pumpkin falafel burger in a pita pocket

My mom sent me 2 huge pumpkins and I already had one more sitting in my living room so it’s one of those weeks that anything I make includes pumpkin. These pumpkin falafel burgers are moist and tender. They are great in a toasted bun served with fries on the side, in a pita with hummus or plain served with salad. I served mine in pita pockets with mixed greens, red onion, cubed cucumber and garlicky hummus.

pumpkin falafel burgers

Ingredients

2 cups cooked chickpeas, drained
1 1/2 cup roasted pumpkin
1 medium onion
2 cloves garlic
1/2 cup parsley
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp salt
several dashes of freshly ground black pepper
pinch of chili powder
1 tsp baking powder
3/4 cup breadcrumbs
3/4 cup chickpea flour

In a food processor add the onion, garlic, parsley and chickpeas and pulse until chickpeas are broken. Add the pumpkin and spices and pulse few more times. Transfer to a big mixing bowl, add the breadcrumbs, baking powder and chickpea flour and mix with your hands for about 2 minutes. Place the mixture in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes. Form the mixture into burger patties, place on a baking sheet, brush with olive oil and bake in preheated oven at 180C/350F for 30 minutes, flipping once. Enjoy!

Until I met my husband this was the only pumpkin pie I ever had. And I believed that this was the only reason that people need pumpkins for. For our first thanks giving dinner he said that it’s a tradition to make pumpkin pie for dessert. So I was really frustrated when I served my pie and he said this is not a pumpkin pie. Of course at the end he loved it! You can make this with store bought phyllo or you can make your own.

Greek pumpkin pie in the oven

For the phyllo

1 kg/2 pounds all purpose flour
1/2 cup olive oil
1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
pinch of salt
1 tsp sugar
water (as much as needed so the dough will be soft but no sticky)

pumpkin pie out of the oven

For the filling

1 kg/2 pounds shredded fresh orange pumpkin
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup walnut pieces
1 cup raisins
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cloves

powdered sugar and cinnamon for topping the pie

In a big mixing bowl you mix all the ingredients for the phyllo until you have a soft but not sticky dough. Cover the dough and you let it chil in the refrigerator for about 1 hour. In another mixing bowl mix all the ingredients for the filling and set aside. Separate the dough in about 14 equal pieces/ small balls. Dust the surface you will be making your phyllos with flour and use a rolling pin to roll each ball into a thin phyllo. With a fork cut each phyllo in half. In the center of the first cut phyllo you will be filling, place a generous amount of pumpkin filling, roll to cover and then twist the phyllo to make a “snail”. Look here, here and here to see what I am talking about because unfortunately I didn’t take any pictures while I was making the pie. That “snail” you made now place it in the center of a round greased baking pan. Continue by filling the other phyllos, but instead of making snails, roll them around that first snail you already placed in the baking pan. Brush the top phyllos with oil and bake in preheated oven at 180C/350F for about 40 minutes. Serve warm, topped with powdered sugar and cinnamon.

vegan chickin parm

I didn’t have many times in my life chicken parm, but it was for sure one of the best things I had the first time I visited New Jersey. And last couple of times I asked Sean what he wants for dinner, he said “chicken parm”. So I had to make it work. Instead of chicken I used Fry’s Vegetarian Chicken Style Burgers but I am sure that any kind of vegan chicken substitute will work. I love the Fry’s products because Sean eats them without complaining about eating fake meat. He once said that their chicken style burger is better than the real thing. I didn’t “pane” the burgers as they already look like that, plus I don’t like fried food. But I am posting a recipe below for making “Chickin pane” if you are using instead of Fry’s a different product such as Gardein chickin breast or chicken style seitan.

Chickin pane

4 Vegan chickin breasts
1/2 cup soy milk
1 Tbsp EnerG egg replacer
salt and pepper
1/2 cup breadcrubms
oil for frying

In a deep plate mix the milk with the egg replacer and the spices. In a different plate place the breadcrumbs. Deep the chickin breasts in the milk mixture and then in the breadcrumbs until fully coated. Heat the olive oil in a frying pan and fry the breasts until golden brown, both sides (about 3 minutes at each side).

For the chickin parm you will need

4 pane chickin breast or your favorite vegan chicken style burgers
2 cups of your preferred spaghetti sauce
1 cup vegan mozzarella shreds
1/4 cup raw parma or your preferred vegan parmesan

Preheat the oven in 180C/350F. Grease a baking pan with olive oil and 1 Tbsp of tomato sauce. Place the chickin in the pan, top each chickin breast with 1/4 cup tomato sauce, 1/4 cup mozzarella shreds, another 1/4 cup of tomato sauce and sprinkle a bit of vegan parmesan on top. Bake for about 25-30 minutes. Serve hot with pasta, rice or in a sandwich. Enjoy!