vegan mofo 2011 #11 - smoothie sunday - smashing pumpkin smoothie

Hey folks, I'm here with a Smoothie Sunday recipe to share on a Monday of all days (a tad behind in my posts).

I don't know about you, but I am really enjoying the autumn weather lately. Not too warm, not too cold, we had our first autumnal weekend, complete with falling leaves, whirring trees, and gusts of cool breeze. As I'm one to scour farmers markets for the most seasonal of ingredients, I couldn't ring in autumn without getting my hands on some delicious pumpkin.

Pumpkin is one of those gourds/squashes/fruits that I enjoy cooked over raw (unless it is prepared properly in a fabulous raw pumpkin pie). That being said, you can prepare pumpkin a few different ways. Here are some of my tips and tricks:

* for most recipes, you will want to use a pie pumpkin, which is a tad sweeter and more palatable than traditional carving pumpkins.

* to prepare your pumpkin, wash the skin and carve a circle around the top, lifting the 'lid', so to speak, and removing the inner flesh and seeds.

* you can choose to peel your pumpkin, or leave the skin on. It's your call. Either way, you will want to slice the pumpkin into halves and quarters, and into small cubed pieces.

* to bake the pumpkin, bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes.

* to steam the pumpkin (my preferred method), steam the pumpkin in a rice steamer or stove steamer.

One way to sneak in some pumpkin is in a smoothie. Coupled with your favourite nut mylk and natural sweetener, pumpkin can taste absolutely thrilling as a breakfast or snack option.

This smoothie recipe was inspired by all of the fabulous pumpkin smoothie recipes I've been encountering as part of Vegan Mofo, but also partly inspired by one of the favourite bands from my youth (The) Smashing Pumpkins. I won't get into my deep appreciation for the group's music (particularly with the original line-up), as it would take up this if not another post (plus, we all know how I grew up wanting to be D'arcy, so that should certainly reinforce my geekdom fandom).

Smashing Pumpkin Smoothie
Serves 1-2

1 frozen banana
1/2 cup pureed pie pumpkin (cooked - could try raw if you prefer, as well as increase to 1 cup for a thicker smoothie)
3 dates, soaked
1 cup homemade hemp mylk
1/2 cup water (optional - depending on the desired thickness of the smoothie)
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
dash of nutmeg
dash of cloves

Combine steamed pumpkin with ingredients in a high-speed blender and blend until smooth and creamy. Serve in a glass with a dusting of cinnamon and nutmeg and enjoy. 

I shared some photos of this smoothie on Facebook, and a friend who shall remain anonymous left the most hilarious comment/description which I just had to share with you. It touches on the changing line-up of the band over the years, as well as the grandiose stylings of frontman Billy Corgan - a sort of smoothie/band parallel if you will:

"So it tastes great the first time you have one. The second time, everyone really likes it. So then you super size the recipe, and everyone realizes how indulgent your whole smoothie is. 
Then nobody cares any more no matter how many changes you make to the ingredients. You take some ingredients out, then put them back in. Then you try to go with just the one main ingredient on its own- but that tastes really awful and nobody seems to like it."

Tis true, the band has gone through multiple line-ups and Billy Corgan's harrowing vocals are an acquired taste, and the many changes in their music sometimes alienated fans, but there are so many gems in their discography. Since I am currently on a Fleetwood Mac kick these days, here is a cover of "Landslide," performed by Billy Corgan/the band, from 1995.  

Coming up next, yet another autumnal drink that features pumpkin with an ayurvedic twist (and perhaps another Smashing Pumpkins punkin. Stay tuned!