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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Minimally Decorating for Different Seasons

Decorating as a minimalist - or an aspiring minimalist - has been a really interesting challenge to take on over the last few years. For one, I love, love, love seasonal decor! I love buying it, I love making it myself...I even enjoy just looking at all of it in the store (without making a purchase). There’s just something about it that makes me so happy. Perhaps you can relate. Maybe not. For another, I like to switch things up and add new pieces so that there is something new to admire...I foresee it potentially becoming a problem in the future, but not really.

After some practice, and loving the results of having truly minimal, but meaningful decor (and after experiencing the strange satisfaction I get from only having 2 small, organized totes for all of our seasonal decor), I’ve decided to share some of my favorite tips. 

Choose Pieces Carefully

I love having pieces that mean something to us personally. For you, it could be a piece of art that a friend painted or a vase you bought on your honeymoon. It could also just be something that really spoke to you when you laid your eyes upon it. Choose just a few pieces with a story behind them to display. With such depth behind them, you won’t need to have it stand next to anything else, plus they make great conversation starters.

Less is More 

Give your pieces space to breathe. It’s really okay to have some empty space. I find it rather soothing, personally, to have my eyes drawn to small subtle details rather than being overwhelmed by shelves full of decor. Resist the urge to fill an entire shelf - harder to dust that way anyway!

To make it easier, opt for larger items rather than a bunch of smaller ones for the same reason that less is more. It feels less cluttered, and again, the eye is drawn to the large details.

Consider Natural Items

I really enjoy bringing the outdoors inside for a few reasons. Having real plants, vegetables, and other natural elements like pinecones or woods makes me feel calm and welcomed in a space. Natural items are unique, easy to acquire, inexpensive (or even free sometimes!), and you can put them back outside when you’re finished to let them continue their natural course. 

Think About Other Senses

For me, decor is really a minor part of making my home ready for the holiday season. I love the smell of fresh sweet loaves baking in the oven, burning woodsy scented candles (or diffusing woodsy oils!), having the fireplace on, and listening to my holiday playlists (not just Christmas!) are highlights that make my home feel ready for the season. 

Start “Stuff”-less Traditions

Baking and decorating cookies with my family, game and movie nights, singing together, were all highlights of the holiday months growing up (and are still my favorite!). Sure, we also loved decorating with Bing Crosby singing in the background, but it was the feeling that contributed to the holidays too. 

Choose Pieces that Cross Seasons

When I look for decor and textiles, I look for pieces that can cross seasons and holidays. White linens and plates, for example, can be paired with various objects and patterns to fit most any season you may want to decorate for. Vases can be filled with different seasonal foliage. I will admit, however, that I have three different wreaths for the door.

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Are you a minimal decorator? What are some of your tips?

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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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How to Rock and Enjoy Your Staycation

The pandemic has messed up a lot of travel plans across the world, and we have also been directly affected by that. With such a short window in the summer when both of us are free before I need to report back to school, there really was no way to go away for the vacation we had intended. 

I was still determined to have a fantastic summer. The problem was that we needed to have the feeling of actually getting away. Being cooped up in our home for months was difficult especially for J, since I’m a happy homebody. We realize these are totally first world problems, but with everything going on in the last few months, we had really been looking forward to getting away.

Staycation-ing was the only way for us to do things this summer, but it has been pretty good so far. I had a few questions about how we are accomplishing this, so I thought a short blog post on the topic could be fun!

A staycation is a great option when travel is not possible. Maybe you need to save some money, or maybe there is a pandemic and you can’t do any overseas travel. In any case, here are some ideas for your staycation that don’t involve chores. This list is not exhaustive, but I hope that it will trigger some ideas!

Staying Inside:

1. Settle down with a good book

2. Or write a book

3. Light some candles

4. Have a spa day

5. Try a new workout

6. Try a new recipe

7. Hire an in-home chef

8. Board Game night

9. Karaoke night

10. Plan a zero plan day

11. Try a new type of art

12. Do a mat workout outside - or any workout outside!

13. Have a movie marathon

14. Finish a house project, if that’s fun to you

15. Eat breakfast in bed

16. Eat breakfast outside

17. Sleep in and then take a nap

18. Create a staycation playlist

19. Bring your vacation theme home (Luau in the backyard? Mountains of laundry to climb?)

20. Take up a new hobby

21. BBQ everything

22. Rent an inflatable slide!

23. Truly unplug from work!

24. Create a blanket fort in your living room - or any room

25. Learn an instrument or practice one

Spending Time Outside:

1. Visit the closest beach. It could be the ocean, it could be the lake. Just pack your towels, some sunscreen, and spend some time by the water. 

2. Go for a hike or long walk

3. Explore a new trail

4. Go for a picnic

5. Fly a kite

6. Go canoeing or kayaking or paddleboarding

7. Do some gardening

8. Sidewalk chalk it up

9. Build a treehouse

10. Inflatable pool?

Staying Near Home:

1. Go out for ice cream after dinner and walk around

2. Explore a new neighborhood

3. Explore something new in your city

4. Use this anywhere travel guide

5. Pitch a tent in your backyard 

6. Try a new restaurant 

7. Go on a drive

8. Rent a convertible for the day

9. Find a friend with a pool and jump in

10. Check into a hotel in your city

11. Find a fun AirBNB close by

12. Explore a state or national park

13. Find day trips from your city

14. Rent bikes downtown

15. Go to a tourist attraction in your area

16. Do some museum hopping

17. Get a photoshoot done - or do one yourself

18. Set up an outdoor movie theatre

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What would you do to staycation? Let me know!

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