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Gluten-Free Vegan Pumpkin Scones with Chopped Pecans

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Pumpkin-Scones-Vegan Scones, anyone? What about pumpkin scones? With a delicious glaze and crushed pecans?

Yes?

You’re not sick of pumpkin yet, are ya? Pumpkin is still flying around my kitchen ALL THA TIMEEEEE these days and I am digging into it left and right.

Pumpkin-Scones And these scones. They are not only stuffed with pumpkin and pecans and delicious fall spices like cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice, but they are also gluten-free.

What the what? Gluten-free? YES, FRIENDS. Even those on a gluten-free diet can enjoy these scones for breakfast. And that makes me happy. Everyone needs to be able to stick a warm, fresh-from-the-oven, scone into their faces at some point in their lives.

And that point is right now. Do ya dig?

Vegan-Pumpkin-Scones I added crushed pecans to the top and inside of the scones, but you can definitely, totally, absolutely leave those out if you’re allergic or just don’t like them. Or swap for a different nut.

Whatever, friends. Do as you please. Just make sure you do something nice for yourself and indulge in a pumpkin scone! Enjoy!

Easy-Vegan-Pumpkin-Scones

Gluten-Free Vegan Pumpkin Scones
 
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Recipe type: Breakfast
Serves: 8
Ingredients
Scones
  • 1 cup raw pecans, chopped
  • 1 cup sorghum flour
  • 1 cup almond flour
  • 1 tbsp baking powder
  • ¼ cup coconut sugar
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1¼ tsp pumpkin pie spice
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 5 tbsp vegan butter (I used Earth Balance)
  • ¾ cup pumpkin puree (NOT pumpkin pie filling)
  • ¼ cup non-dairy milk (I used almond milk)
  • 1 tsp vanilla
Glaze
  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • ½ tsp cinnamon
  • 3 tbsp non-dairy milk (I used almond milk)
Instructions
Scones
  1. Preheat oven to 425F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a non-stick baking mat.
  2. In a large bowl, combine ¾ cup pecans, the flours, baking powder, coconut sugar, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice and salt. Mix together until combined.
  3. Add the butter and with a pastry cutter, a fork, or your hands, mix together until the mixture resembles sand. (If you're using your hands, work quickly so that the butter doesn't get too warm - it needs to be very cold).
  4. Add in the pumpkin puree, non-dairy milk and vanilla, and mix well until everything is combined. Form the dough into a large circle and cut into 8 slices.
  5. Put the slices on the baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes, or until lightly browned.
Glaze
  1. Whisk together the icing sugar, cinnamon and non-dairy milk. Spread generously over the cooled scones and top with the remaining ¼ cup chopped pecans.

 

Chocolate & Coconut Pumpkin Bars (Raw, No Bake)

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Vegan-Chocolate-Pumpkin-Coconut-Squares With a can of pumpkin in my hand, I was on a mission to make something tasty. I didn’t feel like cookies or cake or pie or fudge (WHAT?!), so I hopped on Pinterest and scoured the site for pumpkin treats I could make right here, right now.

Then I got distracted by quotes. And cute kitten pictures. And the next thing I knew, an hour had gone by and I hadn’t looked at a single pumpkin recipe. Focus, Cassie! Focus.

Chocolate-Pumpkin-Coconut-Squares-Vegan Okay. I will focus. Search “vegan pumpkin dessert”. Find lots of cookies, cakes, pies and fudge. NONONONOTHANKYOU. After searching for almost another hour (OMG WHAT IS HAPPENING, PINTEREST?!), I finally stumbled upon a recipe that looked yumz!

These no bake chocolate coco pumpkin bars. Okay FINE, these will do. As if I was settling or something. Man, I am grouchy when I’m on Pinterest too long.

Chocolate-Pumpkin-Coconut-Squares Whipped up a batch, ate them all in 2 days. Didn’t share with my fam. They went bonkers. Made more, with slight changes to the recipe. They ate them, and I was the best mom/wife ever again. Awesome. I always knew I was the best. Score!

These guilt-free treats are so good. And they’re pretty! And you all know how much I loves me some pretty food. It makes my soul happy.

Pumpkin-Coconut-Squares So today I encourage you to make some pretty food. It’s the weekend! Celebrate with some chocolate & coconut pumpkin bars. Preferably in front of the TV with a super scary movie playing. Halloween is coming and it’s time to scare yourself. And eat tasty fall treats. YES PLEASE.

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Chocolate & Coconut Pumpkin Bars (Raw, No Bake)
 
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Recipe type: Dessert
Serves: 8
Ingredients
  • 10 dates, pitted
  • 1 cup almonds
  • 2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 2 tsp cinnamon
  • ¼ cup shredded coconut
  • ¼ cup coconut oil
  • 1 small banana
  • ¼ cup pumpkin puree
  • 2 tbsp agave
  • ½ tsp vanilla
  • ½ tsp pumpkin pie spice
Instructions
  1. Add dates, almonds cocoa powder and 1 tsp of cinnamon to your food processor. Process until it all comes together into a ball.
  2. Transfer the mixture to a 9x5 baking dish and flatten it out in the pan. Set aside.
  3. In small bowl, combine the shredded coconut and coconut oil. Mix well until thick (you may need to add more coconut oil or shredded coconut to get it to a spreadable consistency). Spread this mixture on the chocolate almond mixture in the pan.
  4. Add the banana, pumpkin puree, agave and 1 tsp cinnamon into your food processor and process until smooth. Pour over top of the coconut mixture and smooth it out so that it covers the entire dish.
  5. If desired, sprinkle some coconut on top.
  6. Freeze for 60 minutes or until set. Cut into squares and serve. Store in the freezer. Remove for a few minutes to thaw before eating.
Notes
Adapted from Running to the Kitchen.

 

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Mini Cauliflower Crust Pizzas with Sun-Dried Tomato Sauce

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Cauliflower-Crust-Pizzas-Vegan The other day I was thinking out loud and my brain forced me to blurt out “cauliflower crust pizza I need you in my liiiiiife”. And clearly if I’m thinking about a particular food, I need to make it, or my brain will not be happy. And so I obliged. I made cauliflower crust pizza. And it was just as amazing as I thought it would be.

Cauliflower-Crust-Pizzas The reason I went with mini pizzas is because every time I try to make a full-size pizza, the crust always falls apart and I cry and curse and hit things.

So I went with mini pizzas this time. Thankfully, there was no foul language shooting out of my mouth when these babies were done. My husband was thankful.

I topped my pizzas with marinara, lentils, green peppers and a healthy dose of vegan parmesan cheese. The result? An easy to eat, healthy, gluten-free vegan pizza and makes my tummy happy. Success!

Vegan-Cauliflower-Crust-Pizzas

Mini Cauliflower Crust Pizzas with Sun-Dried Tomato Sauce
 
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Recipe type: Pizza
Serves: 4 servings
Ingredients
Marinara Sauce
  • 1 cup sun-dried tomatoes, not packed in oil
  • 1 cup chopped tomato
  • ½ chopped cucumber
  • 1 garlic clove
  • 3 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
  • 1 tbsp nutritional yeast
  • ¼ tsp thyme
  • 1 tsp oregano
  • 1 cup water
  • ¼-1/2 tsp salt
Cauliflower Crust
  • 1½ cups cauliflower florets
  • 2 tbsp ground flax seeds
  • 6 tbsp water
  • ½ cup almond meal
  • ½ tsp salt
  • ½ tsp garlic powder
  • ¼ tsp basil
  • ¼ tsp oregano
Instructions
Marinara Sauce
  1. Soak your sun-dried tomatoes for at least 2 hours, then drain.
  2. Add all marinara ingredients to a food processor or blender and process/blend until combined.
Cauliflower Crust
  1. Preheat oven to 350F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a non-stick mat. Set aside.
  2. Place the cauliflower into a food processor (you may need to do this in batches, depending on how large your food processor is) and pulse until you get a rice-like texture.
  3. Add the cauliflower rice into a large pot, cover with water and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to low, and cook for about 5 minutes. Drain the cauliflower rice and allow to cool completely.
  4. Once cooled, the the cauliflower rice and transfer to a large, clean dishtowel. Wrap it up and squeeze out as much of the remaining liquid as you can. The more, the better.
  5. Mix together 2 tablespoons ground flax seeds with 6 tablespoons water and set aside to thicken.
  6. Add the cauliflower to a large bowl, then add in the chia seeds, almond meal, salt, garlic, basil, oregano and flax egg. Mix well, then divide the mixture into about 12 balls. Form those balls into small pizzas and place on the baking sheet. Press together well so that the crust stays together when baking.
  7. Bake for about 15 minutes, or until the top is dry and golden brown. Flip, and bake another 5-10 minutes.
  8. Then, add your toppings and return to the oven for another 5-10 minutes, or until everything is nice and warm.

 

Lentil Soup with Cumin & Coriander

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Lentil-Soup When I was a kid, my favourite soup was chicken noodle. Preferably from a can. And preferably without any chicken and mostly noodles.

I would often eat canned soup for lunch on the weekends. It was easy enough for me to make myself once I knew how to use a can opener and the microwave (that’s right, I didn’t even cook it in a pot on the stove).

Chicken noodle soup was my thang. For years. Even as an adult, it was one of my favourite things to eat when I was too lazy to come up with something a bit more creative.

Vegan-Lentil-Soup Now, though, I’m obviously done with chicken noodle, but I still love the comfort of soup. My current favourite is vegetable, but this lentil soup is a close second.

It’s easy to throw together, it’s crazy good for you, and it tastes amazing. Way better than chicken noodle soup ever did.

Side note: Photographing soup is HARD. Photographing brown soup is even harder. Perhaps the green parsley on top will help? What if I stick some green in the background?

Be jealous of my food photography skillzzzz. Or not.

Lentil-Soup-Vegan When it’s cold and gray outside (like today at my house!), soup is the perfect remedy. Try this lentil soup and let me know if you enjoyed it as much as I did!

Lentil Soup with Cumin & Coriander
 
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Recipe type: Entree, Lunch
Serves: 4
Ingredients
  • 4 cloves garlic, chopped
  • 1 small yellow onion, minced
  • 4 medium carrots, chopped
  • 4 celery stalks, chopped
  • 3 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 cups green or brown lentils, uncooked (I used brown)
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • ½ tsp coriander
  • 8 cups vegetable broth
  • 1 large bay leaf
  • 2 whole sprigs fresh thyme
  • 1 cup chopped spinach
  • ½ cup chopped tomatoes
  • Salt & pepper, to taste
Instructions
  1. Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat.
  2. Add in the onion, carrots, celery and garlic, and cook until tender and browned.
  3. Add the lentils, cumin, coriander, broth, bay leaf and fresh thyme. Give it all a good mix, then add lid and simmer over low heat until the lentils are tender, 30-40 minutes.
  4. Remove the bay leaf and thyme, and add in the chopped spinach and tomatoes. Cook for 3-4 minutes, or until spinach has wilted.
  5. season with salt and pepper, and serve, with some fresh parsley on top for colour (if desired).

 

Butternut Squash Soup with Roasted Chickpeas

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Butternut-Squash-Soup Brrrr, it’s cold outside! Why did I choose to live somewhere that’s cold for 9 months out of the year?

Despite the cold outside, I am warming up inside with this bowl of butternut squash soup. Mmmm. Super easy to make, super healthy, and super duper warm-you-up-inside. It’s like a hug. A soup hug. Go ahead and give it a squeeze.

There. Don’t you feel better?

Vegan-Butternut-Squash-Soup This soup is smooth and velvety. Bright and bold. Flavourful and healthy.

Amazing and amazing. No, but seriously. It’s GOOD. As long as you have a large pot and an immersion blender, you are just an hour away from a warm, comforting bowl of butternut squash soup.

Butternut-Squash-Soup-Vegan The oven-roasted chickpeas are important!

Plain soup is boring. It’s like serving chili without tortilla chips or bread. Just wrong! Chickpeas will add a nice little somethin’-somethin’ to your soup – so don’t skip them!

Butternut Squash Soup with Roasted Chickpeas
 
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Recipe type: Soup
Serves: 4-6
Ingredients
  • 1 medium butternut squash
  • 2 large carrots, chopped
  • 1 large yellow onion, peeled and chopped
  • ½ cup cooked chickpeas
  • 6-8 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
  • 2-3 cups vegetable broth
  • 1 cup non-dairy milk (I used almond milk)
  • 1½ tsp salt
  • ¾ tsp freshly ground black pepper
  • ½ tsp basil
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 400F.
  2. Cut the squash in half and scoop out the seeds (you can throw them out or save them for roasting later). Drizzle with 1 tsp olive oil, and place the squash cut-side down on a large baking sheet. Bake for 30-40 minutes, or until you can easily pierce the middle of the squash with minimal resistance.
  3. While the squash is cooking, line another large baking sheet with parchment paper or a non-stick mat. Add the chopped carrots and onion, chickpeas, and the smashed garlic. Separate the chickpeas from everything else, since they will not be going in the soup. I put them on the left side of my baking sheet and everything else was on the right. Drizzle with ½ tbsp olive oil and bake for 20-30 minutes, or until tender.
  4. Once everything is cooked, add it all (except the chickpeas!) to a large pot over low-medium heat. Add broth and milk, and use an immersion blender to blend until the soup reaches your desired consistency.
  5. Add spices, stir, and simmer 5-10 minutes. Serve warm, topped with roasted chickpeas.

Healthy-Vegan-Butternut-Squash-Soup

Homemade Peanut Butter Cups

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Peanut-Butter-Cups-Vegan Halloween is just around the corner and the kid in me is more excited than I should probably admit. I get a little decoration-happy over here!

It’s a shame I can’t partake in trick or treating anymore. Not just because I’m a MOM and I’m pretty sure it’s a no-no to beg for candy door-to-door when you’re almost thirty, but also because – have you SEEN the crap people hand out on Halloween? It’s like they’re trying to kill those precious little children.

PB-Cups-in-Tin Everything is loaded with sugar, loaded with salt, and loaded with a bunch of ingredients that should never go into your body ever, ever, ever (I’m lookin’ at you, corn syrup!).

Homemade-Vegan-Peanut-Butter-Cups I let my kids go trick or treating, but only because I don’t want them to feel left out. I dump a good 75% of their candy into the trash when they go to bed, and honestly, they don’t miss it.

Vegan-Peanut-Butter-Cups But I miss it! Before I switched to a vegan diet, I would rummage through my kids’ Halloween bags and eat their Coffee Crisp, Kit Kat, Doritos and Reese Peanut Butter Cups. Now, I have to look at those treats lovingly and then just toss them away. Which is probably a good thing, but I digress…

Homemade-Peanut-Butter-Cups This year, I decided that if I was going to survive another year of watching my kids eat my favourite non-vegan treats from afar, I was going to need some treats of my own – like these peanut butter cups.

Vegan-Homemade-Peanut-Butter-Cups With only 3 ingredients and less than 15 minutes of time, this is probably one of the easiest recipes ever. If you can even call it a recipe.

Peanut-Butter-Cups Hello chocolate, meet peanut butter.

Homemade Peanut Butter Cups
 
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Recipe type: Snacks
Serves: 12
Ingredients
  • 1 cup dairy-free chocolate chips (I used Enjoy Life brand)
  • ½ cup peanut butter (store-bought or homemade)
  • Kosher salt (optional)
Instructions
  1. Add chocolate chips to a microwave-safe bowl and heat for about 2 minutes, stirring every 45-60 seconds, until melted. Stir until smooth.
  2. Add paper or silicone liners to a large muffin pan. Add about 1 tbsp melted chocolate to the bottom of each liner. Freeze for about 10 minutes, or until the chocolate has hardened.
  3. Add about 1 tbsp peanut butter on top of the hardened chocolate (you may need to spread it out a bit), then add another 1-2 tbsp melted chocolate on top, making sure to cover the peanut butter.
  4. Sprinkle each peanut butter cup with a bit of kosher salt, then put the pan back in the freezer for another 10 minutes or so, until hardened.
  5. Store in the refrigerator (when you want to eat one, remove it from the fridge and allow to come to room temperature).

 

Apple Pie Smoothie

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Apple-Pie-Smoothie So I woke up the other morning with the desire to eat pie. Apple pie.

I must have been dreaming about pie or something, because I woke up, with droll all over my face, ready to bake me a pie for breakfast.

But then I came to my senses. “Pie isn’t for breakfast, silly!”, I said to myself.

Apple-Pie-Smoothie-Vegan But I still craved apple pie. So what did I do? I made a smoothie of course! I normally have a green smoothie in the morning, but since my apple pie craving was SO SO STRONG, as in, MUST HAVE IT NOW, I went with a smoothie that tasted like apple pie.

I just threw a bunch of pie ingredients into a blender, added more liquid (duh), and let the blender whirl. And wouldn’t you know it? This smoothie tasted just like apple pie! Without the delicious flaky crust, of course.

But still – YUM.

Easy-Vegan-Apple-Pie-Smoothie I was drinking apple pie! From a glass! In the morning!

I’m such a rebel.

Vegan-Apple-Pie-Smoothie Now you can be a rebel, too. Go ahead, drink some pie.

Apple Pie Smoothie
 
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Recipe type: Smoothie
Serves: 2
Ingredients
  • 1 large apple, sliced (I used a honeycrisp apple)
  • 1 large banana
  • 1½ cups non-dairy milk (I used almond milk)
  • 1 large date, pitted
  • ½ tbsp chia seeds
  • ½ tsp cinnamon
  • ¼ tsp nutmeg
  • 3 or 4 ice cubes
Instructions
  1. Add all ingredients to a high speed blender and blend until smooth!
Notes
Use a nut-free non-dairy milk to make this recipe nut-free.
Use a non-dairy milk other than soy milk to make this recipe soy-free.

 

Gluten-Free Pumpkin & Oat Chocolate Chip Cookies

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Pumpkin-Oat-Chocolate-Chip-Cookies-Vegan Have you ever made something that you just could’t bear to eat because it was cute?

For me, it was these cookies. LOOK AT THE CUTENESS!

Pumpkin-Oatmeal-Chocolate-Chip-Cookies A gorgeous orange-brown colour, so perfect for fall. So delicious for fall. So cute, so cute, so cute!

These pumpkin cookies are studded with mini chocolate chips, and made with gluten-free flour and oats, making them a delicious, gluten-free fall treat.

And they’re cute!

Pumpkin-Oat-Chocolate-Chip-Cookies I got over the “can’t eat them ’cause they’re cute” problem quite fast, because although they are cute, surely they are delicious, especially with that yummy pumpkin scent swirling around in the air.

Verdict? Yes. Yes they are delicious. Now I must eat another. And another more. And another… um, okay, don’t pay any attention to me over here.

Vegan-Pumpkin-Oat-Chocolate-Chip-Cookies

Oat-and-Pumpkin-Chocolate-Chip-Cookies If you’re a pumpkin lovah like me, you will love these delicious (and cute!) little cookies. I won’t judge you if you eat 5 in one sitting like I did. Okay fine, it was 6. Cough.

Vegan-Oat-&-Pumpkin-Chocolate-Chip-Cookies

Gluten-Free Pumpkin & Oat Chocolate Chip Cookies
 
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Recipe type: Dessert
Serves: 12
Ingredients
  • ¾ cup sorghum flour
  • ½ cup gluten-free rolled oats
  • ¼ cup coconut sugar
  • ½ tsp baking powder
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
  • ¼ cup maple syrup
  • ½ cup canned pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1½ tbsp coconut oil
  • ¼ cup dairy-free chocolate chips
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a non-stick baking mat.
  2. In a medium sized mixing bowl, add flour, oats, sugar, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, pumpkin spice. Mix until well combined.
  3. In a small bowl, combine maple syrup, pumpkin, vanilla, and oil.
  4. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients. Do not over-mix. Fold in the chocolate chips.
  5. Using 1 tablespoon per cookie, scoop dough onto your baking sheet, and flatten with your hand a bit.
  6. Bake 10 minutes, or until edges turn golden brown.
  7. Remove from oven and allow to cool for about 15 minutes.