Pumpkin Pie For The Soul

So the Fall Balls are actually Averie’s Vegan Pumpkin Spice Donut Holes. They looked so good and I love pumpkin pie, which I can’t eat anymore, that I just had to make them.

The first batch was straight her recipe. There were 2 problems with them, which is why there was another batch. Problem one, I apparently didn’t rinse the blender as well as I thought I had after my smoothie so the pumpkin spice donuts tasted more like banaberry donuts, while not awful, definitely not what I was going for. Problem number two, I really need to accept that I cannot have flax seeds, we just do not get along.

And so the need for batch number 2. For the second batch I bumped up the amounts and changed a couple of ingredients; for example, I replaced the flax seeds with cashews, the agave with honey and took out the coconut oil.



These ones came out much stickier but were crazy good. It was just like eating a piece of pumpkin pie minus the crust. I think that they were stickier because flax seeds absorb moisture unlike cashews. I was actually thinking about giving these a try with chia seeds, but at the same time, I’m not really sure if they would work.

Averie also has a recipe for a raw vegan pumpkin pie that I would really like to make. When I went to the store for a can of pumpkin puree I ended with the extra large size that has enough to make 2 pies. I only used about 5 tablespoons, so I really do need to make something else with it.

Pumpkins are a great source of calcium and potassium and are definitely in abundance right now. I’ve never tried cooking with fresh pumpkin but I bet it would be even better than the canned. Plus fresh food takes a lot less energy and uses a lot less resources to produce.

Ok, I’ve never actually made anything with a pumpkin before this but considering how good these donut holes came out and how much I think I’m going to love the pumpkin pie, I’m going to need to find a greener way to do it than buying canned pumpkin. I found instructions on ehow.com for cooking pumpkins that can then be used in other recipes. And since you can’t turn around without tripping over a pumpkin at any store right now, I’m definitely giving it a try after my canned pumpkin runs out.

Nothing says fall to me like pumpkin pie and right now I could definitely use some fall inspiration with this crazy heat wave we're having. Today it was only 95* but the 2 days before were both in the 100's. Ridiculous. Anyways, it's really great to find foods that satisfy that emotional need as well as the physical. I can't wait to make the pie for Thanksgiving.

Here’s the (thrown together) recipe for my Fall Balls in case you want to give them a go, and yes Aimee, they’re gluten free!

• About 1 cup cashews
  
• 2 heaping tbsps pumpkin puree
  
• 2 tbsps honey
  
• 1 ½ tsps pumpkin pie spice mix

Grind the cashews first in a high speed blender or food processor. Then add the rest of your ingredients until they’re all blended together. Scoop out your mixture and roll into balls. I like to refrigerate mine so they get a little firmer.

Do you have any great gluten-free pumpkin recipes?


Oh, and I'm still planning on making my own caramel apples either with the raw recipe mentioned on Bitt of Raw or with one the I found in a magazine. Just in case you're curious. ;)