[Thursday May 17th 2012 blog]
Vegan day 138: Pumpkin chickpea adventure
Honestly, it was an adventure but at least this time it was a group effort! My friend Dot is an amazing cook- generous and thoughtful too, cooking for many different occasions. I really enjoy it at work that so many people have taken an interest in eating healthier. Recipes are passed hand to hand.. word to mouth.. there is room for improvements.. and room for error- especially while trying to VEGANIZE a recipe! This was fun!
She had “pumpkin meatballs” (meatless) somewhere along the line recently and so tried to make them herself. Mind you- she is the cook… “me”… I’m the “eater”! lol
Well, in an unusual take- she made the beginnings of these pumpkin balls but then couldn’t get them to the right consistency or taste so passed the puree off to me. I love a challenge– and a challenge it was. What started off with the intention of becoming a pumpkin ball turned into pumpkin pastries or bread rolls… and then into latkas or even knishes. Whatever people wanted to identify it as- that’s fine with me as long as it was edible. That’s what I got.. “edible”! lol
Actually, after we visualized what condiments they could be complemented with, then, they actually tasted pretty good! Next time we will shoot for more texture and baking instead of frying.
The PUREE
Pumpkin (squash)
Chick peas (canned)
Ginger
Garlic
This was handed to me in a soupy smooth puree consistency! Now, I wasn’t sure what to do- so I did everything! We had to prepare this with no butter, milk, cheese or eggs you know! I think the batter could have used eggs so I looked up egg replacements. Although to my surprise there were many, these are options that I took:
- Flaxseed meal
- Breadcrumbs
- Potato flour
- Baking powder
If there is a vegan in your life who you love- or you simply want to eat more consciously and save the animals- these links are a MUST PRINT!
The Ultimate Vegan Baking Cheat Sheet
PCRM Ingredient Substitution Chart
To get this mixture somewhere, I ended up using all of these things.. and a lot of them. This is where we passed right by healthy. To make things worse, I cooked them in oil- at least it was coconut oil which added flavor in the end!
The Ultimate Vegan Baking Cheat Sheet
PCRM Ingredient Substitution Chart
To get this mixture somewhere, I ended up using all of these things.. and a lot of them. This is where we passed right by healthy. To make things worse, I cooked them in oil- at least it was coconut oil which added flavor in the end!
You do know we will be on a mission now to make these “right”. After eating them up at 4am in the morning after work, we all decided that they needed:
- Texture- for example not pureeing the pumpkin and chickpeas so finely. Leaving some bulk to the mix.
- Baking would be healthier!
- Vegan sour cream, applesauce and mustard on hand in case it didn’t work again!
Back to the drawing board!
Disclaimer: The information given here is for educational purposes only. You should not use this to diagnose or treat a health problem or disease without consulting with a qualified health care provider.
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