Pumpkin cranberry muffins

There is something about pumpkins that I love, maybe its their color or the round chubbiness of them, or that they sit on peoples front door steps waiting for a face. Whatever it its I love them and the taste of them!

Local  cranberries hit the store the other day, so I picked up a bag. I am waiting for the veggie stand down the road to put them out, last year I got a huge ziplock bag full! Pumpkin and cranberry mixed together is like Ernie and Bert.

I whipped these up this morning with the roasted pumpkin puree I made the other day.  Perfect with your morning coffee (or tea).

Pumpkin cranberry muffins

1 1/2 cups unbleached flour
1/2 cup organic cane sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground cardamom
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp allspice
1/4 tsp salt

1 cup pumpkin puree
3 tbsp olive oil
3/4 cup soy milk mixed with 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
1 tbsp ground flax seed mixed with 3 tbsp hot water

1 cup fresh cranberries- pulsed through a food processor ( just to break them up a bit)
Walnuts on the top are optional.

Preheat oven to 375
Mix dry ingredients together in a bowl
Combine wet ingredients, pour into dry and stir it up.
Add the cranberries and scoop into a muffin tin. (grease it if you don't have muffin liners)
Bake for 30 minutes or until done.

Granola bars

 

My daughters both love granola bars and its hard to find vegan granola bars at the store, I decided to try and make them...These turned out pretty good, except that I wish I added a bit more maple syrup and almond butter.

2 cups old fashion oats

1 cup wheat germ

3/4 cup coconut

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup sunflower seeds

1/2 cup ground flax seeds

1/2 cup dark chocolate chunks

1/2 cup dried cranberries

1/4 cup chopped almonds

1 1/4 cup applesauce

1/4 cup maple syrup

1/3 cup coconut oil-melted

1 tbsp vanilla 

Preheat oven to 350

Add wet to dry, stir until well combined.

Line a 9x13 pan with parchment paper

press mixture firmly down. 

Bake for 25 minutes.

Cut while still warm. 

Let cool

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Cranberry love

The weather is getting cooler and we have been using the wood stove almost every night, it keeps the house toasty. When I walk outside of the house I can smell the burning of wood in the air...
I guess I have been taking a little bit of a break from my blog, I feel sometimes lost for words, but I have enjoyed reading a bunch of new blogs that I have found. I always feel inspired to make something I have never tried, and then I seem to fall back into the same old meals.....

We had thanksgiving a couple of weeks ago and I made this quick cranberry jam, its not super sweet and has a nice tartness to it. It would be nice with some roasted garlic on toast.YUM! The first batch of cranberries I picked up at the farmers market. Those were gone fast! On my way home several times I noticed that the elderly couple had there stand out at the end of there driveway selling cranberries so I stopped. $5.00 for a huge bag!!

quick cranberry jam

cranberry & orange muffins

There is so many things to do with cranberries, I think I am going to go the savory route next. I found some good ideas on the Martha Stewart site (I love her), this is where I got the idea to make a cranberry upside down cake, not to mention I had just read a post on Opera singer in the kitchen's blog, her gingerbread caramel pear upside down cake looks delicious! I had to adapt the Martha recipe to make it vegan. I used coconut oil instead of butter and added water, I also changed the baking powder to baking soda. I served it with coconut ice cream.

cranberry upside down cake