Two-For!

Per the request of Sarah, aka xvavaveganx, I am including a recipe for the pumpkin roll I made the other day.  However, I am also dedicating this post to my current obsession:

Salads!

Leafy kale with sunflower shoots, fuji apples, dried apricots and toasted hulled pistachios with my favorite spicy mustard-maple vinaigrette.

And I don't just mean iceberg with discs of cucumber, julienned carrots and shredded cabbage in some Italian vinaigrette, I mean salads--greens with an array of complementary vegetables, nuts and/or seeds and *perfect* dressings.

The particular salad I've been obsessed with lately consists of arugala topped with dehydrated BBQ-marinated portobello mushrooms, avocado, and red pepper flake and rosemary-roasted butternut squash.  I drizzle my very own spicy mustard-maple vinaigrette on top and then crack some fresh black pepper on the whole thing.  Perfection!

The vinaigrette I make is my absolute favorite, go-to dressing for salads (especially this time of year) because it complements the flavors of fall so well!  Other salads I've made and love include spinach topped with with roasted beets, cinnamon-roasted carrots and toasted pecans; roasted squash, baked apples and toasted walnuts over spinach--basically I love any salad that includes a leaf--spinach, arugala, romaine, kale--with some combination of roasted veggie, be it squash, beet, apple, carrot, etc.

That's not to say I don't like other salad combinations as well...

Baby spinach with Dijon mustard-baked tempeh with julienned carrots, avocado and hemp hearts with my fave dressing.

Baby spinach with roasted butternut squash, baked Honeycrisp apples and freshly cracked black pepper.  I put the warm squash and apples directly on the spinach, drizzled the leftover apple juices over the everything, and loosely placed a sheet of foil on top to allow the spinach to wilt and soften only slightly.

Baby spinach with Honeycrisp apples, carrots and raisins with my us' dressing.  In the background is my homemade butternut squash and sun-dried tomato bisque!

Baby arugala with sun-dried tomatoes, green beans and freshly cracked black pepper with my fave dressing....nectarine for good measure ;)

Leafy kale with toasted hulled pistachios, julienned carrots and sesame seeds.  I actually do not remember what dressing I used for this salad!

Baby Arugala with roasted beets, cinnamon and cayenne-roasted carrots and toasted pecans in my fave dressing.

Romaine and arugala salad with avocado, edamame and toasted pistachios with Garlic Expressions.

I have so many more photos but Blogger says I've used up too much space so these will have to suffice!

And now, the recipe!

Vegan, Gluten-Free Pumpkin Roll

Ingredients:

Pumpkin Roll
-  3 Ener-G eggs
-  1 c. cane sugar
-  2/3 c. pumpkin puree, heaping
-  1 tsp. lemon juice
-  3/4 c. gluten-free flour blend (I use Bob's Red Mill but you can make your own!)
-  1/2 tsp. xanthan gum
-  2 tsp. cinnamon
-  1 tsp. nutmeg
-  1 tsp. ginger
-  1 tsp. baking powder
-  1/2 tsp. sea salt
-  1 c. finely chopped walnuts

Filling
-  1 1/4 c. organic powdered sugar, sifted, plus extra for dusting
-  8 oz. vegan cream cheese
-  2 T. non-dairy spread (Earth Balance, vegan margarine, etc.)
-  1 tsp. vanilla
-  Dash salt

Directions:
1.  Preheat oven to 350' F.  Line a lipped cookie sheet with parchment paper (making sure the paper extends up the sides of the sheet.  Grease and flour paper.  Set aside.  Generously dust a linen kitchen towel with powdered sugar.  Set aside.
2.  In a stand mixer, beat Ener-G 'eggs' and cane sugar together for five minutes.  Fold in pumpkin and lemon juice.
3.  In a separate bowl, mix flour, spices, baking powder and salt.  Fold dry ingredient mixture into wet and mix until ingredients are incorporated.
4.  Pour mixture into prepared cookie sheet, making sure to spread the batter out evenly.  Sprinkle chopped nuts on top and allow roll to bake for 11-13 minutes, or until firm to the touch.
5.  Once roll has finished baking, remove from oven and immediately invert on powdered sugar-covered towel, making sure the nut side is the side making contact with the powdered sugar.  Roll up roll, dusting with more powdered sugar as you roll, and allow roll to cool completely on a wire rack.
6.  While roll is cooling, make filling by combining ingredients in a stand mixture.  Please filling in fridge for 30 minutes or so to allow it to firm up
7.  Once roll has finished cool, carefully unroll roll from linen towel and spread the cream cheese filling on the roll, taking care to leave a 3/4" margin or so around the edges so that the filling doesn't ooze out too much.
8.  Wrap entire roll in cling wrap so that the whole thing really firms up and place in freezer.
9.  When ready to cut, remove roll from freezer and use a butter knife to cut 1/2" or 1" slices--whatever your preference is!
10.  Enjoy
Note:  This roll freezes really well.  If you package it well (leave it whole and slice as you go to preserve greater freshness), it can last two months or so...assuming you have that kind of willpower!  Also, this roll is best eaten at room temperature so when you do go to eat it, take it out of the freezer, cut your slice and allow it to come to room temperature.  Not gonna lie--there have been many times when I cannot wait for it to thaw so I eat it cold : /  

...and it's still yummy!