Vegan Candy Corn from Scratch!

I got the recipe from the lovely Urban Housewife.

I actually halved the recipe because I didn't have enough powdered sugar on hand, and I still ended up with lots of candy. I am pleased with the results. I haven't had candy corn in years because the commercial stuff is filthy, but this tastes just like I remember. I expected it to be a lot of work, but it took less than an hour to make, and I would say it was easy. And fun. This could be a nice Halloween tradition for us vegans.

So tonight we're going to snuggle up with some homemade candy corn and watch Nightmare on Elm Street, The Crazies, or The Innocents (I added them all to the Netflix instant queue and I'm going to let Andrew pick).

Pumpkin Pie in a Cast Iron Skillet

So, we had a darling little pie pumpkin on display in our kitchen for a week or so. And yesterday, at the World Market (where we bought our new couch), we came across a bag of Stauffer's Ginger Snaps (which are vegan). And I knew that the pumpkin and the ginger snaps must be brought together to make a pumpkin pie with a gingersnap crust. And I knew I had to do it right away. So, I saw Andrew off to work, promising pie upon his return home.

I began roasting the pumpkin: at 425degrees, sliced in half, goo and seeds removed, cut side down in a baking dish, with a little water, for about an hour)

But! I forgot! We don't have a pie pan! I was bummed when I realized this, but determined. This is where the cast iron skillet came in. Its a twelve incher, quite a bit bigger than a traditional pie pan. I knew that the recipe I planned to be used needed to be adjusted, but I couldn't quite double it because I only had one package of tofu. So I kinda made it up as I went along. I was pessimistic because I am usually a measurer and I usually have tough luck with pumpkin pies (they don't firm up or they're too rubbery or WHATEVER)...but, guess what? This pie turned out PERFECT. The husband said it was the best pumpkin pie he'd ever had.

Here's what I did:

I made the crust:

Ingredients
1 bag Stauffer's Ginger Snaps
1/3 cup Earth Balance

Directions
Crush the snaps. Melt the balance. bring them together. Press into the bottom of the skillet. Bake at 350degreesF for 5 minutes.

Then I made the Pumpkin Pie Filling:

Ingredients
1 14oz package of soft tofu (blended in a blender until smooth)
2 1/2 cups cups of pumpkin puree
2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup sugar
1 tbsp molasses
3/4 tsp cornstarch

Directions
Cream the pumpkin and sugar.
Add salt, cornstarch, spices, molasses, and tofu
Pour into crust
Bake at 425degreesF for 15 minutes, then at 350 for 30 minutes
Cool and chill for at least 2 hours

Yumma Yumma