Vegan Mofo Day 20: Pumpkin Quinoa Muffins

Today, Lance and I went to the farmers market in the University District of Seattle. I was really impressed and happy to see pickles to try and a booth dedicated to fermented foods. I would have done my little happy dance if it weren't so darn cold - handling cash without gloves in freezing temperatures equals shivering and loss of one of the five senses. There is a really great representation of local farms with a wide array of seasonal produce. I bought a little something from nearly every local farm booth, and ended up with a nice collection of winter gourds. I anticipate that this will probably translate to another spike in gourd recipes to match my pumpkin streak in October.


I have had some oven roasted pumpkin waiting in my fridge to make its way into a pie or other baked good for a few days. I have been giving Annie a little with her food, so there wasn't enough for a full pie. We had to really watch her after Halloween. If someone had smashed a pumpkin somewhere, she would run straight for it and try to eat it quickly - which isn't bad unless it had been sitting on someone's porch for a while molding.

Annie has a fondness for all things orange

These muffins are really hearty and nutritious. Traditional baking pumpkins have a high amount of vitamin A, fiber, carbohydrates, and sugars. Jack-o-lantern pumpkins do not have the same concentration of nutrients, are much more fibrous, and offer less flesh to use in cooking. I highly recommend using baby sugar pumpkins or other smaller cooking gourds.

I know I have touted the health benefits of quinoa before, but in reading Healing with Whole Foods* (which I highly, highly recommend for anyone with an interest in what a tremendous impact foods have on us) I have discovered even more reasons to love it! It's higher in calcium than milk and has the magnesium and lysine needed to absorb it without having to "fortify" the product. When combined with a grain with a low lysine level, it has a more complete amino acid/protein factor than animal flesh or any other animal products. It's rich in iron, B vitamins, and vitamin E.

*Note on Healing with Whole Foods: It is not a vegan book, although it does acknowledge our society's "obsession" with protein consumption and promotes a plant based diet.


Pumpkin Quinoa Muffins
1 1/2 c. Pumpkin
1 c. Water
1/2 c. Maple Syrup (or Date Syrup)
1 scant c. Quinoa Flour
1 1/2 TB ground Chia Seed
1 1/2 c. Brown Rice Flour
3 T Tapioca Flour
1 tsp Baking Soda
1 tsp Cinnamon
1/4 tsp or less Ginger
1/2 tsp Salt
1/2 c. Raisins (optional)
1/3 c. rough chopped Pecans (optional)
1 tsp Apple Cider Vinegar
2 TB Olive Oil

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Combine the dry ingredients (flours, chia seed, baking soda, spices, salt) with a whisk in a large mixing bowl. Put the cooked pumpkin, water, and maple syrup in a food processor for about 2 minutes or until smooth. Combine the dry and wet ingredients and add in the raisins, pecans, olive oil, and apple cider vinegar. Pour amounts into a muffin tin and bake for about 25-30 minutes.


For more tips on preparing pumpkin, click here.

For money saving tips on grinding your own Quinoa Flour, click here.

Pumpkin Sticky Buns

I set out this morning to bake cinnamon rolls, but thought these were more suited to a "caramel" topping. Caramel is a combination of sugar and cream, but I replaced those with dates and vanilla. I made mini-rolls because I didn't have large surface ready for the whole batch of dough, so I split it into two. Bonus: I feel less guilty when I eat a lot of them :)

Cinnamon Roll Dough
1/2 cup teff flour
1 cup brown rice flour
1/2 cup tapioca flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 & 1/4 cup pumpkin
4 tb palm oil, melted
1/4 cup agave

Combine the dry ingredients first, and then mash the pumpkin in with a fork. Combine the melted oil and agave first, then transfer onto the batter and combine. If the dough is sticky and hard to handle, it's too warm. I had to let it rest in the fridge for about 30 minutes. Flour a surface and lightly roll out the dough. It will stand up to rolling, which is fairly rare for a vegan gluten free dough.

Once you have rolled the dough into a rectangular shape, soften 2 TB of palm oil and mix in 3 TB of maple syrup to brush over the dough. I made the mistake of completely melting the palm oil, and ended up with a gooey mess, which you'll see below. Delicious, but gooey. A nice addition would be rough chopped pecans. Sprinkle a liberal amount of cinnamon on the dough, a small amount of allspice (just a pinch), and grate some fresh nutmeg on top. Note: Not all maple syrup is actually vegan, so it's best to research your sources. Sometimes they use fat to keep the syrup from bubbling over. If you would rather, you can use turbinado sugar, which to the best of my knowledge and research is never filtered with bone-char.


Roll the dough along the length of the dough (roll long end to long end - don't start at a skinny end, or you'll end up with the fattest cinnamon rolls ever) and cut them about at a length of about 1 1/2 inches. The second mistake I made while making these is not putting baking paper on the cookie sheet. These are gooey, and while cleanup wasn't impossible, it was a little longer than it could have been. The baking paper I use sparingly is unbleached and I reuse often before composting. It's a great way to keep things a little fresher than just sitting in the open.

These buns look a little dry on the outside when they are done (after about 25 minutes at 350 degrees F), but they are quite moist in the middle. They are so yummy.

"Caramel"
4 dates, soaked for a minimum of 45 minutes
3-4 TB of water
pinch of scraped vanilla bean
small pinch of salt

Blend the ingredients in a high speed blender and spoon over the top.