Pumpkin Black Bean Tacos

Pumpkin Black Bean Tacos
Vegan; 30 minutes or fewer

When I made these, I really wished I would have had some cashew cream made to use as a sour cream and some salsa made. This was kind of a last minute idea, SO next time I make this I'll be more prepared. This takes a new twist on black bean tacos.... I hope you enjoy! I served these with green chili tortillas for extra kick!

1 tablespoon oil
1/4 cup onion (chopped)
2 cloves garlic (chopped)
2 tablespoons chili powder
2 teaspoons cumin (ground)
1 15 oz. can black beans
1/2 cup water
1 teaspoon Mexican oregano
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup pumpkin puree
1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce (chopped) {For less spice, use 1/2 a pepper}
2 tablespoons cilantro (chopped)
6 tortillas


1. Heat the oil in a pan. Add the onion and saute until tender, about 3-5 minutes. Add the garlic and saute until fragrant, about 30-60 seconds.

2. Add the chili powder, and cumin and saute for about a minute. Add the beans, water, oregano, salt and pepper and cook until most water has evaporated.

3. Remove the beans from the heat and mash half of them with a fork. Mix the pumpkin puree, chipotle peppers and cilantro into the black bean mixture.

4. Heat the tortillas and place some of the pumpkin black bean mixture into the tortilla and wrap it.

Top with salsa, shredded Daiya cheese, cashew sour cream etc.

Pumpkin and Apple Sauce

Curried Pumpkin and Apple Sauce
Vegan

This is the sauce that I made to go with the ravioli. Bruce loved it, and no surprise that the boys didn't. Needing to use pumpkin, that has moved from the fridge to the freezer, it takes a starring role in this spicy sauce.

2 Tablespoons low-sodium vegetable broth
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 1/2 teaspoons curry powder (you can use mild or spicy)
1 cup pureed pumpkin
1 sweet apple, peeled, cored and chopped
2 1/2 cups water
pepper, parsley and salt to taste

1. Warm vegetable broth in large pot over low heat. Add onions and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Add curry to onions, and simmer for about 5 more minutes.

2. Add pumpkin, apples, and water to the pot. Cook over medium heat for about 20-30 minutes, or until the apple is soft.

3. Process in a blender to puree the sauce to a smooth consistency.

How To Prepare & Freeze Fresh Pumpkin The Easy Way

How To Prepare & Freeze Fresh Pumpkin The Easy Way

I found this from the Farmers Almanac. Coming home from Hawaii, I had 2 small pumpkins that needed to be processed. Being afraid that they were turning, I followed the steps and it was SO easy! Hopefully this helps you as much as it helped me. I went ahead and pureed all 8 cups of pumpkin, and have been finding lots of recipes for it, let's just hope that I won't get tired of pumpkin.... ~_^

To Prepare Fresh Pumpkin for Baking and Other Uses:
Cut a pumpkin in half and then into fourths.

1. Use a large spoon or scoop to remove the seeds, and set aside (Seeds are edible and nutritious too. Save for roasting.)

2. Place the pumpkin skin-side down in a roasting pan. Add a little water to cover the bottom of the pan and cover.

3. Place in a 300°F oven. The pumpkin will take about 1 hour to bake, unless you are working with a small one.

4. Test the center of the pumpkin for softness with a knife. When the pumpkin is done, it will slice easily. Remove pumpkin from the oven when it's ready and uncover.

5. Allow to cool slightly to the touch. Cut the fleshly part away from the hard outside shell. Chop the fleshy part into 2” to 3” inch chunks.

6. If the pumpkin will be used solely for pies or breads, process the pumpkin cubes in a blender or food processor until smooth.

7. Store pumpkin in the freezer for future use. Freeze in storage containers or pressure-can in pint-canning jars.

To Freeze Fresh Pumpkin

You can enjoy baking your favorite pumpkin pies, pumpkin bread, pudding and pancakes just by freezing your fresh pumpkin. Here’s how:

1. Once the fresh pumpkin has been cooked and processed in a food processor, measure quantities for your favorite pumpkin recipes, usually 1 to 2 cup portions.

2. Measure pumpkin into freezer storage bags.
Label contents, date and quantity and store in freezer until ready to use.

To Defrost Frozen Pumpkin:

Fresh frozen pumpkin defrosts nicely and should be ready to use in only an hour after removing from the freezer. To expedite the thawing process:

1. Rip plastic freezer bag open and place pumpkin on a glass pie pan in the microwave.
Defrost 2 to 3 minutes or until soft.

2. Use defrosted pumpkin for any recipe that calls for pumpkin. It's a great substitute for the canned product.

Pumpkin Burgers

Pumpkin Burgers
Vegan; Makes 6 patties

With all of the pumpkin I still have, I'm finding different recipes for it. I made these last, and they are really good! Since my pumpkin had already been pureed, these didn't take very long to make. I served these with an old favorite, chipotle mayo and Brussels sprouts on the side (recipe will follow).

1 15oz. can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 cup fresh pumpkin puree
egg replacer equivalent to 1 egg
1 red bell pepper, diced
1/4 onion, diced (add more if you like onion)
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon coriander
1/2 teaspoon chili powder (if you like it a little hotter add 1 teaspoon)
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup bread crumbs

1. Saute garlic, onion and red bell pepper, until soft. About 5 minutes.

2. In a food processor, add chickpeas, egg replacer, cumin, chili powder, and coriander. Pulse until smooth.

3. In a large bowl, combine flour, breadcrumbs, chickpea mixture and pumpkin until mixture is stiff enough to from and hold patty shape. In a skillet (I used a little oil to coat the pan) over medium high heat, cook patties until golden brown. About 5 minutes on both side.

Pumpkin Spice Almost-Raw Cheesecake

Pumpkin Spice Almost-Raw Cheesecake
Vegan, Gluten Free, Almost Raw

Getting back from vacation, I was able to finally get to the pumpkins that I thought were going to go bad. Ending up having almost 8 cups of pureed pumpkin, I'll be posting the next few recipes calling for pumpkin. I took this to a potluck on Sunday, and didn't even get a slice since it went SO fast! Adapted from Addicted to Veggies.

Crust:

1 cup Walnuts
1 cup Dates
1 pinch of salt

Filling:

1 cup Cashews (I soaked overnight)
1 cup Macadamia nuts (I soaked overnight)
2 cups fresh/raw pureed Pumpkin Flesh
1/2 cup Coconut Sugar plus 3 heaping Tbsp
1/4 cup Coconut Oil- liquefied
3 Tbsp Lemon Juice
1 tsp Apple Cider Vinegar
1 tsp Vanilla
1 1/2 tsp ground Cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp ground Allspice
1/2 tsp ground Cloves
1/2 tsp Ginger Powder
2 pinches Salt

1. Combine walnuts, dates and a pinch of sea salt in a food processor until finely chopped. Press mixture very compactly into the bottom of a spring-form pan. I used the back of a spoon and my thumb to press the crust down, and it worked perfectly.

2. Take all filling ingredients and blend in food processor until smooth. Just let it go for a few minutes…. the texture should be nice and creamy. (I had to add a little bit of water, so I didn't burn out my food processor motor.)

3. Pour filling on top of crust and spread out until smooth. Cover with foil and freeze overnight. The freezing process will re-harden the coconut oil and set up the cake. After it is frozen you can refrigerate and it will be ready to serve after about one hour. Even though you have to freeze this cake to set it up, it is not a frozen cake… once refrigerated, it takes on an extremely similar texture to a regular old cheesecake.

Smashing Corn Casserole

Smashing Corn Casserole (from Christina Pirello)
Vegan

This truly deluxe casserole is a snap to make and a hit with everyone who has tasted it. It blends the sweet taste of fresh corn, tangy roasted red peppers, rich sesame tahini, sweet squash and the nutritional kick of beans.

1 cup cooked black beans, smashed with a fork
1/3 cup sesame tahini
soy sauce
yellow corn meal
spring or filtered water
2 ears fresh corn, kernels removed
several clean corn husks
1 red pepper, roasted and diced
2 cups (approximately) pureed pumpkin or winter squash
pinch sea salt

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Puree the beans with tahini and season lightly with shoyu. Set aside.

2. Mix corn meal with salt and enough water to make a thick paste. You will need about 1 1/2 cups of this mixture. Fold in corn kernels. Set aside.

3. Line a lightly oiled, deep casserole dish with several clean corn husks, allowing them to hang over the sides a bit.

4. Begin layering (like lasagna) by spreading some corn meal mixture on the husks. Add some of the bean mixture, pureed squash and sprinkle with a bit of the red peppers. Continue layering until the dish is full, but be sure to end with corn meal on the top. Fold the husks over the casserole and press into the topping to hold them in place.

5. Cover and bake for 35 minutes, until firm. Remove the cover and return to oven to brown the top slightly. Serve immediately.

Found: PCRM.org/3sisters