Vegan Pumpkin Cheesecake

Since Halloween is right around the corner I think it's okay to keep piling on the pumpkin themed recipes. Especially when I found the most adorable little pumpkin for a dollar, just crying out to be roasted and made into pie. Last night was the windiest one I can ever remember, but since I was hiding away in my apartment, I didn't see too much of the storm. So much to be grateful for, my power didn't go out, and since there's no trees around my condo that wasn't a worry either. On the second hand I don't know if the no tree thing is great or awful, but it worked for last night! My heart goes out to all the people who are affected by Sandy, I can't believe the photos that keep popping up on Instagram and twitter. A strange age we live in now where the most up to date and reliable news sources are social media, no?

I made a raw cheesecake for the first time last week, and was so in love with it I thought it could only be improved with pumpkin thrown in to the mix. And a spooky topping for the holiday! My spider web looks a little like the spider making it may have had a few too many, but we're not judging it. This cheesecake's almost raw, but I don't think raw pumpkin would taste too great, which is why it's roasted. You can sub canned pumpkin for the roasted chunks, I think the ratio would be about 1 cup of puree, but I'm not positive since I haven't tried it.

In most raw crusts dates are the usual, but raisins are a little more affordable, taste great, and work fine for sticking the crust together. A little water is needed to get it to stick, since they're usually a bit drier.

Vegan Pumpkin Cheesecake

Crust:
1 cup almonds
1 cup raisins
1/2-1 tablespoon water
Dash of cinnamon and cloves
Pinch of salt

Cheesecake
1 cup roasted pumpkin cubes(roast a seeded pumpkin for about 35-40 mins, remove skin and cut into pieces)
1 1/2 cups soaked cashews(at least 5 hours)
juice from 1 lemon
1/3 cup coconut oil, melted
1/6 cup maple syrup
1/6 cup agave(or other liquid sweetener)
1 tsp vanilla

1/3 cup chocolate chips
1 tablespoon coconut oil

Blend crust ingredients in a food processor til fine and they start to stick together. If it's not sticking, add water a little at a time. You don't want it to be mushy, just until it starts to clump. Press into a springform pan, and let set in the fridge.

Blend cheesecake ingredients(except for pumpkin) in a blender until super smooth. Remove 1/3 of the mixture and set aside. Add in pumpkin and blend again. Pour into crust, and let set in the fridge while you're making the topping.

For the topping, melt the chocolate chips and coconut oil together. Cover the cheesecake in the rest of the filling mixture, then draw circles onto the cheesecake like a bulls eye. Run a knife through from the outside to the middle to create the pattern.

Leave in the freezer for 2 hours to let set, remove 30 mins before serving.

Pumpkin Maple Granola

I've almost run out of pumpkin in my house. I realized when making this that I've never tried making home made granola before, and then I was embarrassed at how easy it was. But after that I was too busy to be concerned about that, and instead took to topping this on everything. Eating it on it's own straight as well. Then I remembered that the grocery store sells this stuff for $13 a measly bag. That was followed by thoughts of maybe I'm missing out my chance to be a multi millionaire because I'm not selling overpriced granola. It's never too late. I'm quitting my job and going to start hawking this stuff instead.

This is a little less sweet than most granolas, but if you like it sweeter just add more maple syrup. Agave and honey are good as well, but I'm Canadian and since the stuff comes out of taps, I might as well use it. You could sub the almonds for walnuts too. The hemp seeds provide a nice extra protein kick, plus some healthy fats.

Pumpkin Maple Granola
2 1/2 cups rolled oats
1/4 cup pumpkin puree
1/2 cup maple syrup
1/2 tsp cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, ginger
1 tsp vanilla
pinch of salt
1/2 cup chopped almonds
1/4 cup hemp seeds
3 tablespoons coconut oil, melted

Mix all the ingredients in a bowl til evenly coated. Spread flat on a baking sheet and bake at 350 for 20ish minutes, it's okay if it comes out a little soft since it firms up on cooling.

Pumpkin Pudding with Maple Cream and Granola

Sometimes things are greater than the sum of their parts.

People changing the world.

Chocolate and almonds.

This recipe.

The pudding's good on it's own, and so it the granola, but when you combine them all together something amazing happens. It's ridiculously easy as well, which makes it all the more worthwhile.

You can used canned pumpkin, but I'd really recommend trying, at least once, roasting your own. Tis the season after all, you can buy canned pumpkin whenever you want. The real deal only comes around once a year! For directions on how to roast a pumpkin, go here.

Pumpkin Pudding with Maple Cream and Granola

Pumpkin Pudding
2 cups pumpkin puree
1/2 small banana
3 tablespoons maple syrup
1/2 cup almond milk
2 tablespoons chia seeds
1-2 packets of stevia(to taste)
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp cloves, nutmeg, ginger

Blend pumpkin, banana, chia seeds, maple syrup, almond milk, and stevia in a blender til smooth. Add in the spices and blend til incorporated, let set in the fridge for about an hour.

Maple Cream
1 cup vegan whipped cream
2 tablespoons maple syrup

Stir maple syrup into whipped cream.

Maple Almond Granola
1 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup chopped almonds
1/4 cup maple syrup
2 tablespoons coconut oil
1/2 tsp cinnamon

Stir everything together, and bake for 12 minutes in the oven at 350, or until slightly crispy.


Serve pumpkin pudding with a dollop of maple cream and a sprinkle of granola on top!

Pumpkin Pudding Oats

Chocolate Protein Oats are still my favorite breakfast, but they've been fall-i-fied now by the addition of pumpkin. Protein, carbs, fibre, and deliciousness all in one bowl! They're extra good with chopped apple on top, tons of cinnamon, and maybe a dollop of vegan whipped cream....

Yeah you can use canned pumpkin I guess. But this is so so so much better if you roast your own pumpkins. Which is way easier than it sounds. Canned food freaks me out.

Make sure you purchase Sugar Pie Pumpkins, the little tiny ones. They're sweeter, and the flesh is more tender. Leave the giant monsters for hacking at later.

To roast them, chop the pumpkin in half, removing the stem. Scoop out all those seeds in the middle, and save them for later. Place cut side down on a baking sheet, and bake for about 45-50 minutes at 350. They're done when you can poke them easily with a fork, and the skin comes away easily.

Peel off the skin, then chop the pumpkin into smaller pieces. Toss those in a blender and blend until smooth. Voila! Told you it was easy.

As a side note, the 'pumpkin' that you purchase in cans is not actually all pumpkin. It's a mixture of a couple types of squashes, including hubbard and butternut. Weird, no? So now your pumpkin baked goods can actually be real pumpkin!

Pumpkin Pudding Oats

1/2 cup quick cooking oats
3/4 cup almond milk
1 scoop protein powder
1/4 cup pumpkin puree

Mix oats and protein powder together, then add almond milk. Stir til combined, then add pumpkin and stir some more. Top with a chopped apple and cinnamon!