pumpkin spice ice cream (vegan/gluten free)

 I confess I am a sucker for anything pumpkin flavored. The second good old Starbucks announces the pumpkin spice latte is back on the menu I am in line with baited breath waiting for that first yummy sip of fall. I love pumpkin bread, pumpkin cookies, pumpkin donuts, you get the picture.

One of my very favorite ways to enjoy pumpkin is in ice cream form. I remember the first time I tried it years and years ago with graham crackers and whip cream on top it was love at first bite and I look forward to seeing it pop up in our grocery store when the season is right.

But as of late I have moved to a plant based animal free diet and sadly vegan pumpkin ice cream is not as readily available as the milk based version so I decided it was high time I tried my hand at making it at home. Honestly I didn't know what to expect I have made coconut milk ice cream before but mainly vanilla nothing to fancy. For this recipe I experimented a bit with a base recipe I like and added some spices and pumpkin puree and a little bit of rum too to round it out. What I got was honestly the yummiest, creamiest pumpkin ice cream, seriously so good - the kids went crazy for it!

 Ingredients:

• 15 ounce can of full fat coconut milk
• 1 1/2 cups of organic plain soy or almond milk
• 1/3 + 2 Tablespoons of Sugar
• 1/4 cup of firmly packed brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon of ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon of salt
• 3/4 teaspoon of xanthan gum
• 3 Tablespoons of canola oil
• 3/4 cup of canned pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla
• 2 teaspoons of bourbon or rum (optional)

In a large pot place the coconut milk, nut milk, sugar and brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and salt and gently warm over low heat with a whisk until all of the sugar melts. Remove from heat and whisk in the xanthan gum and oil.

Pour the contents of the pot into a blender or food processor and add the pumpkin puree, vanilla and rum if you are using it. Blend on high until everything is smooth and Incorporated.

Pour the cream mixture through a fine sieve to make it as smooth as possible and then place it into a container and freeze for at least two to three hours. Process mixture through an ice cream maker according to the manufactures directions and enjoy!

I served mine with a little bit of honey maple cream that we picked up recently at the fair but I could see sprinkling on some graham crackers or ginger cookies too. Either way this is a super delicious, seasonal treat that I think you will love!

I originally wrote this post for the super sweet girls over at Eighteen25 and their month long Spooktacular September event! There are some really fun projects going on over there so I highly recommend taking a peek to get the creative juices flowing for all those October festivities coming up!!

Trip to the Fair :: 2012

We have gone each September for the past three to celebrate Chris' birthday together as a family. There are a few things the boys talk about all year long and this is one of them for sure. It was Josie and Zeb's first trip and my first not pregnant :)...one of my favorite moments from the day was seeing Simon squeal with delight when he found out that he had grown enough over the past twelve months to go on a BIG roller coaster with Dad!

We ate yummy fair food, saw some animals, ran into old friends and the big boys did all the rides they could handle in a day! I did a lot of stroller patrol and the feedings and changings...but I wouldn't have missed the excitement for the world!

It is such a gift to be able to create these fun traditions as a family and I am looking forward to the years and years of trips to the fair in our future!

happy weekend to you

we are all smiles about it over here!

Zucchini Lemon Cake (dairy/egg free)

My sister in law, Jenny is an urban farmer of sorts. She and her husband have raised chickens and have the most beautiful garden in their backyard in the city, I am always drooling over it whenever we visit! This past summer she has been generous with her bounty of Zucchini and has mentioned to me on many occasions a recipe she fell in love with (HERE) for a Lemon-Zucchini Loaf. Honestly her description sounded so amazing but sadly the buttermilk and eggs are both allergies for me so whenever she talks about it I drool but have refrained from making any for myself sticking mainly to a whole wheat - chocolate version instead.

Today I spotted a few more zucchini in my veggie drawer that were about to go bad and so I decided to go for it and see if I could use my limited but willing vegan baking ability to make the cake with some substitutions - something yummy, lemony and light but without the dairy and eggs.

Folks my four year old no joke let out a little moan when he tried this it is SO GOOD!!!

Jenny you were right this is an ah-mazing recipe thank you for the inspiration...and the zucchini :)

Zucchini Lemon Cake (dairy/egg free) 

(Original recipe found HERE - below is adapted with my substitutions but I can only imagine that the version with buttermilk and eggs is divine!)

• 2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3 teaspoons of EnerG egg replacer plus 4 Tablespoon of warm water mixed well 
• 1/2 cup canola oil
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup of organic plain soy or almond milk along with 1/2 teaspoon of apple cider vinegar
• Juice of 1 lemon
• Zest of 1 lemon
• 1 cup grated zucchini (you don’t need to peel the zucchini before grating it)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a 9×5″ loaf pan; set aside.

In large bowl, blend flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside.

In medium bowl, mix the egg replacer and water, then add canola oil and sugar, and blend well. Then add the soy milk/vinegar mixture, lemon juice, and lemon zest and blend everything well. Fold in zucchini and stir until evenly distributed in mixture.

Add this mixture to the dry ingredients in the large bowl and blend everything together, but don’t over mix.
 
Pour batter into prepared 9×5″ loaf pan and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean

Glaze

• Juice of 1-2  lemons depending on the size to get the right consistency
• 1 cup powdered sugar

In small bowl, mix powdered sugar and lemon juice until well blended. Spoon glaze over cooled loaf. Let glaze set, then serve.

one last hurrah

We couldn't resist one last chance to get out on the gorgeous water and take in the beauty of the late summer here in the pacific northwest. I have always loved fall the most but the late summers here are absolutely stunning especially on a really warm evening when the mountains are out in all their splendor and the family and food, laughter and conversation are flowing. Thanks uncle Scott and aunt Kathy we had the best time!

A few more images from our evening on my flickr page HERE!

Ten on Ten :: September 2012

It was a harder one for me today I really had to dig in deep to find those nuggets of beauty and blessing. They are always there though for me to partake if I choose. I so love this monthly ritual of capturing a day behind the lens and am looking forward to looking through your sets, thank you all who played along this community and accountability is a gift! Until next month, happy photographing friends!

Learn more about the Ten on Ten project HERE and check out all the other sets HERE.

Ten on Ten :: September 2012

Happy tenth everyone I hope that your week is off to a wonderful start! I am looking forward to seeing how your day takes shape later on. When you are ready add your set to the linky below and check out all of the other participants sets too! I will be back later with mine, hope you have a wonderful day today friends! Learn more about this project HERE.

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