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.

Wholesome Oatmeal Cookies

Welcome to the first recipe and post at ¡Viva! Kitchen. The mission of this blog is to provide enjoyable, tasty meals that will help you and your family achieve the health and wellness needed for living fully. Hence, the blog motto: Wellness, one delicious recipe at a time.

Therefore, it may seem strange that my first recipe out of the box is a cookie recipe. Well, don't be fooled. These mouth-watering buggers, while still a dessert, are filled with natural ingredients that promote heart and digestive health. The whole-grains, fruit, olive oil, and even the honey and dark chocolate deliver a host of beneficial nutrients and antioxidants that the average oatmeal cookie can't match. I chose this recipe because it's a perfect example of how health and flavour can maximised. While not meant to be eaten by the batch (I don't know if you could! The amount of fibre would fill you up too quickly!), these cookies are truly guilt-free. So, bake and enjoy!

Wholesome Oatmeal Cookies

from the kitchen of Kimberly Joki-DeLong

Makes ~ 30 cookies

Ingredients:
◦ 1 cup whole-wheat flour (can use all-purpose), plus more if needed
◦ 1 cup wheat bran
◦ 1 cup rolled oats, not quick-cooking
◦ 2 t baking powder
◦ ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for pan
◦ ½ cup honey
◦ 2 large, fresh egg whites
◦ 2 t vanilla, almond, or other favourite flavouring
◦ ½ cup raisins
◦ 70g dark (70-85%) chocolate bar, roughly chopped

Instructions:
1. In a large bowl, combine honey, oil, flavour, and eggs. Stir until honey is dissolved – especially important if you use natural honey which is very thick and sticky.
2. In medium bowl combine all dry ingredients, except for chocolate and fruit. Mix together.
3. In small increments add and mix the dry ingredients into the wet. The dough should be a little runny. Add the fruit and chocolate now and mix well to distribute evenly. If the dough still seems runny, add flour in small quantities until sticky dough forms. Place bowl in freezer to help set up the dough for cookie-making.
4. Preheat oven to 300°F (this is approximate as my oven only allows me to choose settings 1-5. I normally choose setting 2-3 and watch my cookies carefully).
5. When oven is hot, remove dough from fridge and coat baking pan(s) with olive oil (you can use parchment paper if you like). Cover hands in oil for working with dough. Form the dough into balls about 2 inches (5cm) in diameter. Place on pan as little as 1-1.5 inches (3-4 cm) apart. These cookies don't flatten much.
6. Let cookies bake about 8-10 minutes rotating after 4-5 minutes. They're done when they smell great and the edges begin to brown.
7. Remove from oven and let cool on pan about 5 minutes. Remove from pan and let cool
on wire rack or a serving plate.

Notes:
◦ When I am short on raisins, I pit and cut up dates instead.
◦ If you don't have an egg or want to make vegan cookies, you can substitute with a ripe, mashed banana.
◦ It helps to put the dough back into the freezer in between batches. It is easier to work with.

Nutrition Information: (per 2 cookies)

Calories: 221

-- from Fat: 91

Fat: 10 g

-- Saturated: 2 g

-- Unsaturated: 8 g

Carbohydrates: 31 g

-- Dietary Fibre:4 g

-- Sugars: 13 g

Protein: 4 g

This food is very low in Cholesterol and Sodium. It is also a good source of Manganese, Fibre, and

Iron. Though nearly complete on its own, the protein in these cookies is completed if served with yogurt or milk. . . cookies and milk: a great combination for more than one reason!