Pumpkin spice and all things I love about Fall.

I'm not sure if I've said this enough....but I. LOVE. FALL. Being born and raised in Arizona I didn't really get to experience seasons. Pretty much just hot, hotter, and mildly hot. It wasn't until attending college in Flagstaff, AZ (NAU represent!) that I got a little taste of the crisp Fall weather I'd heard about. And now that I live in Denver, CO (it's been 3 years now, crazy) Fall has become my favorite time of year. There is something about the brisk air and changing leaves that I really love. I am getting so excited for dresses w/ leggings, boots w/ knee high socks, pea coats and scarves...I have a huge collection. I am hoping to get some thrifting in and add to this seasons collection. Another big reason for my love of Fall is all the pumpkin-y foods and beverages there are to consume. Mmmm. I am dedicating this month, and probably some of November, to all things Fall-y and pumpkin-y. I am so happy I am adding -y to the ends of my words! My bff Maggie ( Blogs "a few of my favorite things" http://frauleinmaggie.blogspot.com/, read it, love it) recently gave me a recipe for pumpkin soup. I made it tonight and it is DELICIOUS!!! Thanks Mags! It's really simple and can be made vegan or non-vegan and modified in many ways.
Maggie's Pumpkin Soup:
1 16oz. Can Pumpkin (or 2 cups if you can only find 32oz cans). NOT pumkin pie filling, that would be gross, save that for the pumpkin cookies I will be writing about below...
2 Bell Peppers (I used one orange, one yellow) roasted, then pureed. I just googled roasting peppers, it's super easy. If you do not roast them just make sure to de-seed and cut out the white parts before blending.
1/2 Cup Cauliflour, steamed then pureed. Optional. You can used other steamed root veggies if you need to add more veggies to your diet or would like a heartier soup.
2 Cups Vegetable stock
Spices to suit- I used garlic powder, onion powder, cumin, chili powder, ground red pepper, ground ginger, Italian seasonings. Any spices to your liking will do (it's all about your preference). I just added a little at a time to taste until I was happy with it.

Blend it all up, heat and your ready to enjoy! I garnished mine with ground pepper and Tofutti sour cream, and served with toasted french bread. This soup is cheap, easy and I'm sure it's going to become a staple in my kitchen :)

I decided to get fancy with the sour cream and make a pumpkin. Stir up a dollup of sour cream until smooth. Then dip the "teeth" of the fork in the sour cream so that just the ends are coated and draw one side of the pumpkin, clean the fork, repeat on the other side and add a stem. It took me a few times to get it thats why it looks a little smudged.

 

Of course I needed something to wash all this wonderful soup down with. Good thing I planned ahead and bought some Blue Moon "Harvest Pumpkin Ale" the other day. Is there anything pumpkin can't do?

Since I was indulging myself in pumkpin goodness, I had to move on to dessert. I found a recipe for vegan pumpkin cookies last year and they were so good I had to bring them back. I followed the recipe exact and they turned out perfectly. That is amazing to me. You have to try them. I took them to my bf's friends Halloween party last year, and they were a big hit. Here is the wonderful recipe: http://vegweb.com/index.php?topic=6672.0. I added "cream cheeze" frosting to mine.
Vegan Cream Cheeze Frosting recipe:
1/4 Cup vegan butter (I use earth balance)
1/4 Cup Toffuti better than cream cheese
2 Cups powdered sugar
1 Teaspoon vanilla

Melt the butter and cream cheese in a bowl. I just use the microwave.
Stir in powdered sugar and vanilla. Keep stirring until smooth.
Rerfidgerate for at least 10 min before putting on cookies, if you can wait that long.
Easy as that!

My growing pile...it makes quite a few batches.

The final product. Topped with a few sprinkles of pumpkin pie spice. I somehow managed to only eat 2! I prefer to share my baked goods with my friends. I have a lot of things planned for this month and next. We'll see how far I get. I have all kinds of projects brewing. Refinishing an end table and breakfast table. Dia de los Muertos paintings. Possibly a hand made Halloween costume. Pumpkin carving. Sewing projects. And of course more pumpkin recipes.

Peace, love and veggies,

Kali