Spiced pumpkin muffins (vegan & glutenfree)

fitting with the season, I decided to make muffins with speculaas spices - enough to fill a tray of 12 muffin forms.

ingredients

175g self raising gluten free flour

1 tablespoon speculaas spices (see below for the contents)

75g brown sugar (I used gula merah /gula melaka / jaggery - which is a palm sugar)

pinch of salt

1 cup pumpkin puree (fresh is the best, but you could use a can too)

100ml almond milk (unsweetened) - or use soy milk or other vegan milk

50ml coconut oil

walnuts (optional)

preparation

Preheat the oven to 205C.

Mix the flour with the spices and sugar, and taste the mixture to check if the balance is right (the above ingredients are estimates, I use my feeling and taste). 

In a separate bowl, mix the pumpkin with the coconut oil and half of the almond milk till you get a smooth mixture. 

Slowly fold in the wet mixture to the flour mixture and mix it well together. 

After the wet mixture is folded into the flour mixture, slowly add more almond milk and keep mixing till you have a nice smooth batter. It should not be runny, but the flour should be mixed well. 

Add chopped up walnuts to the batter if you like. 

Scoop the batter into the muffin tray and fill the muffin cups till 2/3.

Place in the oven and bake for 18-20 minutes. 

Let it rest for a few minutes and take it out. 

recipe inspired by http://www.isachandra.com/2009/11/the-best-pumpkin-muffins/

serving suggestion

serve with whipped vegan coconut cream. Recipe here: http://petiteallergytreats.com/homemade-coconut-whipped-cream-dairy/

speculaas spice mix

8 parts cinnamon

2 parts nutmeg

2 parts clove (ground)

1 part ginger powder

1 part cardamom

1 part white pepper

1 part anise seed

1 part coriander seed

mix the spices till you have a fine powder mixture. 

Vegan jambalaya

Jambalaya is a tasty cajun / creole dish, that makes for a hearty meal.
This recipe caters for about 12 persons, but you can reduce the amounts for less people.

jambalaya on the bottom left, other pictures the ingredients and start of cooking

Ingredients

olive oil (for cooking)

smoked paprika

bay leaves

cajun spice mix

freshly ground black pepper

freshly ground seasalt

1 vegetable stock cube (optional)

garlic (4 cloves)

onion (4 red onions, but you can use yellow onions too)

2 (yellow) zucchinis

8 large stalks of celery

6 big tomatoes

beans (I used a packet of mixed dried beans - see picture - that I soaked for 2 hours prior to adding them, but you could use a can of pinto beans or kidney beans too if you like)

450g long grain brown rice (or other rice, but long grain)

fresh cilantro

vegan worcestershire sauce (I didn't have this, but used another vegan seasoning)

in terms of vegetables, you can do a lot of variations, whatever you have in the fridge! goes well with capsicum, eggplant, etc. too and I'm sure mushrooms will be nice too.

Preparation

Cut the garlic and onions finely. Cut the other vegetables into small cubes (see photo).
Heat olive oil in a large soup pot, add the garlic and onions to saute. Once done, add the other vegetables (zucchini & celery) and saute till tender. Add the tomatoes and the seasonings, use your feeling and taste to get the quantity right.
Add the rice and water with a vegetable stock cube.

Stir for a few minutes till everything is nicely blended. 

Once it is at a boil, put it to low heat and simmer for 45 minutes. Occasionally check that the water is sufficient (follow the instructions on your rice pack as to how much water to add) and have a taste to see that the flavours are working. After 45 minutes the rice should be done, and the water will have been absorbed. 

Finally add the cilantro and stir through and save a few leaves to put on top for serving.

Serving suggestions

Serve with jalapeno peppers (I don't get fresh ones here, so served it with pickled jalapenos from the shop) and hot sauce or tabasco for those who want to have it spicier.

To balance out the heavy flavours, I served it with a rainbow salad. 

Credits

I create my own recipes, but get ideas from others. My recipe is inspired by this recipe: http://www.lifeasastrawberry.com/spicy-vegan-jambalaya/

and this recipe: http://www.gumbopages.com/food/veg/veg-jambalaya.html