pumpkin cookies (with optional chocolate chips!)

These pumpkin cookies are delicious on their own, but I really love the addition of chocolate chips. This recipe makes about 45 cookies.



In a bowl, thoroughly combine
1 1/2 cup white whole wheat flour
1 cup oats (quick-cooking)
3/4 tsp. baking soda
3/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp. salt
3/4 cup chopped walnuts
3/4 cup chocolate chips (optional)

In a second bowl, whisk
1 1/4 cup sugar
1 Tablespoon flaxseed meal
1/2 cup canola oil
1/2 cup pureed pumpkin
1/4 cup okara
1 Tablespoon molasses
1 tsp. vanilla
until thoroughly emulsified.

Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and stir until they are thoroughly incorporated. The dough will be quite stiff. Drop by the Tablespoonful onto a cookie sheet that has been lightly misted with vegetable spray. They don't spread out too much; I liked them best when I didn't flatten them out and instead let them stay in little rounded domes.

Bake for 15 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

okara pumpkin muffins

In a bowl, thoroughly combine
1 1/4 cup whole-wheat pastry flour
1/4 cup soy flour
1 cup sugar
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1/4 tsp. ground cloves
1/4 tsp. allspice
1/4 tsp. salt

NB: I'm sure you could substitute regular flour for the soy flour. The reason I threw it in is because I have a big bag of it that I'm trying to get rid of!

In a separate bowl, combine
3/4 cup pumpkin puree
1/2 cup okara
1/2 cup canola oil
1/2 cup soymilk
1/4 cup maple syrup
2 Tablespoons molasses
and whisk vigorously until well combined.

Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir until well combined. Fold in
1 cup chopped walnuts

Distribute batter evenly between the wells of a lightly oiled 12-muffin pan, filling the wells completely (there's a lot of batter!). Bake at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 20 minutes. Allow to cool before removing from tins.



Verdict: These are great! There is way too much maple syrup though. Next time, I'll try making it with 2 Tablespoons of maple syrup, rather than with 1/4 cup.

chocolate-beet muffins

I had leftover beets, and the obvious choice was to sneak them into some chocolate muffins. This recipe is based on this chocolate-banana muffin recipe, so if you're wary of getting beets in your chocolate I highly recommend trying that one instead! (Or in addition to.)

I'm not sure whether to classify this as a dessert or not. It has a great flavor but really isn't very sweet. Next time I make it I'll add more sugar and maybe even play with some spices, but I think this is a nice recipe as is, and might be especially appealing to people who don't like super-sweet desserts or snacks.



In a bowl, mix together
1 1/4 cup whole-wheat pastry flour
1/4 cup spelt flour
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
and stir until well combined.

NB: I'm sure you could use all whole-wheat pastry flour instead of a combination of that and spelt flour. The reason I threw in some spelt flour is because I happened to have 1/4 cup of it to use up!



In a blender or food processor, mix until completely pureed:
1/2 cup brown sugar (packed)
1 cup okara
1/4 cup canola oil
1/4 cup soymilk
1 tsp. vanilla
8 oz. cooked, peeled beets
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips, melted



Add chocolate-beet mixture to dry ingredients and stir until just mixed. Distribute batter evenly between the wells of a lightly oiled 12-muffin pan. The wells will be pretty full!



Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 23 minutes. Allow to cool for at least a few minutes before removing from pan.