More pumpkin! And the Perfect Muffin Formula

Well, this may be the last of the pumpkin recipes for a while. I am starting to feel a little pumpkin'd out! I already made a soup and a dessert, so I figured it was time for breakfast. I Have heard of a few ways to incorporate pumpkin into breakfast. Oatmeal, smoothies, breads and muffins. I have one cup of pumpkin left, so I get a choice of one of these. I have decided on muffins and maybe if there is a bit left over I will see if can incorporate it into a green smoothie! Maybe I'm not so sick of pumpkin yet.

I am not sure what else I can say... pumpkin is awesome. It is such a versatile vegetable. 


So, muffins... have you ever heard of the perfect muffin formula? Well, you are in for a treat! There are a few of these out there, but they all generally end at the same result. Good muffins. All you need is to have the formula of how much dry and wet ingredients are required to get the right consistency. This is my formula:


Perfect Muffin Formula
Makes 12 muffins

Wet Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup earth balance or oil (butter makes it more cakey, you can use more, but I wouldn't go over 1/2 cup)
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 1 chia egg (1 tsp chia seed and 2 Tbsp water)
• 1 to 1 1/2 cup of choice liquids (flavour): apple sauce, vegan yogurt, sour cream, juice, mashed banana, milk, pumpkin, fruit etc. If you are using a thini liquid like water, use 1 cup, if you are using thicker luiquid, use 1 1/2 cups

The dry ingredients:

• 1-1/2 to 2 cup flour (depending on how much wet ingredients you have)
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 - 1 tsp salt
• Extra dry ingredients: herbs, spices, zest, fruit, nuts, seeds, chocolate etc.

Preheat your oven to 375 F. Get two bowls and mix your wet ingredients and dry ingredients separately. Add the dry into the wet and stir until just combined. It's OK if your batter is lumpy. Next if you are adding chocolate chips, nuts sees etc. Add them last (If you didn't do this, that's OK). Bake for 20 - 25 minutes for muffins. 


*Note: You can make this recipe into a loaf, just bake at 350 F for 50 - 60 minutes.


Here is how I made my muffins:


Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Muffins

• 1/4 cup earth balance
• 1/2 brown sugar
• 1 chia egg (1 tsp chia seed and 2 Tbsp water)
• 1 cup pumpkin
• 3/4 cup milk

• 1 cup flour
• 1/2 cup oat meal
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp all spice
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips

Follow the above instructions. I put the chocolate chips in last and then topped each muffin with a walnut and a little extra brown sugar.

Prepare the wet and dry ingredients..

Add dry to the wet and stir

And.. bake

So next time you want to have some muffins and want to show off that you don't need a recipe, remember this basic formula. Also remember that you want a somewhat thick batter at the end (in between cakes and cookies). If yours is too thick, add a little more milk, too thin? Add a little extra flour. There are no real rules.

Pumpkin Upside Down Cake

It is Thanksgiving and in my family, we don't do much. However my sister's family does.. So I will be crashing their festivities tomorrow and to ensure that they will let me, I decided to break out the big guns and make Pumpkin Upside Down Cake.

Confession, I forgot to add the chia eggs! Otherwise, this cake holds together just fine.

I actually got this recipe from a funeral. It was so good, that I knew I couldn't leave without finding out what this delicious dessert was. Luckily I did get to take it home with me. It is ridiculously easy to make, but I never thought I could have it again because it called for three eggs and evaporated milk. The eggs was not an issue except for that I normally only make recipes with one or two substituted eggs. Evaporated milk is a whole other issue.

Is there a vegan evaporated milk? Can this be done? I had never seen one before, so I did some googling to find out what was out there. Turns out it is pretty easy. Get some soy milk powder and then double the ratio of dry to water.

So with that small obstical out of the way, here it goes. Let's veganize the best pumpkin recipe I have tried!

Pumpkin Upside-Down Cake
*Addapted from some maritimer's recipe

• One 14 Oz (414 ml) can of pure pumkin
• 1 1/2 cups of soy milk
• 3/8 of a cup of instant soy milk powder
• 1 cup of sugar
• 2 tsp chia seeds
• 4 Tbsp water
• 4 tsp pumpkin pie spice
• 1 box of vegan cake mix
• 3/4 cup melted vegan margarine

Pre-heat the oven to 350 F and grease a 9 X 13" cake pan. 

First, make the evaporated milk. Combine the soy milk powder and the soy milk. I used my magic bullet to mix them together, but if you don't have one, just stir it really well until combined. Next, make the chia eggs. Grind the chia seeds in a coffee grinder (or if you have a magic bullet, use it here). Pour in the water and let it sit for a couple minutes. Next whisk or blend in the magic bullet your grinded seeds and the water until it has an eggy consistency.

Like almost all baked goods, mix, pour, bake. So easy!

Now, combine the milk, sugar, pumpkin, egg and spice in a bowl and stir until combined. Pour the mixture into the greased cake pan and distribute it evenly. Now pour the cake mix on top and the top that with the chopped pecans. Lastly, take the melted margarine and pout this all over the cake (as evenly as you can get it. if there is dry cake mix still, that's OK)

Bake it in the oven for 50 - 60 minutes or until it is browned on top. Let it cool for an hour or so before serving. Serve with vegan ice cream or whipped cream.

Ahh... pumpkin bliss in one hour. 90% of that is just sitting around waiting. That is the hardest part.

If this won't allow me to be able to bust in on other people's thanksgiving, I don't know what will!