Vegan Mofo Day 10: now we're cooking with gas!

This is a saying my Dad particularly likes. According to the Urban Dictionary it means:

"Efficiently performing a task after a long period of inefficient performance or possibly failed attempts at the entire task or certain steps in the process."

 So, I am officially now cooking with gas, which is to say, cooking up a storm and taking plenty of pictures.

I always cook more when I'm visiting family. They provide the groceries and I provided the meals; it's sort of been an unofficial family policy since I went vegan. Waffles are a particular family favourite, and we've had many variations, but we just keep coming back to pumpkin (not least because of the giant pumpkin my stepmom baked and has packaged away in the freezer in a dozen plastic tubs of goodness).

These babies are based on the near-legendary PPK recipe, with the important difference that I was working with Bob's Red Mill Gluten-Free Pancake Mix, and thus started with three cups of the mix in place of all the dry ingredients. I was a little nervous about the results, but they were incredible: crispy on the outside, soft on the inside, perfectly spicy and pumpkiny and delicious.

(Waiting to be saved from the waffle iron.)

(Keeping warm in the oven.)

(The last scoop of batter ready to go.)

(Spread with leftover pumpkin pudding and drizzled with maple syrup.)

Dinner was the results of our roadside grocery shopping. I roasted a lovely spaghetti squash, and then roughly reinterpreted Vegan Dad's Spaghetti Squash with Slow Roasted Tomato Sauce.

I skipped the vermouth and leeks because we were keeping things simple, and added a big fistful of end-of-season basil from the garden. Dad added meatballs to his; I accompanied it with two grilled portobellos. The result was a totally gourmet-tasting feast of seasonal produce. The roasting of the tomatoes and garlic really brought out their sweetness. I added some roast-giant-zucchini at the end, which thickened the sauce up beautifully. Of course we had more pumpkin for dessert. Squash and squash with a side of squash? Don't mind if I do!