This fall semester is my first year at the University of Florida and with our current situation in 2020, it was a bit difficult to settle in. One thing that made me feel at home was The Fresh Market. The ambient lighting, the calming classical music, and the delicious, sweet scent of cinnamon make shopping here so peaceful.
I had a three-week streak of visiting my local fresh market when I found this incredible pumpkin butter. Since it is fall, I was extremely excited and immediately bought a jar. When I got home, however, I realized I had nothing to eat this pumpkin butter with besides bread. I knew I needed to find other ways to use this pumpkin butter, so I decided to get out of my comfort zone and try three different recipes using this magnificent pumpkin butter.
Vegan Pumpkin Pancakes
The first recipe I attempted was vegan pumpkin pancakes with pumpkin butter and maple syrup. The recipe I used for reference was Minimalist Baker’s Vegan Pumpkin Spice Pancakes.
The first step was assembling all of the ingredients. These pancakes used relatively common ingredients that most people have in their pantry at this time of the year, and many of them can be substituted. For example, I did not have any pumpkin spice so I simply used cinnamon.
I put all of the wet ingredients into a bowl and mixed them together. When all was mixed, I added one tablespoon of pumpkin butter to further the sweet pumpkin flavor.
In another bowl, I mixed all of the dry ingredients together and then added the wet to the dry. When the batter was mixed, I placed a heaping spoonful (about 1/3 cup) of batter into a preheated pan with vegetable oil.
When bubbles are visible on the surface of the pancake, you know it is time to flip.
After flipping, I cooked the pancake for about 30 seconds to a minute more. This recipe made six large pancakes. Once they were all cooked, I assembled a stack and put a pad of vegan butter and a large drizzle of maple syrup. Finally, to top it off, I drizzled some more pumpkin butter on top and went to town. These pancakes were sweet, warm, fluffy, and had the perfect amount of pumpkin to get you ready for fall.
Pumpkin Butter Soy Glazed Tofu Salad
For the next recipe, I wanted to try something I had never tried before. When thinking of ways to incorporate pumpkin butter into meals, my mind always went the sweet route. I wanted to challenge this by making something savory. After looking through my refrigerator, I decided to make a pumpkin butter soy-glazed tofu salad with a pumpkin butter vinaigrette.
For the glaze, I combined a tablespoon of pumpkin butter with 2 tablespoons of soy sauce, 1 teaspoon of Sriracha, and a teaspoon of garlic powder.
I added one block of extra-firm tofu cut into cubes and let it marinate for about 15 minutes.
Next, I placed the tofu cubes and sauce into a preheated pan with vegetable oil and sautéed on medium-high heat until all of the cubes were here crispy and brown. Because of the sugar in the pumpkin butter, the tofu cubes got a delicious crispy sear, which created a delicious umami flavor and crunch.
For the vinaigrette, I mixed olive oil, vinegar, salt, pumpkin butter, sriracha, and oregano in a small bowl.
In a separate pan, I sautéed some broccoli (you could use fresh or frozen) with olive oil, salt, and garlic powder until crispy.
Finally, it was time to assemble the salad. In a large bowl, I put two large handfuls of washed mixed greens and placed the crispy tofu and broccoli on top. I dressed the entire salad with the pumpkin butter vinaigrette, and let me tell you, I have been missing out. The tofu was crispy and surprisingly savory, while the pumpkin butter in the vinaigrette perfectly balanced out the vinegar and helped the dressing emulsify. Overall, the salad was the perfect mix of sweet and salty, and crunchy and fresh.
Pumpkin Spice Blondies
The last recipe I made was inspired by The Healthy Maven’s Pumpkin Spice Blondies. This was the perfect way to end off a long day of cooking. They were warm, fudgey, sweet, and an easy fall treat.
Just like the pancakes, I mixed the wet and dry ingredients in separate bowls and substituted cinnamon for pumpkin spice.
To the wet ingredients, I added a heaping tablespoon of pumpkin butter.
After mixing the wet and dry ingredients together, I added a chopped Ghirardelli 72% dark chocolate bar (a vegan luxury) and spread the batter into a 9x9 baking pan greased with coconut oil.
The hardest part of this recipe was having to let it bake for 25 minutes and enduring the delicious scent wafting from the oven. These blondies made my whole apartment smell like warm, sweet cinnamon fall deliciousness.
After they finished baking I let them cool for an agonizing 10 minutes and cut them into 9 ginormous squares and devoured one with a cold glass of almond milk and some extra pumpkin butter for dipping. Overall, these blondies were rich and chocolatey, with the perfect amount of pumpkin and cinnamon to make you feel like you are sitting in a pile of leaves at a pumpkin patch.
Pumpkin Butter Dreams
Pumpkin butter is a delicious seasonal treat that is surprisingly versatile. It is usually used for desserts, but I encourage you to go outside of your comfort zone and try to incorporate it into some savory recipes. It just may surprise you. All three recipes I made were surprisingly delicious and made me want to snuggle up with a cozy blanket and a good book and watch the leaves not turn colors outside (thanks Florida).