Vegetarian Cuisine

PUMPKIN TART – Makes 2 x 8 inch pies.

This recipe uses freshly cooked pumpkin. The dough is baked blind first before the filling is added and further baked till set. Makes a spicy satisfying tart for a dessert. A festive dessert for Thanksgiving. Serve with whipped cream or alternative creamy topping.

Ingredients for Filling:
1 medium pumpkin
7 ½ tablespoons maple syrup
4 ounces silken tofu
¼ teaspoon sea salt
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground ginger
Pinch ground mace or freshly grated nutmeg
Pinch ground cloves
1 tablespoon soy flour

Ingredients for Pastry Dough:
2 ½ cups wheat pastry flour
1 teaspoon sea salt
4 tablespoons wheat germ or sesame seeds
2/3 cup plus 2 teaspoons corn oil
7 tablespoons chilled sparkling mineral water

Directions:
1. Heat oven to 375 degrees F. Cut pumpkin into eighths and remove the seeds and stringy bits. Place pumpkin in a baking tray, cover with foil and bake in oven for 45 to 60 min till soft.
2. Make dough: Sift flour and salt into large bowl. Stir in the wheat germ or sesame seeds. Blend in the oil until pieces are size of peas. Add the chilled sparkling water, little at a time, until the mixture is moist. Knead dough just enough to hold it together. Divide the dough in half and roll into two balls. Wrap in wax paper and chill 30 minutes.
3. Make the Filling: Remove pumpkin from the oven and peel it. Puree in a food processor until smooth. Add maple syrup, tofu and blend in. Add salt, spices and soy flour and mix in well.
4. Roll dough out on floured surface and line dough in two 8 inch pie pans with removable bottoms. Use fork to prick holes in dough lining. Bake in oven for 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from oven and fill the pie dough shells with the pumpkin filling. Increase oven temperature to 425 degrees F and bake pies 45 minutes until filling is set.

Source: The Yoga Cookbook. Vegetarian Food for Body and Mind. Recipes from the Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centres. 1999.

Fasting does help in self-control. – Sri Swami Sivananda