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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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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Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Muffins

I don’t know if you’ve figured it out yet, but I have a soft spot for any kind of baked good. I will admit that I don’t gravitate toward them as much as I used to, due to taste buds changing and the desire to be more healthy, but if you hand me a muffin, I’ll at least take a bite.

I wanted to add some more nutrition to my original banana chocolate chip muffin recipe, and I’m not sure that I really achieved that since I kept the chocolate chips (you can substitute with nuts to make a nutty banana oatmeal muffin), but they turned out so great that I’m sharing the recipe with you here.

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These muffins are sweetened with banana and maple syrup. I suppose the unsweetened applesauce could naturally add some sweetness too, but you can’t even tell it’s in there.

Make sure to cool these babies completely before eating them - they tend to stick to the paper liner. Alternatively, skip the paper liner completely so you don’t have to worry about that.

I keep these in the fridge and enjoy them with breakfast with a hot cup of tea. Mmm.

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Muffins

What you need:

• 1 large ripe banana, mashed

• 1 cup whole wheat flour

• 1/8 teaspoon salt

• 1/4 cup maple syrup

• 1/8 cup melted coconut oil

• 1 tablespoon ground flax seeds

• 3 tablespoons hot water

• 1 teaspoon natural vanilla extract

• 1/2 cup rolled oats

• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

• 1/4 cup chocolate chips (or chopped nuts of your choice)

• 1/8 cup almond milk

• 1/2 cup applesauce (I’ve also had great success with plain soy yogurt)

• extra chocolate chips/nuts and oats to top (optional)

what to do:

1. Grease or add liners to a cupcake or muffin tin and preheat the oven to 350ºF

2. Make flaxseed egg by mixing the ground flax and hot water in a bowl and let sit

3. Mix your dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl

4. Mash the banana and mix the wet ingredients in a smaller bowl

5. Add wet ingredient mixture to the dry ingredients and stir until well mixed

6. Fill pan cavities and top with extra chocolate chips and rolled oats if desired

7. Bake for 25 minutes, until a nice golden brown

8. Remove from oven and transfer muffins to a wire rack (I use these from Amazon and love them!) and cool completely before enjoying (if they are not cooled completely, they tend to stick to the paper liner if you used one)

Store these in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three days.

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What do you like adding to your muffins?

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Easy DIY Vegetable Broth

Over the last few years, I’ve been getting closer and closer to near-o waste. Not quite zero, but almost there. Vegetable broth was one of the easiest switch ever! Not only did it cut down on vegetable scrap waste, it cut down on the waste produced by buying tetra packs of vegetable broth.

It is so simple! It took me forever to get this onto the blog, but today is the day.

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The key to this broth is your collection of vegetable scraps. I collect these over time and keep them in my freezer. It’s simple: onion ends, carrot peels, celery ends, you name it. I make sure to clean everything well before peeling or adding. Sometimes I’ll add vegetables that are starting to wilt to my collection if I won’t be able to use them in time. I stick these scraps in a jar or in a baggie and keep them in the freezer until I am ready for them.

I whip up this broth in my Instant Pot, but it’s just as easy to do it on the stovetop or in your slow cooker as well.

Once the broth is made, it will stay good in your fridge for a few days or in the freezer for 6 months. I prefer the latter, by the way. Just requires some planning when you’re ready to use it. If I want to use it, I’ll stick it into the fridge overnight and it’s ready for me the next day!

I really enjoy being able to make my own pantry staples and knowing exactly what goes into what we eat!

Some recipes that use vegetable broth:

• Easy Enchilada Sauce

• Vegan Corn Chowder

• Poor Man’s Lentil Soup

• Spinach & Artichoke Flatbread

Easy DIY Vegetable Broth

What you need:

• Large onion, in large chunks with papery skin still on

• 3 carrots, scrubbed, skins still on

• 3 stalks celery, scrubbed, leaves still on

• 8 cloves garlic, crushed

• 2-3 cups veggie scraps

• 1 TBSP parsley (dried or fresh)

• 1 TBSP thyme (dried or fresh)

• 6 springs fresh rosemary (optional)

• 3 bay leaves

• 2 tsp sea salt

• 10 cups water

Instant Pot Instructions

Add everything to the instant pot insert. Set on manual high pressure for 30 minutes and release steam manually. (Continued below in bold print)

Stovetop Instructions

Add everything to a large stockpot and allow to simmer at least 1 hour. (Continued below in bold print)

Slow Cooker Instructions

Add everything to the pot insert and cook on high for at least 5 hours. (Continued below in bold print)

Allow broth to cool. Once cooled, run through a fine sieve and store in large jars or containers.

PS: Another great way to use food scraps like citrus is making an all-purpose cleaner!

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What kinds of pantry staples do you make from scratch? How do you cut down on food waste?

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Vegan New York Style Cheesecake

I definitely have a thing for cheesecake. It started way back in high school, and never really went away. In fact, a few of my friends and I have a tradition that whenever we’re together, we eat cheesecake. While it’s sad I don’t see them often, maybe it’s a positive thing.

Since I quit dairy, it was hard to find a substitute for the decadent dessert. Somehow, even though they’re tasty, the frozen varieties never really hit the spot.

This cheesecake, however, does it for me. And it’s husband approved - which is huge, considering he is even more of a cheesecake fan than I am!

The base of this cheesecake is cashews and vegan cream cheese (I’m sorry, nut sensitive friends!). I’ve also tried it with silken tofu, but somehow I like the texture the cream cheese gets. The arrowroot powder adds to the firmness of the cake. You also are in control of how tart you want it. I’ve tested this particular recipe with both as little as 3 TBSP of lemon juice and as much as a 1/4 cup of the liquid lip pucker.

I chose not to put the strawberries on top of the entire cheesecake, as we have a non-fan of the fruit living under the roof. Considering there is only one other human living in our house besides me, I’ll let you guess who that could possibly be.

You could make any type of fruit topping. In fact, get creative! And then let me know what combinations you like best! I’ve made strawberry and blueberry so far. I can’t wait to experiment with more flavors (and I’ve even made a galactic version of this for a space-themed birthday party which was a hit.

This is seriously the best basic cheesecake.

Vegan New York Style Cheesecake

For the Crust:

• 2 cups graham crackers

• ¾ cup melted coconut oil or vegan butter

• ¼ cup maple syrup or agave

• Pinch sea salt

For the Filling:

• 8oz vegan cream cheese (I used Tofutti brand)

• 1 cup refrigerated coconut cream

• 1 cup raw cashews, soaked in hot water for 30 minutes

• 1 tbsp arrowroot powder (get it from Amazon here)

• ¼ c fresh lemon juice

• ¼ c Maple syrup

• 1 tsp Vanilla extract

• Pinch salt

For the Strawberry Topping:

• 1 container (16 oz) of fresh strawberries, diced and a few just halved

• cane sugar

• lemon juice

• 1 tbsp arrowroot powder mixed in 2 tbsp water

what to do:

1) Preheat the oven to 350ºF

2) Prepare the crust by combining all the the ingredients in a bowl. Mix well and then press into the pie pan.

3) Bake the crust for 8 minutes, until browned. Set aside to cool.

4) While the crust cools, combine all of the filing ingredients into a high speed blender or food processor. Blend until a smooth mixture with no cashew chunks, scraping down the sides as deeded.

5) Pour mixture into cooled pie crust and smooth the top with a spatula.

6) Bake 40 minutes - top will be slightly browned.

7) Allow to cool completely.

8) While cake is cooling, make your fruit topping.

9) Make topping by adding the diced strawberries, sugar, and lemon juice into a small saucepan and bring to a simmer. Simmer for 10 minutes - the strawberries will break down. Make the arrowroot powder slurry and add it to the saucepan. Stir until the sauce is thickened. Add the halved strawberries and toss to coat. Cool before serving over the cheesecake.

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Do you like cheesecake? What is your favorite topping? Let me know below!

Trying this recipe? Don’t forget to tag #MapleAlps so we can see what you’re up to! :)

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