5 Easy Pumpkin Recipes to Try This Fall

When I think of Fall, pumpkins automatically come to mind. You can put pumpkins on your doorstep, on your dining room table, mantle, every shelf….and you can also put pumpkins in a lot of dishes! I’ll be honest, I was not always a huge fan of consuming pumpkins. Especially the soup kind. To this day, I’ve not yet found a pumpkin soup I would crave, but I do like pumpkin in other things! Mainly sweet things, really. Here’s a roundup of the favorite pumpkin recipes here on the blog.

Vegan Pumpkin Spice Loaf

I started with my favorite! I love this pumpkin bread. Not only is it super easy and quick to whip up, but it’s also very delicious. Pumpkin loaf is perfect for sharing with friends and neighbors during the holidays as well. Not to mention it’s gorgeous! This loaf is also very versatile. You can have it plain or include different add-ins such as extra pumpkin seeds, nuts, or even chocolate chips (a personal favorite of mine!).

Apple Pumpkin Crisp

I don’t know what took me so long to add pumpkin to my favorite apple crisp! I’m glad I finally did. This crisp is the perfect fall treat. I am a texture person and love the crisp topping and smooth, hot fruit underneath. Top it with ice cream or whipped cream if you like. I vote that it’s even good for breakfast. Because why not?

Homemade Pumpkin Spice Donuts

These baked donuts are the perfect treat. Whip them up for dessert, or take them to share at your next hayride! I mean, these seem like they’d be great at a hayride with some apple cider, right?

Pumpkin Pie

I love pumpkin pie, and my dear husband loves it even more. This vegan version skips the eggs and heavy cream, but is still so smooth and has the perfect, firm, pumpkin pie texture.

Nut-Free Vegan Pumpkin Pie

Okay, so I kind of cheated and added a second pumpkin pie. However, this one is especially for my nut-free friends of whom I have a lot!

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What do you like making with pumpkin?

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Mujadara (Stovetop and Instant Pot Directions)

A Middle Eastern preparation, Mujadara is essentially spiced rice and lentil topped with crispy, golden fried onion slices. And, it sure is quite an easy to manage dish, both to assemble and to cook. Enjoy it for a quick lunch (or dinner), or an excellent on-the-go packed meal.

It is an amazing preparation! Not only because it requires easy to find ingredients, but also for the flexibility it offers in the ways you can serve or prepare it! Serve it with plain yogurt, or any other spicy sauce such as Sriracha, hot sauce, etc. This dish is gluten-free, nut-free, and if you skip the yogurt it can very well turn into a dairy-free preparation as well!

Mujadara is one such Lebanese dish that is amazing on so many levels. It is nutritionally balanced owing to the presence of rice and lentils, which are great sources of the vital nutrients carbohydrates and proteins. This whole grain (lentils) is also a great source of fiber, iron, B vitamins (including folate, thiamine, vitamin B6, and pantothenic acid), manganese, phosphorus, copper, potassium, magnesium, and zinc. Phew.. incredible, right?

With such an interesting profile, here is how you can prepare this dish for your family and friends for the weeknight get-together!

Mujadara, which literally translates to “pockmarked” in Arabic, it is one of the few Middle Eastern preparations that is also vegetarian.

Mujadara

what you need:

• ½ cup dry basmati or long-grain rice

• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

• 2 bay leaves

• 2 cloves garlic, minced

• ½ cup dry brown lentil, rinsed and drained

• 3 cups water, plus ¼ cup more

• ½ teaspoon salt, plus a pinch more

• Oil, for frying

• 1 large red onion, peeled and sliced

• ½ tablespoon cumin powder

• ½ teaspoon black pepper powder

• 1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped or a parsley sprig for garnish

what to do:

1. Wash, rinse, and drain the rice. Soak it in normal water for about 30 minutes.

2. In a large pot, heat olive oil on medium flame.

3. Add the bay leaves and garlic to the oil and cook for about 30 seconds. You will need to stir it constantly.

4. Stir in the lentils and then pour two cups of water over it. Add ¼ teaspoon salt and bring it to a boil.

5. Cover with the lid and cook the lentil on simmer until the lentil is half cooked. You will have to stir it occasionally and add more water (about an additional ¼ cup) if you feel that it is drying up.

6. Meanwhile, heat oil for frying in a small pan.

7. Deep fry or shallow fry sliced onions on low to medium heat until it turns golden brown in color.

8. Remove the fried onions onto a dry paper cloth and sprinkle a pinch of salt on it. Lightly mix the salt with the fried onions and keep aside for it to crisp.

9. Now, add rice to the boiling lentils.

10. Add the cumin powder, ½ teaspoon salt, black pepper powder, and the remaining water to the lentil and rice mixture.

11. Bring the water to a boil on medium flame and then cook it covered on simmer until the rice is cooked. You will have to stir it occasionally.

12. Serve mujadara with fried onions on top. Garnish with parsley and enjoy!

You can also prepare this dish in an instant pot. Simply use overnight soaked brown lentils and cook it along with the rice to save your cooking time!

If you are not a big fan of instant pots, you must be using a gas stove frequently for your daily cooking requirements. To prepare your meals, a gas stove can also be a great choice as it is a fast cooking medium, helps alter the temperature frequently based on the cooking requirements. For effective gas cooking, you must have the best cooking appliances (categorically pots and pans), which will complement your cooking and give a great result. For this, you should check this article on The Daring Kitchen, where you will find a practical purchase guide for some of the best pots and pans available in the market.

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Ligia loves experiencing new cultures through foods and travels. Her hobby is experimenting with different cuisines. Read more of her recipes at The Daring Kitchen.

Vegan Pumpkin Spice Loaf

I have been working on perfecting this pumpkin spice bread for literal years now. I debated keeping it to myself, but I think everyone needs this deliciousness in their lives - especially when the leaves start changing color and the cool weather rolls in. Every year, I make a bunch of loaves and share them with friends, family, and even neighbors and it is always a hit.

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By now, I’ve experimented with packaging them and baking them all sorts of ways. I’ve tried the cardboard loaf pans you bake them in, I’ve tried mini loaves, I’ve tried tin foil. I’ve tried with a streusel on top, plain, and settled on these pumpkin seeds.

After much trial and error, my favorite way to bake and share is baking them in a 4-cavity mini loaf pan (get one from Amazon here). The packaging is hard to find for this size, but I find that wrapping them up in some parchment or brown paper with twine makes for a seriously adorable way to present. One can even add a tag with a note to personalize them!

The chocolate, nuts, and pumpkin seeds are totally optional. I like to add just a little bit to the bread since I’m the kind of person who takes the chocolate chips out of chocolate chip cookies. Walnuts are a great addition, however, as is some chocolate. You could even put pumpkin seeds in the batter as well as use them for topping if you like! Totally up to you!

Vegan Pumpkin Spiced Loaf

what you need:

Dry Ingredients

• 1 ½ cup flour

• ¼ cup powdered sugar

• 2 ½ tsp baking powder

• ½ tsp baking soda

• ½ tsp salt

• 1 ¾  tsp ground cinnamon

• ¾  tsp ground ginger

• ½ tsp nutmeg

• ¼ tsp cloves (optional)

• 4 TBSP - ¼ cup vegan chocolate chips or chunks (optional)

• 4 TBSP  - ¼ cup walnuts (optional)

• 4 TBSP  - ¼ cup pumpkin seeds (optional)

Wet ingredients

• ¼ cup brown sugar, packed

• 1 ½ cup pumpkin puree (or 1-15 oz. can pumpkin if using canned)

• ½ cup non-dairy milk

• 4 TBSP vegetable oil 

• 1 TBSP maple syrup

• 1 ¼ tsp lemon juice or apple cider vinegar

• Pumpkin seeds and chocolate chips (or chunks) to top (optional)*

what to do:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2. In a large bowl, mix the wet ingredients and brown sugar together (brown sugar, pumpkin puree, non-dairy milk, vegetable oil, maple syrup).

3. In a separate bowl, mix the dry ingredients, EXCLUDING the seeds and chocolate together.

4. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix well.

5. Fold in the nuts and chocolate, if using.

6. Spoon mixture into lightly greased loaf pan.

7. Bake for 40-45 minutes until the loaf passes the toothpick test.

*Note: if using pumpkin seeds/chocolate on top, press them down in the batter a bit before baking
**Note: To make enough mini loaves using a 4-cavity pan (as pictured), double the recipe

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What is your favorite seasonal sweet bread?

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Simple Cabbage Soup (Instant Pot + Stovetop Instructions)

Growing up, we weren’t allowed to drink at the table. Not even a glass of water. We had to drink, like, 20 minutes before we ate or wait until afterward. Something about digestion? No clue. Anyhow, one day, I asked my parents, well, if we can’t drink while we eat, how come we have soup? I honestly still remember the look on their faces, and the stammering that followed. It was great. I feel like if my kids happen to be as cheeky as I was…well, I have a lot of character building that the Lord wants me to go through, haha! But on to the cabbage soup!

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Whenever I think of cabbage soup, I think of Charlie’s mom from Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory making cabbage soup. Or my grandma, or all of the wartime stories one hears. Cabbage soup is great on a budget and is packed with nutrients! Plus, it’s delicious - so I would say it’s a win-win to make this soup.

You can add whatever items you want from your fridge or pantry. I like adding a can of white beans sometimes, and other times, I feel like adding frozen corn. It’s very versatile!

I love making this pot in the Instant Pot (I have the 6qt Duo from Amazon). While it is not much quicker to cook up in the Instant Pot, it definitely cuts down on the amount of time I have to spend minding the stove. It’s just kind of nice to set the pot and be fully engaged with cleaning up or whatever else needs to be done and not checking on the soup or stirring. Plus, the cleanup is fantastically easy with Instant Pot.

Simple Cabbage Soup

what you need:

• 1 large onion, chopped

• 2 carrots, chopped

• 2 stalks celery, chopped

• 4 cloves garlic, minced

• 1/2 head green cabbage, chopped

• 1 tsp chili powder

• 2 tsp parsley

• 1 tsp basil

• 1 TBSP homemade chicken-style seasoning, or store-bought

• 6 cups vegetable broth (try this homemade version!)

• 1 15-oz. can diced tomatoes

• 1 15-oz can white beans - drained and rinsed (optional)

• pinch red pepper flakes

• salt and pepper to taste

• 1 tbsp olive oil

Instant Pot instructions:

1. Set Instant Pot to the saute function. Add olive oil and allow to heat a bit. Add onion and cook for about a minute. Add the minced garlic, celery, and carrots, and cook another minute.

2. Turn the pot off and add chilli powder, parsley, basil, diced tomatoes, beans, vegetable broth, and seasoning.

3. Manually set the pot to pressure cook high 5 minutes.

4. Once the pot is finished, manually release the steam.

5. Stir in cabbage, until slightly wilted. Add red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper to taste.

Stovetop Instructions

1. Heat up olive oil in a large pot. Add onion and cook until soft. Add celery and carrots and cook another 3 minutes, until soft. Add garlic and cook another minute.

2. Add the spices, herbs, and tomatoes and beans, and vegetable broth.

3. Bring soup to a simmer, stirring, about 20 minutes.

4. Add cabbage and mix in until slightly wilted. Add red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper to taste.

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What kinds of soups are your favourite?

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Tofu Kale Scramble

The best part about summer is warm, bright mornings, that are the perfect temperature to eat outside. Breakfast on the deck is definitely something I miss when the cooler months prevent us from doing so. 

One of our favourites is a good scrambled tofu on a slow, Sunday morning. Honestly, Sunday mornings are probably only slow because we tend to sleep in a bit most of them and then take forever making a good breakfast, but slow nonetheless.

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We call our Sunday morning (alright, sometimes we don’t even eat until noon!) breakfasts “good breakfast.” and always go all out whether it’s biscuits and gravy, pancakes, or even this recipe. We love pairing this tofu scramble with fresh potato hash (ooooh, maybe I should share that recipe next!) and sometimes we’ll even splurge with vegan sausage. It’s a great time - especially if fresh orange juice is involved. 

Making it as colourful as possible has become almost a game. Using two types of bell peppers when possible adds an extra colour, as well as this fresh kale that really ups the game. Spinach works well too and is just as delicious. Grape tomatoes add a nice read, and you can use red onion instead of yellow too! Really, you can use whatever you have in your refrigerator and it’ll turn out wonderful, promise. Well, as long as you like tofu. We are huge fans of tofu over here!

Tofu Kale Scramble

what you need:

• 1 block extra-firm tofu, drained and pressed as dry as you can get it

• 1 small yellow onion, diced

• 1 bell pepper your choice (I use half red and half orange to get more color)

• 2 cloves garlic

• ½ tsp turmeric 

• ½ tsp paprika

• 1 tsp garlic powder

• ½ tsp sea salt

• 1 TBSP nutritional yeast flakes

• 2 TBSP low sodium soy sauce (or liquid aminos)

• 1 cup fresh kale

• 1 tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped

• 1 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped (plus more for garnish if you like)

• 1 TBSP oil or vegan butter for cooking

• Salt and pepper to taste

What to do:

1. In a pan, heat your oil. When heated, add onion and cook 1-2 minutes, until soft

2. Add bell peppers and cook 1-2 minutes, until soft

3. Add garlic and cook another minute, until fragrant

4. Add sea salt, turmeric, paprika, garlic powder, nutritional yeast flakes, and soy sauce to vegetables and mix well

5. Crumble tofu on top and then mix well with the vegetables, until tofu is coated

6. Add fresh herbs and kale and mix through, cooking another few minutes, until kale is wilted

7. Add salt and pepper to taste and serve immediately (stays good in the fridge for about two days)

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What is your favourite breakfast/brunch food?

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