Veggie Might: Mostly Vegan Pumpkin Pie - Of Pumpkins and Baked Equality

CHG will be back to its regularly scheduled posting on Monday. (I can feel my face again!) In the meantime, please enjoy this installation of Veggie Might. It's a weekly column about all things vegetarian, written by the ever-so-lovely Leigh.

(A brief word about the presidential election: Ohio!)

The holiday gatherings I attend/host usually include at least one vegan peep, one dairy-allergic pal, and, recently, a gluten-free friend. The people pleaser in me wants to accommodate them all. Must. Bake. For Everyone.

The Roommate’s just a plain vegetarian, but I wanted to practice for the impending holiday crush, so I whipped up a vegan version one of his favorite desserts for his birthday. (The magic of vegan baking is that no one knows it’s vegan.)

He hates having a fuss made, so I got the bonus pleasure of celebrating his day and confounding him in one pastry blow.

I must say I performed a minor miracle, at least for me. Never in my wildest dreams did I ever think I would make a pumpkin pie completely from scratch—including pumpkin puree and pie crust.

Pie crust was an uncharted frontier in my baking repertoire. It was something I have always been content to buy at the store since it was cheap, easy, and often vegan. Pie crust from scratch just didn’t seem worth the perceived effort.

Turns out, it’s not that complicated, even when one doesn’t own the following equipment: pie pan, rolling pin, pastry cutter, or food processor. What I did have was the winner of VegNews’ Best Cookbook award, The Joy of Vegan Baking, the necessary ingredients in my kitchen (no trip to the store), and a mind for McGyvering the rest:

Pie pan = shallow round glass casserole dish
Rolling pin = smooth-sided drinking glass
Pastry cutter/food processor = fork

For the filling, I combined two recipes: from TJoVB and an adorable screen-printed recipe card from my pal and vegan, B. I’d made B’s recipe last year, and it didn’t quite work. The two combined were perfection. And my first crust was not half bad.

The pie crust recipe makes two—or a top and a bottom. You can freeze one for up to two months, so I’m already ahead of the Thanksgiving game. The filling recipe made almost too much for the dish I used, which was bigger than a pie plate. Making it again, I’d reduce the amount of pumpkin and tofu—or make two pies at a time.

But Oh-bama! It was so good. Because the pie was deep, the pieces could be cut smaller and still be satisfying. I got about 12 pieces out it instead of 8.

It was rich, without being overwhelming, and delicious au natural. No whip necessary. Best of all, TR was pleased with his birthday pie. And he didn’t really seem to mind the attention. The rest of you food freaks are next. You know who you are.

Mostly Vegan Pumpkin Pie
adapted from The Joy of Vegan Baking and B’s recipe

Crust
2 1/2 c all-purpose flour
1/2 c vegetable shortening
1/2 c vegan margarine
1/3 c + 1 tbsp ice water
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar

Filling
2 c pumpkin puree (fresh – approximately 2 lb pumpkin or canned)
14 oz silken tofu (firm)
1/2 c brown sugar
1/2 c honey (or agave nectar)
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 c corn starch
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/8 tsp clove
1/4 tsp ginger juice (or ground ginger)

Instructions
This recipe involves some advanced prep, so it’s not as last-minute a project as I thought it could be. That said, it’s also not as time-consuming as it seems. Proceed with confidence.

1) Preheat oven to 350ºF.

2) In separate bowls/measuring cups, measure out the flour, water, and shortening/margarine, cubing the latter into 1”-sized pieces. Then stick it all in the freezer for 30 minutes. For scientific reasons that are not yet clear to me (if you know/are Alton Brown, please feel free to share), it helps if everything is super cold when you begin making your crust. Alton recommends refrigerating your pie plate too.

Meanwhile…
3) With a sharp knife, cut the pumpkin in half, scoop out the guts/seeds (save seeds for roasting—yum!), and place face down on lightly oiled/cooking sprayed baking sheet. Bake for 20–30 minutes.

Back to the crust...
4) Take everything out of the freezer. Combine flour, sugar, and salt in bowl and mix with fork. Add cut up pieces of shortening and margarine and cut into flour with fork or pastry cutter until fat is pea-sized. Leaving largish pieces of fat makes the crust tender.

5) Slowly add ice water to mixture and mix until the dough begins to clump. If the dough is too dry to stick together, add a bit more water.

(You can also do steps 4 and 5 in a food processor.)

6) You don’t want to handle the dough any more than you have to, or it will get tough. Divide dough in half. Wrap (in plastic wrap) and refrigerate or freeze the unused half. It will last a couple of days in the fridge and a couple of months in the freezer.

Oh! The pumpkin...
7) When the pumpkin is ready, take it out of the oven to cool.

Crust...
8) On a cutting board or counter, lightly dusted with flour, roll out the crust starting in the middle and working out.

9) When it’s the desired size and thickness, carefully place in chilled pie pan.

10) Bake for 10–12 minutes.

Now for the filling...
11) Scoop out and puree pumpkin in a blender or food processor. (I have a mini one, so this took me a while.)

12) Add tofu to pumpkin and puree again.

13) Transfer pumpkin tofu mixture to a large bowl. Add sweeteners, vanilla, cornstarch, and spices, mixing well.

14) Fresh ginger tip: Peel, then grate ginger on the zest side of a box grater and squeeze the juice out of the pulp.

15) When the pie crust is ready, pour pumpkin filling into shell and bake for 40–45 minutes.

16) Allow to cool to room temperature and dig in. Try not to lose your mind from the anticipation.

Approximate Calories, Fat, and Price per Serving
183 cal, 5.3g fat, $.59

Calculations
2 c pumpkin puree (fresh or canned) 98 cal, 0g fat, $1.25
14 oz silken tofu (firm): 238 cal, 15g fat, $2.39
1/2 c brown sugar: 418.5 cal, 0g fat, $.24
1/2 c honey (or agave nectar): 481.5 cal, 0g fat, $.99
1 tsp vanilla: negligible calories and fat, $1.16
1/4 c cornstarch: 117 cal, 0g fat, $.23
1/2 tsp salt: negligible calories and fat, $.02
1 tbsp cinnamon: negligible calories and fat, $.04
1/2 tsp nutmeg: negligible calories and fat, $.02
1/8 tsp clove: negligible calories and fat, $.02
1/4 tsp fresh ginger (or ground ginger): negligible calories and fat, $.04
2 1/2 c all-purpose flour: 2/3 cup flour: 844 cal, 2.25g fat, $.53*
1/2 c vegetable shortening: 440 cal, 52g fat, $.31*
1/2 c vegan margarine1 tbsp vegan butter: 400 cal, 44 fat, $.48*
1/2 tsp salt: negligible calories and fat, $.02*

*These amounts are for 2 crusts. The totals below and per serving totals are calculated using these amounts divided by 2.

TOTALS: 2195 cal, 64g fat, $7.07
PER SERVING: 183 cal, 5.3g fat, $.59

Hope/Change/Flu

Hi Readers,

In a hilariously wacky coincidence, I've come down with the worst cold/flu/general malaise I've had in years. Woo! Subsequently, posting will be postponed until I regain some semblance of vim/vigor/will to live.

Hope you're all well and enjoying the election results.

*Sneeze*,
Kris

City Kitchen Chronicles: Garlicky Long Beans and Farmers Markets

City Kitchen Chronicles is a bi-weekly column about living frugally in Manhattan. It's penned by the lovely Jaime.

This past Saturday my mom came into the city for some quality time. We went out for lunch, but before that I took her along on my favorite Saturday morning fixture: shopping for vegetables.

I am a wholehearted devotee of farmers markets. Even before Michael Pollan and his amazing book, The Omnivore’s Dilemma, laid out for me the brutal and beautiful repercussions of how we get our food (and subsequent case for local eating), I’d gotten in the habit of buying my veggies from the weekend farmers market that’s just a few blocks from my apartment.

When I moved to this neighborhood a year ago last summer, my eating and cooking habits changed, largely by virtue of now living alone. I started cooking more, and I was suddenly a short, lovely walk away from fresh, local veggies every Saturday morning. I’ve since traded most of those quick jaunts for a more time-intensive but even more rewarding trip to the mother of all NYC farmers markets, at Union Square.

Every week I savor the hour I give myself to stroll back and forth through the stalls (once through to see what’s good and what’s cheap, and then buying on a second pass), but my mom’s reactions reminded me how special these mornings are. “Oh, look at that broccoli! It’s gorgeous!” “Ohh, those Macouns look amazing!” “They look so fresh!” That last one was for Brussels sprouts still on the stalk, a treat you never see at the supermarket.

In the end, for all its fresh and delicious bounty, the greenmarket wasn’t exactly my suburban mom’s speed. She found herself fumbling with cash and her bags whenever she went to buy something, and the jostling crowds can be a lot. “I need a shopping cart,” she said more than once. New York City doesn’t scare her – she lived here when she was my age – but there’s a way to get zen with the slow-walking busyness of the farmers market that I realized I’ve acquired over the last year.

Then, that evening, after my mom had left, I went to Target to buy socks and conditioner and got my own taste of overstimulation anxiety. To each her own.

One of the best things about the farmers market – beyond fresh produce, environmentally-friendly eating, supporting local businesses, and damn tasty food – and especially of big markets like the one at Union Square, is that it gets me to try new veggies. When collards were cheap, I started buying collards. When zucchini went out of season, I tried – and discovered I love – cauliflower and Brussels sprouts. And every so often I’ll spot a strange and intriguing vegetable that’s cheap and looks promising.

Over the summer I tried all sorts of weird wild greens like lambsquarter and purslane, loving both. More recently I took a chance on long beans.

See, they’re like darker, tougher string beans, but loooooong.

A sign at the stall said they have a stronger, meatier texture, and suggested braising the beans. I tend to sauté everything, and had a feeling these beans would stand up to that pretty well.

And damn was I right! I went with olive oil and a metric ton of garlic, and was not disappointed. Cannellini beans add protein and creaminess, almost dissolving into a sauce over some hearty whole wheat pasta. The lemon juice cuts the salt and oil without tasting lemony. The long beans’ flavor isn’t super strong, but they hold up well and have a really interesting texture. Keeping the garlic pieces big and cooking it slow makes this more tasty and less breath-killing.

Garlicky long beans and beans
makes 4 servings (or so)

1/2 lb long beans, cut into three-inch (or so) pieces.
4 cloves garlic
1 can Cannelinni beans, drained and rinsed
juice of 1 lemon
1 1/2 cups (dry) whole wheat pasta (rotini or penne will work well)
salt and pepper

1) Cut up 4 cloves of garlic in various ways – the smaller the pieces, the garlickier the food. One or two minced, two sliced very thin, and one however you like will yield a good mix of sizes and heat.

2) Get your pasta cooking. (I hope it’s okay if I don’t tell you how to cook pasta. Err on the al dente side for this, though, cause the beans will add a lot of mush.)

3) Heat 1 T olive oil over medium-low heat. Saute garlic until starting to get color.

4) Add long beans, and toss. Saute over medium heat until they’re tasty and just about done. (10 min or so, but taste as you go.)

5) Toss in Cannellini beans, salting and peppering to taste. (The beans will take a lot of salt.)

6) Toss cooked pasta with 1 T olive oil, then mix in the bean & bean mixture and lemon juice, or serve the beans over the pasta. However you like.

Approximate Calories, Fat, and Price Per Serving
4 servings: 431 calories, 8 g fat, $0.88

Calculations
1/2 lb long beans: 96 calories, 0 g fat, $2.00
4 cloves garlic: 18 calories, 0 g fat, $0.10
1 can Cannellini beans: 1,045 calories, 3 g fat, $0.70
2 T olive oil: 239 calories, 27 g fat, $0.20
juice of 1 lemon: 12 calories, 0 g fat, $0.20
1 1/2 cups (dry) whole wheat pasta: 315 calories, 2 g fat, $0.30
salt and pepper: negligible calories and fat, $0.02
TOTAL: 1,723 calories, 32 g fat, $3.52
PER SERVING (TOTAL/4): 431 calories, 8 g fat, $0.88

(Union Square photo provided by Flickr member wallyg.)

Spicy Sweet Potato Fries, Sinuses, and Something Election-Like

Something has once again crawled into my face and died, so I’m going to keep it simple today. Two quick points:

1) You may not have heard, but there’s apparently a politicky-type thing going on tomorrow. There’s an old dude running against a youngish dude for some sort of office in some country. I really don’t know much about it, but this incisive, insightful, generally tremendous article, The Presidential Palate: McCain and Obama on Food, might explain it a little better. Or, at least it’ll tell you how they feel about food. (Hint: they like it.)

2) Adapted from Kalyn’s Kitchen, these are pretty solid sweet potato fries. The Boyfriend, my sister and I devoured them with turkey burgers and Barefoot Contessa’s Roasted Brussels Sprouts last week, and they were dead-on perfect for a cool fall day. They might appear to burn while cooking, but don’t be afraid to leave them in for the full time. They’ll crisp up well.

Oh, and another thing - your spice mix price might vary wildly, depending on how you obtain your herbs. Mine was about $0.04 per potato, because I buy a combination of bulk and inexpensive jarred spices.

Okay. Back to prescription drugs, canned soup, and the sweet release of sleep. (Oh, sinuses - what did I ever do to you?)

Spicy Sweet Potato Fries
Serves as many as you like
Adapted from Kalyn's Kitchen.

sweet potatoes, one per person, peeled and cut into steak fries (about 3" x 1/2" each)
olive oil (see below)

Seasoning Mix:
2 T ground coriander
1 T ground fennel
1 T dried oregano
1 T Aleppo Pepper (or use a smaller amount of cayenne pepper)
2 T kosher salt

1) Preheat oven to 425°F. Line a cookie sheet with tin foil and spray with cooking spray.

2) Mix/grind coriander, fennel, oregano, and pepper in a mortar, spice grinder, or wiped-down coffee grinder. Add salt. Stir.

3) In medium bowl, mix sweet potatoes, olive oil, and as much of the spice mixture as you need. (Store the rest.) Kalyn says: "You will need about 1 T olive oil and 2 tsp. of the spice mixture for every two sweet potatoes, depending on how spicy you like it."

4) Pour sweet potato fries on to prepared pan, spreading them out as you go. Roast 30 or 40 minutes, until potatoes are tender and outside is a little browned, flipping occasionally with a spatula. Serve immediately.

Approximate Calories, Fat, and Price Per Serving
223 calories, 7 g fat, $0.49

Calculations
1 sweet potato: 162 calories, 0.3 g fat, $0.39
½ T olive oil (see below): 60 calories, 6.7 g fat, $0.06
2 T ground coriander: negligible calories and fat, $0.26
1 T ground fennel: negligible calories and fat, $0.26
1 T dried oregano: 9 calories, 0.3 g fat, $0.10
1 T Aleppo Pepper (or use a smaller amount of cayenne pepper): negligible calories and fat, $0.03
2 T kosher salt: negligible calories and fat, $0.05
Each serving has 1 potato + ½ T olive oil + 1/20th seasoning
PER SERVING: 223 calories, 7 g fat, $0.49