More than one way to skin a…pumpkin

There’s no pie shell in this pumpkin pie mousse recipe but, after all, it’s the filling that’s the tasty part anyway, right?  I love Jo’s idea of filling custard cups with the yummy mousse, then topping with chopped toasted pecans.  I might be inclined to add a dollop of macadamia cream, too.

To make macadamia cream couldn’t be easier (well, actually, it IS easier if you happen to have a high-powered blender).  If you don’t, you will want to soak the macadamia nuts over night and then blend them with a tablespoon or two of water until creamy.  Adding a quarter teaspoon of vanilla is optional; we purists don’t want anything to interfere with the yummy taste of the macadamias.

So, here you go:

Vegan Pumpkin Pie Mousse By Jo Stepaniak

Serves: 2 servings, Prep time: 5 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 ripe banana, broken into pieces
• ½ cup canned pumpkin purée or sweet potato purée
• ¼ cup light coconut milk
• 2 tablespoons unsalted creamy peanut butter
• 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
• 1⁄8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• Pinch ground cloves or allspice
• Instructions

1. Put all the ingredients in a blender or food processor and process until smooth.
2. Spoon the mixture evenly into two small custard cups.
3. Serve the pumpkin pie mousse immediately or cover tightly and chill for up to 3 hours.

Notes

Pecan Pie Mousse Option: Sprinkle 1 heaping tablespoon of chopped toasted pecans over each serving. Leftover Tip: Don’t know what to do with the remaining pumpkin purée? Just freeze it in half-cup portions. That way, you can defrost it overnight in the fridge and be ready to make this scrumptious mousse first thing in the morning. Alternatively, use leftover pumpkin purée in a Pumpkin Pie Smoothie.