It’s January and I am still in the throws of PPO: pumpkin pie obsession. I can’t get my mind off those round, wholesome, satisfying pies. There is something very comforting about pumpkins and pies.
I decided that there was nothing for it but to make a few more. This time, I went totally vegan. Tofu is our friend!
Pumpkin Pie Obsession, the Sequel, or Pumpkin Pie à la Skinny
I tried to get canned pumpkin at my favorite grocery store, Trader Joe’s, but they told me they only sell it during the holidays. “What a slap-down!” as my pal from the WC, Stevie would say. The TJ guy suggested I visit “Whole Paycheck.” Sure enough, they had three kinds of canned pumpkin: organic, regular and Libby’s brand! I chose the Libby’s as it was the least expensive of the three at $2.19. TJ’s used to sell it for a dollar each, which obviously would have been better. But since they didn’t have it, I had to compromise to accommodate my desperate cravings.
I was really eager to make a vegan pumpkin pie. Last time I didn’t have the courage to bake without eggs or butter. I cheated again on the crust and bought the pre-made pie shells at Whole Paycheck, two for $4.29! I also bought the tofu at Trader Joe’s a few days prior in anticipation of the vegan bakeoff.
It feels good to eat pie and not be biting into the typical ones made with lard, white flour or white sugar. I constantly hear that these are bad for health. Feasting on these vegan pies makes me feel like I am getting dessert but also feeding my body something wholesome and good. It’s makes a great, guilt free breakfast to have a slice or two or three with coffee in the morning, or as a late night snack with a cup of soy milk. Enjoy the adventure and keep aiming for that pie in the sky… I hope to try more “weirdcombinations” from online recipes and share my experiences soon.
There are a tremendous amount of recipes for vegan pumpkin pie online. Here’s one, and one more and even a gluten-free version. I grabbed a few and improvised. Here goes:
vegan pumpkin pie
16oz package of soft tofu
½ cup brown cane sugar
¼ cup honey
1 can prepared pumpkin
1 tbsp pumpkin pie spice
pinch of salt
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 organic spelt 9″ pre-made pie shell
Preheat oven to 375.
Beat pumpkin, brown sugar and tofu together. You will burn calories blending the tofu if you do this step by hand. Add oil, honey, pumpkin pie spice and salt. Beat until completely blended.
Poor mixture into the pie shell then bake for an hour. Voilà… pumpkin pie à la skinny!
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I’ve been making tofu pumpkin pies since my vegetarian days and I still prefer them to the now too sweet “traditional” versions. They are great to make a bunch and keep in the freezer to pull out whenever you are feeling like servicing your PPO.
You are so right Kevin this one is much less sweet and you don’t feel too guilty about servicing your PPO. Freezing it for later use sounds like a good idea too.
We need to get together sometime soon. It’s been ages 🙂
H
I went to Safeway and the can of Libby’s was $2.55 and the pre-made shells made of grahamcrackers were 3-bucks a piece, so your shopping at Whole Foods was actually a better deal! Hope mine turns out as good as yours was! I adore the idea of freezing pies for later dates to feed my pie hole as well. LOL!