A post-Thanksgiving Recipe: Vegan Pumpkin Spice Brownies

Despite not having posted about my Ukrainian attempt at Turkey Day, I don't want to wait too long before posting some of my new recipes. I will post about preparing an American Thanksgiving in Ukraine, but in the next post, which I'll put up this weekend.

One thing I'll share now, however, is that I had a lot of extra roasted squash-yam puree. Not wanting to over-satiate Rick and my hunger for the seasonal classic, Pumpkin Pie, I decided to use the extra puree for a vegan dessert, one without any animal-derived products. Now many different fruits and vegetables can substitute eggs and animal fats for vegan baking. Bananas and prune juice are some very popular choices, but can leave a particular flavour. My mother first suggested pumpkin for baking, and now I use it in almost everything because, as it cooks, it becomes relatively flavourless, but retains its creamy texture.

So, if your looking for something rich and tasty, but low in animal fats, try baking with pumpkin. By leaving out the pumpkin pie spices, you can make a rich, universal chocolate cake batter. So, have your cake (and cartenoids) and eat them, too!

Vegan Pumpkin Spice Brownies

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from the kitchen of Kimberly Joki-DeLong

Makes about 12 brownies

Nutrition: 124 calories ◦ 20g carbohydrates

◦ 5g sugar ◦ 4g fiber ◦ 3g protein ◦ 5g fat

Ingredients:

◦ 2 cups pumpkin puree

◦ 1 tsp cinnamon

◦ 1 tsp ground ginger

◦ ¼ tsp allspice

◦ 2-3 T sugar or honey

◦ 2 T olive oil, divided

◦ ¼ cup cocoa powder

◦ 1.5 cups whole grain flour

◦ 1 t baking powder

◦ Pinch of salt

◦ Half bar of dark chocolate, 70% or higher broken into pieces

◦ powdered sugar, for garnish if desired

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350° F. Oil 9x9 baking dish, with 1 T oil.

2. In a medium bowl, mix pumpkin puree, spices, sweetener and remaining oil together. Stir thoroughly.

3. Add in flour, cocoa, and baking powder, mixing thoroughly. Stir until all is incorporated. The batter should be thick and smooth. Mix in chocolate pieces.

4. Pour the batter into the oiled baking dish and place in warm oven. Bake for about 20 minutes or until the edges of the brownies harden and it begins to smell fantastic. The edges of the brownies, when hardening, should separate from the sides of the baking dish.

5. Remove brownies and check the center with a toothpick or clean knife. You may need to test one or two spots as the chocolate can make the bread seem undercooked when it is in fact ready. The brownies should be soft and somewhat dense.

6. Let cool briefly. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve warm with cold milk.

Notes:

◦ These brownies are rich and smooth. Don't make this recipe as written if you want a chewy dense brownie.

◦ The first time I made this I used my extra pumpkin pie puree, which had cream and eggs. It was still delicious.

◦ You can make these brownies lighter or more chocolaty by adding or reducing the amount of cocoa used.