Saturday, October 01, 2011

Welcome to Vegan MoFo V

Welcome to the fifth annual VeganMoFo (Vegan Month of Food)!! I have participated every year so far. Initially I did one or two posts but last year I managed to do a post every day. Let's see if I can do it again!

My theme for the month is squash. Last year I ended up getting a bunch of squash in my CSA and I wasn't very creative with it. I ate most of it just roasted in the oven. Now I want to get more creative with it. And pumpkin! There are so many pumpkin-flavored tasties and here I am with just the occasional pumpkin muffin.

So the first thing I did to prepare for this month of squash is get a huge pumpkin and make a ton of puree to use in pancakes, pie, cheesecake, etc. Why not just use a can? Because making things from scratch is so badass! And as a side bonus, fresh pumpkin tastes better than canned also. I got a huge fairytale pumpkin from Trader Joe's. I cut it up, scooped it out (saving the seeds to roast later) and roasted the big chunks in the oven until soft. Then I scooped the flesh away from the skin and put it in a mesh strainer. After about an hour or so, a bunch of water had drained out. I took the remaining pumpkin flesh and stuck it in the food processor until smooth. That one pumpkin got me about 6 cups of puree!

On the left: the puree I made. On the right: my next victim


Fact: One fairytale pumpkin yields one kitten-sized container of pumpkin puree



10 comments:

  1. Why can't more people compare the sizes of things based on how they'd relate to a kitten? It's clearly the cutest method! :) This will certainly be a very beta carotene-filled month for you. I look forward to reading more!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Kitten measurements- I like!!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Now I want to make pumpkin puree. And get a new kitten to put next to it!

    ReplyDelete
  4. You had me at kitten!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Yay for kittens and kitten sized things! and pumpkins. kittens and pumpkins rule my world! =^.^=

    ReplyDelete
  6. Anonymous1:35 AM

    You had ME at pumpkin!

    ReplyDelete
  7. this post made me smile so much! most adorable kitten ever!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Is it just me, or is that the orangest pumpkin puree ever? Gorgeous. Can't wait to see what you come up with. I love squash/pumpkins!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Anonymous3:48 PM

    awww such a cute kitten!

    ReplyDelete