I don't usually publish my personal recipes; I am a very idiosyncratic cook and don't want to be sued by someone getting indigestion. However, finding a decent recipe for vegan pumpkin pie seems nearly impossible and I really like this one. If you're chicken or feeding this to kids, you can leave out the cayenne, but you'll be missing the very essence of what this pie should be.
Making fresh pumpkin puree is a royal pain, but worth the time and trouble if you feel so inclined. I used to do that in the days when my whole body functioned and the arthritis was in the future. Now I use the canned stuff. If you are up to making your own, the recipe at http://chefinyou.com/2009/10/pumpkin-puree-recipe looks OK. If you do this, be sure to get as much water out of it as you can, as it tends to be a bit runny.
Most people insist on adding salt. I'm not sure why, but you can add a dash of it, if you feel the need.
About the tofu. Please try to use organic, as genetically modified soy is an excellent product to run - don't walk - away from. Tofu tends to make the pie runny, so I suggest you press it for about an hour. Cut the tofu lengthwise into 3 or 4 slabs. Place these on a kitchen towel, then either fold it over the top or place a second towel on top of the it. Put something flat - I use a cutting board - and big enough to cover the tofu on top of the towel and weight it down. You can use canned goods, books or even a pan of water, whatever you have handy. I suppose you could use paper towels instead of the kitchen towel, but that's wasteful and I don't like wastefulness.
Now you've done all the hard work, so gather your ingredients and get going.
Oh, I should mention that I live in the USA and I use the native measurements. If you live in the civilised world, I suggest that you just shine it on and approximate the measurements. For spices, in general, 1 teaspoon is about 5 grams. The amount of cornstarch I suggest you use would be about 25 grams because cornstarch is pretty dense stuff. I really don't usually measure the ingredients; I just did it once so I could write this recipe out.
Modify this recipe as you see fit. I go a little heavy on the spices; you may want to cut those down a bit. Also, this is not really sweet. If you like sweet, increase the sugar anywhere up to a cup. I think that's icky sweet, but I won't be eating it, so do as you like.
INGREDIENTS:
3/4 pound firm tofu
1 16 ounce can pumpkin puree OR 2 - 8 ounce cups homemade pumpkin puree
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp cloves
1/4 tsp cayene pepper
1/3 cup oil
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 tbsp maple syrup
2 T. cornstarch
The easy way: Toss all of these into your food processor or blender and process them until they are smooth.
The hard way: You can do this by hand with a wire whisk. Start with the tofu and a bit of the pumpkin. Once that is smooth, you can add the rest of the ingredients. Getting the tofu smooth is the hard part, but lumps of tofu in the pie are gross. Whisk until your arm is tired and it should be about right. I have tried using an egg beater and wasn't happy with the results. I suppose you could use an electric mixer. I've never tried that.
Pour into a pie crust shell of your choice. If I use a crust made of wheat flour, I usually bake it first until it's no longer raw because I could never get the crust not having that raw taste unless I did. Try a whole wheat crust with this pie. It goes really well with the pumpkin.
Bake for 10 minutes at 450° F (230 ° C), then lower the temperature to 350° F (175° C) and bake for 45-50 minutes.
Cool in the refrigerator and serve as is or with a topping of your choice. Whipped cream is traditional, but, of course, that's not vegan, and I haven't found a vegan topping I like. Maybe a dollop of organic soy yogurt would work, but the pie really doesn't need it.
When I make mine, I'll post a picture, but I don't have any pictures of my own, so here's a picture from the net. Or if you make it and send me a picture, I'll post that.
***BTW, this is really good for breakfast and a lot better for you than a bagel or a couple donuts.***
Making fresh pumpkin puree is a royal pain, but worth the time and trouble if you feel so inclined. I used to do that in the days when my whole body functioned and the arthritis was in the future. Now I use the canned stuff. If you are up to making your own, the recipe at http://chefinyou.com/2009/10/pumpkin-puree-recipe looks OK. If you do this, be sure to get as much water out of it as you can, as it tends to be a bit runny.
Most people insist on adding salt. I'm not sure why, but you can add a dash of it, if you feel the need.
About the tofu. Please try to use organic, as genetically modified soy is an excellent product to run - don't walk - away from. Tofu tends to make the pie runny, so I suggest you press it for about an hour. Cut the tofu lengthwise into 3 or 4 slabs. Place these on a kitchen towel, then either fold it over the top or place a second towel on top of the it. Put something flat - I use a cutting board - and big enough to cover the tofu on top of the towel and weight it down. You can use canned goods, books or even a pan of water, whatever you have handy. I suppose you could use paper towels instead of the kitchen towel, but that's wasteful and I don't like wastefulness.
Now you've done all the hard work, so gather your ingredients and get going.
Oh, I should mention that I live in the USA and I use the native measurements. If you live in the civilised world, I suggest that you just shine it on and approximate the measurements. For spices, in general, 1 teaspoon is about 5 grams. The amount of cornstarch I suggest you use would be about 25 grams because cornstarch is pretty dense stuff. I really don't usually measure the ingredients; I just did it once so I could write this recipe out.
Modify this recipe as you see fit. I go a little heavy on the spices; you may want to cut those down a bit. Also, this is not really sweet. If you like sweet, increase the sugar anywhere up to a cup. I think that's icky sweet, but I won't be eating it, so do as you like.
INGREDIENTS:
3/4 pound firm tofu
1 16 ounce can pumpkin puree OR 2 - 8 ounce cups homemade pumpkin puree
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp cloves
1/4 tsp cayene pepper
1/3 cup oil
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 tbsp maple syrup
2 T. cornstarch
The easy way: Toss all of these into your food processor or blender and process them until they are smooth.
The hard way: You can do this by hand with a wire whisk. Start with the tofu and a bit of the pumpkin. Once that is smooth, you can add the rest of the ingredients. Getting the tofu smooth is the hard part, but lumps of tofu in the pie are gross. Whisk until your arm is tired and it should be about right. I have tried using an egg beater and wasn't happy with the results. I suppose you could use an electric mixer. I've never tried that.
Pour into a pie crust shell of your choice. If I use a crust made of wheat flour, I usually bake it first until it's no longer raw because I could never get the crust not having that raw taste unless I did. Try a whole wheat crust with this pie. It goes really well with the pumpkin.
Bake for 10 minutes at 450° F (230 ° C), then lower the temperature to 350° F (175° C) and bake for 45-50 minutes.
Cool in the refrigerator and serve as is or with a topping of your choice. Whipped cream is traditional, but, of course, that's not vegan, and I haven't found a vegan topping I like. Maybe a dollop of organic soy yogurt would work, but the pie really doesn't need it.
When I make mine, I'll post a picture, but I don't have any pictures of my own, so here's a picture from the net. Or if you make it and send me a picture, I'll post that.
***BTW, this is really good for breakfast and a lot better for you than a bagel or a couple donuts.***
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