & sides of each of 12 regular muffin cups. Then spoon about 1 1/2 Tbsp of pumpkin filling into each cup. Top with remaining gingerbread batter.
6. Bake in a preheated oven at 350° F for 25-27 min. Let cool completely, at least several hours.
7. To make pecan topping, stir all ingredients together and heat in small saucepan over medium heat until bubbling. Allow to bubble for 3-5 minutes; stir and remove from heat. Let cool about 8 minutes before spooning onto cooled cupcakes.