It's That Time of Year

And as much as it may be true, I'm not referring to the start of cold and flu season. Yeah, a good portion of my classmates are feeling the cold weather cold at IHN - and I for once have managed to escape scot free so far (but I did get stuck into the walk-in clinic for kidney tests. Joy of joys).

But no. Not cold and flu season. 

Fall is comfort season. The time of year where you can start to don bulky sweaters to mask any sort of post-Thanksgiving pooch, curl up with your family and enjoy a warming hearty meal. After a Summer of light beer, salads and bemoaning the bikini (or not!), mashed potatoes, turkey and trimmings are making themselves at home. And you know we can't forget the pumpkin!

I'm not talking just pie either. Nuh uh... pumpkin is one versatile veggie! And it's tasty, which is a fairly recent revelation to me, since believe it or not I abhorred the taste of pumpkin, sweet potatoes, or really any Winter-squash-like food until I was 18! Once I figured out how to make it bend to my will, though, all bets were off. I still hate pumpkin pie (Though I am making two of them - apple butter style - this week for family Thanksgiving dinners!) but I stir it into beans and tomato sauces as a thickener, cram it into pasta, bake it into muffins, cakes and cookies, and even loaves of bread and bagels!

I know that the original recipe for pumpkin spice bagels is courtesy of the vegan blog Have Cake Will Travel, but this time around I was in a "mucking around" mood and Mom was craving some of my bread filled with "stuff". So I took the recipe and ran with it - and a gazillion substitutions and additions later I had a sweet batch of boiled rings with a wealth of beta-carotene, fibre and protein. I'm sending them along to Susan's YeastSpotting event too!

A - Plus Pumpkin Bagels

Makes 8

1/2 tbsp instant yeast

1 cup whole wheat flour
2 1/2 cups 12-grain flour
1 1/2 tbsp vital wheat gluten
1 tbsp pumpkin pie spice
½ tsp salt
1/3 cup warm water
1/3 cup non-fat Greek yogurt
1/4 cup brown sugar
¾ cup pumpkin puree
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup diced dates
1/4 cup hemp hearts (what am I talking about?)
2 tbsp whole flaxseed, lightly crushed
2 tbsp honey
1 egg white

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, whisk together yeast, flours, gluten, pumpkin pie spice and salt.
2. Mix together water, yogurt, brown sugar, pumpkin puree, egg and vanilla, then add all at once to the dry mixture.
3. Mix on low speed for 15 minutes, until supple.
4. Cover and allow to stand 10 minutes.
5. Add dates, hemp hearts and flaxseed and knead in to evenly disperse.
6. Cover and allow to rest 40 minutes.
7. Preheat oven to 400F and line 2 baking sheets with parchment or foil.
8. Divide dough into 8 pieces, about 5.7 oz each (if you're weighing them). Shape each portion into a ring and place on the sheets.
9. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add honey.
10. Two at a time, add dough rings to the water and cook 1 minute per side. Drain well and place back on sheets.
11. Brush with egg white and bake 20 minutes, one sheet at a time. Cool completely on a rack.

Amount Per Serving
Calories: 290.6
Total Fat: 5.6 g
Cholesterol: 26.7 mg
Sodium: 29.4 mg
Total Carbs: 52.7 g
Dietary Fiber: 9.3 g
Protein: 15.2 g

And don't forget, World Bread Day is coming up soon too! Will I see you in the fray on October 16?