Oh sweet thing, sweet thing My, my, my, my, my sweet thing And I shall drive my chariot Down your streets and cry 'Hey, it's me, I'm dynamite

i really love this time of year.  it feels good to have football on TV.  the house is clean.  all of my clothes that have been in my "summer suitcase" are all put away.  my yankee fall festival candle has been burning all day.  i made that great stew with dumplings. and i have pumpkin in my cupboard again.  ah pumpkin! fall is here!!  and also it is time again to bake yummy treats in the oven.  

all year long i have been obsessed with cupcakes.  looking at pictures of them.  finding recipes. baking them. eating them.  so why not try a pumpkin cupcake....

i found a great recipe from the blog Hell Yeah It's Vegan.  I changed only a couple things. and instead of the icing recipe listed with it (which you can certainly use) i made a vegan "butter" creme instead.  i am an icing junky.

VEGAN PUMPKIN CUPCAKES WITH CINNAMON BUTTERCREME

1¼ c canned pumpkin
1 c sugar
¼ c oil
¼ c soy creamer

1¼ c flour
½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
¼ tsp salt

preheat oven to 350 degrees. line a 12 muffin pan with cupcake liners.  

in large bowl mix together pumpkin, sugar, oil and creamer. in separate bowl sift together the rest of the dry ingredients.  and the dry ingredients to the wet and mix until moistened.  

fill cupcake liners (i used a 1/4 measuring cup and a spatula) and bake for 20-22 minutes.

let cool

CINNAMON BUTTER-CREME FROSTING

3/4 stick Earth Balance Buttery Stick

1-3 tablespoons soy creamer (silk brand)

3 cups approx powdered sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

in a mixer, blend the earth balance and 1 tablespoon creamer.  add powdered sugar and soy creamer ALTERNATELY until frosting has a fluffy consistency. add cinnamon and blend together.  i used a pastry bag and an icing tip to decorate the cupcakes but you can do that any way you like.  

Leaves are falling all around, It's time I was on my way. Thanks to you, I'm much obliged for such a pleasant stay. But now it's time for me to go. The autumn moon lights my way.

summer is officially over. gone. no where to be found.  it is feeling like autumn today on this college football Saturday.  and that means it is time to start using my kitchen again.  one of my favorite meals that mom always made on days like these was chicken and dumplings.  the thought of those fluffy Bisquick clouds simmering over a pot of savory stew warms my heart.  but now i have to give up this comfort food of past due to my new vegan outlook.... or do i??

one of the things i have discovered in the sacred natural food section at wegmans is the ""better than bouillon" line of various flavor bases.  they have vegetable, mushroom, and the life saving "no beef" and "no chicken" base that tastes like what it says its "not" yet made from vegetables.  i have used the beef flavor before, in my beef stroganoff recipe, and it was amazing.  so i decided to try the "no chicken" base.  i found a recipe for chicken and dumplings from the "vegan chicks rock" blog.  i switched out some of the ingredients it called for, simply because it was what i had on hand, and i also added some as well.  i just had two bowls of the stuff and it was awesome........

Emily's "no chicken" and dumplings

Dumplings:

1 Cup almond milk
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
2 Cups flour 
1 Tablespoon baking powder 
1 teaspoon salt 
3 teaspoons ground flax seed mixed with 4 teaspoons water (this is your "eggs")
Mix the almond milk and vinegar together and set aside for at least 5 minutes. Sift dry ingredients together in a large bowl. In a small bowl, lightly beat the flax mixture and almond milk mixture together. Pour the liquid in the dry ingredients and stir gently. Mix just until combined.


No Chicken Stew

2 tablespoons Earth Balance buttery stick
1 tablespoon olive oil (i used a rosemary infused oil)
1/2 cup chopped each - onion, celery, carrots
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 bay leaves
teaspoon each dried rosemary and thyme
dash of Cajun seasoning (i have emeril's brand)
2 potatoes chopped
handful of sliced mushrooms
1 tablespoon flour (i used half/half whole wheat and white)
2 teaspoons Better Than Bouillon No Chicken Base (you can use more if you want a bolder flavor, but it can become too salty)
4-6 cups water
1/4 cup soy creamer (silk brand)
salt, fresh ground pepper

melt earth balance and olive oil over medium heat. add onion, celery, carrot, garlic, bay leaves, rosemary, thyme and Cajun seasoning. saute until veggies are tender.  add potatoes and mushrooms.  continue cooking 5-10 minutes.  stir in flour, 2 minutes until veggies are coated.  add no chicken base, then stir in water.  cook 15 minutes.  add soy creamer.  bring to a simmer.  drop dumpling batter by spoonfuls onto top of stew.  sprinkle with salt and pepper.  cook 15-20 minutes until dumplings are cooked through.
enjoy!!!