No-Bake Vegan Pumpkin Pie - Gluten Free

I fully intended to grow pumpkins this fall, but with the extended summer weather I was fooled into believing I still had time to plant. I waited too long. Fortunately, the great pumpkin shortage of 2009 is over and canned pumpkin is available at the grocery stored. Unfortunately, Hurricane Irene ruined much of the pumpkin crop in the northeast, so you might want to stock up now if pumpkin recipes are a part of your holiday cooking tradition.

This pie is one result of my search for plant based foods that my father will eat and actually enjoy. The crust recipe is made from dates and nuts and comes from the Engine 2 Diet, by Rip Esselstyn, a top professional triathlete and now a professional firefighter. The filling is based on a recipe from Love Veggies and Yoga, with a few alterations. It's topped with a cashew cream whipped concoction that tastes as rich as dairy cream, without the dairy. If you plan to make cashew cream, you should begin the night before you intend to use it. If you like it, make a good sized batch. It keeps for several days in the refrigerator, and it can be frozen, too.

Take it out of the freezer at least 30 minutes before serving. The filling is substantial enough to serve at room temp, where I think you get the most out of the pumpkin and spice flavors.

No-Bake Vegan Pumpkin Pie Recipe

Banofee Pie

My brother Larry is a very dynamic person. He is charming and witty, a brilliant lawyer, a collector of fine British automobiles, and an aficionado of fine wines. He is an award winning trumpet player, and an international man of mystery. He is also an excellent cook. So when he sent me a recipe, along with its entire history, and followed that up with a phone call the very same day, I knew that Banoffee Pie was coming to my kitchen soon.

This dessert is said to have originated in England at The Hungry Monk restaurant in East Sussex, UK. Bananas and toffee combine to create Banoffee, a rich, sticky, and heavenly combination embraced by a Graham cracker crust and topped with a cloud of homemade whipped cream. Invite company when you make this. It is far too tempting to keep it around the house for long.

With only 5 ingredients, this recipe is as easy as can be. Making the toffee, though, can take time. What the British call toffee is better known in Florida as Dulce de Leche, or milk candy in Spanish. It is often made by submerging an unopened can of sweetened condensed milk in a pot of boiling water, and allowing it to simmer for 3 hours. By that time, the milk has darkened and become a sweet, thick confection. Sounds exciting. And maybe a little scary. Cooking for Engineers offered a microwave approach, but the mention of liquid napalm made me nervous. I settled for the comfort of a familiar double boiler. I should also tell you that when I bought the sweetened condensed milk, I also bought a can of Nestle's Dulce de Leche. Hey, it's the same thing...they just did the 3 hour cooking in a can for me. I made the toffee in the double boiler, and it was delicious. Then I opened the ready made can and guess what? Just as good. I can now whip this up in no time.

Chocolate Mint Dessert

This is really cheating. I did not make a single thing here, just combined two pretty wonderful foods in a pretty dish. If you don't have some beautiful delicate dessert bowls, use martini glasses. Drama is good.

INGREDIENTS
Haagen Dass 5 Ingredient Mint Ice Cream
Thin Mints Girl Scout Cookies, frozen if possible

Sprigs of fresh spearmint
 
PROCEDURE
You know what to do

Note: I buy 6 or 8 boxes of Girl Scout Thin Mints every March, and hide them in cupboards, the freezer, containers, you name it. I like to pretend that I am hiding them from Gary which is mostly true. I remember most of the hiding places, but I do love it when I discover there is one more sleeve of these chocolate treasures. Still, I have never managed to have enough to last until they start selling them again.

If you don't have Thin Mints stashed in your pantry, try Ginger Snaps, Belgian Butter Wafers, or a couple of chunks of extra dark chocolate. Perfect for a hot summer night.

Ginger Brandy Cheesecake

Wow! I rarely make desserts, but this recipe was irresistible. I made this for Christmas Eve.

I am excited to finally own my very first spring form pan. This one is Nordic Ware, and was only $10.00. It did not leak one drop.

I discovered that cheesecake - at least this one - is not very difficult, and it is not very complicated, but for some reason, it took me forever to assemble the ingredients. I am attributing that to a lack of organization, and do not think it is an accurate reflection of the difficulty level of this recipe.

GINGER BRANDY CHEESECAKE

CRUST
2 cups ginger snap crumbs (make them in a food processor or blender)
5 Tbs melted butter
Mix together well. Press into botton of a 10" springform pan. (I used a 9 inch and it turned out fine.)

FILLING
12 oz cream cheese, softened, lowfat OK
1 1/2 cups sour cream or yogurt or a combination
4 eggs (can omit some or all yolks)
1/4 cup honey or sugar, adjust to taste (I used honey)
1/4 cup brandy or cognac (they are the same thing)
2 Tbs finely grated ginger (I use a little hand held cheese grater)
a dash of salt

1) Preheat oven to 350
2) Whip everything together until smooth.
3) Pour onto crust in springform pand. Bake for 40 minutes or until center is firm to the touch and edges are slightly brown. Cool completely before removing pan rim and glazing.

GLAZE (optional, but delicious!)
2 Tbs cornstarch
3/4 cup orange juice
2 Tbs honey or sugar
1 Tbs brandy or cognac
1/2 tsp orange rind
candied (crystalized) ginger cut into strips (optional)

1) Place cornstarch in a small saucepan. Whisk in the orange juice.
2) Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly until smooth and glossy. About 5 minutes.
30 Remove from heat, whisk in remaining ingredients except the candied ginger. Pour hot glaze onto cooled cheesecake, spreading it evenly. Garnish with candied ginger strips. Chill thoroughly before serving.