Pumpkin Spice Bran Muffins

I wasn't able to get a decent picture of these because my kids were more concerned with eating the muffins than food photography. I started out by using pumpkin puree in place of oil and then decided to add the spices for a pumpkin pie flavor.

Pumpkin Spice Bran Muffins

1 1/2 cups wheat bran
1/2 cup hot water
1 cup soy milk
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup pumpkin puree
1 Tbsp ground flax seed mixed into 2 Tbsp water
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp allspice

1 1/4 cup white whole wheat flour


Preheat oven to 400F.

In a large mixing bowl, combine wheat bran and hot water. Allow to sit for a few minutes so the bran absorbs the moisture. Meanwhile, combine soy milk and apple cider vinegar in a small bowl or measuring cup. Allow to curdle, then stir into bran. Mix in brown sugar, pumpkin puree, and flax. Sift in baking soda, salt, and spices, stir, then sift in white whole wheat flour and mix until well combined.

Spoon batter into 12 greased or papered muffin cups. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean.

Sneaky Gnocchi

On my endless quest to try new things, I picked up a package of gnocchi. I'd never had it before, so I had no idea what to do with it. A quick internet search yielded many suggestions of serving it with an alfredo-type sauce, so I ran with that.

This alfredo sauce is super-sneaky. It contains beans, greens, and pumpkin, but no soy, wheat, or dairy. You can serve it like I did or heat it up in a saucepan and pour it over pasta or vegetables. You can also switch out the pumpkin puree for a different vegetable like carrot or squash and use kale instead of spinach. Or, if you don't like the green tint the spinach gives the sauce, you can leave the greens out entirely.

Sneaky Gnocchi

1 package gnocchi (I used a 17oz package of pumpkin gnocchi)
1 lb tofu, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1 medium red bell pepper, diced

Alfredo Sauce
1 15oz can white beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup raw spinach, tightly packed
1/2 cup pureed pumpkin
1 1/4 cup non-dairy milk
1 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp salt
2 Tbsp nutritional yeast
2 Tbsp tahini

Sesame Parmesan Sprinkles
1/4 cup sesame seeds
1 Tbsp nutritional yeast
1 tsp light miso

Preheat oven to 400F. Put cubed tofu in a single layer on a greased cookie sheet. Bake for 20 minutes.

While the tofu is cooking, cook gnocchi according to package directions (this is usually place in boiling water for a few minutes until it floats, then drain).

Place all alfredo sauce ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.

Place sesame seeds in a spice grinder or food processor and process to a powder. Add nutritional yeast and miso and process until well mixed.

Mix together tofu, diced peppers, cooked gnocchi, and alfredo sauce in a bowl, then pour into an 8"x8" pan. Sprinkle sesame parmesan over the gnocchi mixture. Bake at 400F for 20 minutes, until sesame parmesan is lightly browned and the sauce is thick and bubbly.