Pumpkin pie smoothie bowl

As you can see from previous blog posts I'm a little obsessed with pumpkin pie - I think it's the mix of the spicy, creamy and sweet that gets all my taste buds tingling.

Now obviously we can't have pumpkin pie for breakfast (well, not every day anyway) so as I had some Libby's pumpkin cans in my cupboard I thought I'd experiment with a pumpkin pie smoothie bowl. And it was so good. And quick. It's definitely going to be the bridge between my summer smoothies and wintery porridge bowls.

Ingredients:

100g tinned pumpkin (1/4 of a can)
300ml almond milk (or any other milk of choice)
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
sprinkling of ground ginger
a drop of vanilla essence
1 tbsp chia seeds (this makes it nice and thick and more smoothie bowl than smoothie)
1/4 scoop of chocolate protein powder (I just used this for the sweetener but you could use 1/2 tsp of stevia or add more protein powder for a bigger protein boost)
Cacao nibs and dessicated coconut to sprinkle on top

Blitz all the ingredients in a nutri-bullet or high powered blender for around 30 seconds.

Curried pumpkin and lentil soup

Ingredients:

1/2 pumpkin, roasted

100g cooked red lentils

1 onion, diced

1 celery stick, chopped

1/2 tbsp coconut oil

2 tbsp coconut milk

1 tbsp green thai curry paste

500ml vegetable stock

Method:

Cut a medium sized pumpkin, cut in half,  de-seed and cut into large slices. Roast in the oven at around 180 degrees C for around 30 minutes, or until tender and starting to caramelise. Remove from oven, cool and scoop flesh away from the skin. 

In the meantime cook lentils until tender according to instructions on packet. Drain. 

In a large saucepan, melt the coconut oil and add the onion, celery and curry paste. Sweat for around 5 minutes. Then add the rest of the ingredients and simmer over a low heat for around 20 minutes. Blend, add salt and pepper to taste and serve with fresh coriander. 

Pumpkin cheesecake

When I worked at an American company, every Thanksgiving a colleague of mine would bring in the most amazing pumpkin chiffon pie. But at our vegan supper club last night we wanted to try out a vegan version without all the refined sugar and raw eggs! I think we got pretty close and I'll definitely be making this again.
Super-holistic chef Nic treated us to another perfect meal - a gorgeous Beet Bourguignon with sweet potato and celeriac mash for our first course, followed by this delicious alternative to the typical sickly-sweet Pumpkin pie.

Ingredients:

Base:

2 cups of porridge oats
1 cup of walnuts
2 tbsp coconut oil
1 cup of dates (destoned), soaked in boiling water for a few minutes

Blitz together and press into a spring form cake tin. Freeze.

Topping:

One can of pumpkin puree
1 cup (around 125g) cashews, soaked in boiling water for an hour
1 1/2 tsp chai spice (or allspice)
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
2 tbsp coconut oil
3 tbsp maple syrup

Soak the cashews for an hour and then drain. In a high powered food processor blend the cashew with a little water and then add the pumpkin. Slowly add the syrup and the rest of the ingredients, blending together until you have a smooth consistency. Pour on the mix on top of the frozen base and freeze for around an hour. When ready to serve, leave to thaw for around 20 minutes and serve with a spoonful of coconut milk.

If you want a lighter crust that's more like a pie you could also try using a gluten-free flour and vegan margarine, or simply buy a ready made pie crust!