the acffh morST cyber-blog is here now.

HAPPY NEW YEAR'S PUMPKIN!

In honor of the coming of 2007 I present two nice recipes for vegan pumpkin pie!



POWER TO THE PUMPKIN! PUMPKIN FOR THE PEOPLE!

;-)

Vegan Pumpkin Pie

=--=-==--==-=--=-=-==-=--==-=-=--=-=-=
http://www.boutell.com/vegetarian/pumpkin-pie.html
Ingredients:

* 1 350-g box of silken firm tofu, drained
* 1 heaping cup of cooked or canned pumpkin
* 1 to 1 1/4 cups brown or golden sugar, not packed tight (read this first)
* dash salt
* 4 teaspoons blended "pumpkin pie spice" OR:
o 1 teaspoons cinnamon
o 1/2 teaspoon ground dry ginger
o 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
o 1/2 teaspoon allspice
o 1 teaspoons nutmeg
* 1 pie crust

Method:

Heat oven to 375 degrees F. Blend the tofu in a food processor or with a blender until smooth and cream-like, for about four minutes. Stop the machine every once in a while to scrape large pieces of tofu down into the machine's blades. Add the cooked pumpkin and blend some more, again stopping the machine and scraping the mixture down. The result should be a light orange-colored paste with no lumps of tofu.

Put the paste into a large mixing bowl and add the sugar, salt, and spices. Mix well and spoon it into the pie crust; decorate with cheerful shapes of leftover crust, if desired. Bake 30 to 40 minutes or until the crusts are dark brown (but not burned).

Serve warm or chilled, plain or topped with whipped cream or ice cream.
Notes:

This pie takes about two hours to prepare, depending on how you budget your time preparing all the ingredients, and whether you have pie crust and cooked pumpkin available.

A single good-sized sugar pie pumpkin will usually yield enough material for two pies: the recipe doubles easily.

The pie refrigerates and freezes well.
-==-=--==--==--==-=--=-=-=-==--=-==-=-=--=-=-=-=-=

http://www.tazarat.com/results.asp?id=33

1 unbaked 9" pie shell
3/4 lb. firm tofu
1 (16 oz.) can pumpkin puree or
2 cups fresh-cooked pumpkin
1 cup Sucanat or brown sugar
2 Tbsp. oil
2 Tbsp. molasses
1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. salt
3/4 tsp. ginger powder
1/2 tsp. nutmeg

Blend all ingredients in a food processor until very well mixed. Pour into the pie shell and bake for 1 hour in a preheated, 350-degree oven for 1 hour, or until cracks start to appear in the filling. Chill for at least 2-3 hours before serving. Serve with Whipped Tofu Topping for a decadent finish.

For best results, use fresh pumpkin - it will vastly improve the flavor and make the texture more interesting.

Directions for cooking pumpkin: Cut a 2-3 pound sugar pie pumpkin in half, lengthwise. Remove seeds and stringy mess from the inner cavity. Place on a cookie sheet or baking pan which has sides, or you may end up with pumpkin juice on the bottom of your oven.

Bake at 350-375 for as long as necessary. A fork should pierce the flesh easily. This can take from 40 minutes to over an hour, depending on the pumpkin's size. When fully cooked, remove from oven and let cool before handling. Scoop flesh away from skin and use immediately or refridgerate. Leftovers can be used for pumpkin muffins or pumpkin puree soup (no I don't have a recipe, sorry).

Pumpkin seeds can be cleaned and placed on a piece of foil to be baked in the oven. Add a liberal amount of salt and bake at a lower temperature - 300 degrees, until seeds start to brown. You may need to mix them a bit during cooking to ensure they don't burn.