FRUMPKINS!

I predict that this will become a staple of the vegan diet. I can't believe it hasn't been invented yet, it's that brilliant. I briefly tampered with the idea of pumpkin on a stick and calling it pumpdogs, but this is even better. I introduce to you: FRUMPKINS!

Here's what you need:

Equipment

Large pot

Oil/water/candy thermometer <-- if you plan on deep frying more than once a year, this is key. I've even found them at hardware stores for $2-3US

Fry basket (mesh strainer on a spoon) or tongs

Crapload of paper towels

Mixing bowl, measuring spoons, the usual

Ingredients

Crapload of oil

1/2 small pumpkin

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1 cup flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

3/4 teaspoon coriander

3/4 teaspoon ground ginger

and now, for the secret ingredient that makes it all worth it....

1/2 cup flat beeeer! Not just any old beer. If you insist, use a vegan porter or a spicy pumpkin beer, but I found the super-dooper best flavor was au naturelle ROOT BEER, like from Jones, as a bonus, Jones gives a portion of sales from sugar-free soda to the American Diabetic Association. Ok, back to the recipe - I would imagine ginger beer would be tasty too, but then you should not use the ground ginger.

So first off, you need to glug glug glug, pour oil into the pot until it's about an inch deep. A saucepan might work, but definitely don't use a shallow pan because you don't want hot oil splashing over the sides. Put the heat at medium-low and clip the oil thermometer on the side of the pan so the tip is in the oil, but not touching the bottom. If you need, add more oil. You want it to get to the magic 365 degrees farenheit or 185 degrees celsius. If you're a dork, or poor, and don't have a thermometer, you wait until you the oil gets really shimmery and you can see it swirling. If it smokes, it's way too hot, you've ruined the molecular structure of the oil and have to start all over, so start low.

Now get to work drinking the beer because you only need 1/2 cup for the recipe and chopping up that half a pumpkin. The problem is that most pumpkin is thicker than one inch. Want you want to end up with is pieces that are 1/2-inch thin. I suggest peeling it and slicing into strips like melon wedges, then cutting into squares, triangles, whatever your little vegan heart desires, and then slicing those in half so that they're thin enough that the pumpkin will cook through when you fry the crap out of it. When finished, toss the pumpkin with the lemon juice and set aside to get juicy.

For the beer batter, mix all the dry ingredients together, then drizzle the oil on top. Measure out a half a cup of beer and if it's still fizzy and carbonated, just stir it for a few seconds to get the bubbles out. The texture should be thicker than pancake batter, and can be a little clumpy.

You can test the oil by dropping a small bit of batter in and see if it sinks and then rises while bubbly. If it looks good, get ready to cook about 4-5 frumpkins at a time. Drop them in the batter, swish 'em around until they're thickly coated, then gently place them in the oil. If it splatters like crazy, your oil's too hot, turn it down and wait - don't add more frumpkins for a few minutes - see my note about testing with a drop of batter above. Keep an eye on the little frumpkins 'cause they like to hang out in the same corner and end up stuck together. When they're a crunchy golden brown, fish 'em out with the basket or tongs, and place on paper towels on a plate. Cut the first one in half and taste to see if you need to adjust cooking time. Through intense testing, I've deduced that pieces about 2 inches square take roughly 4 minutes to cook give or take a few. Keep in mind that the frumpkins decrease the temperature of the oil, so you'll want to wait a minute between rounds to let it heat up again.

Now, whether you serve them hot as a breakfast, a dessert, or a freakishly tasty appetizer with toothpicks, you need a dipping sauce. This was not a dipping sauce contest, so I have not tried the following suggestions: molasses, thickened coconut milk, tamarind sauce, marmalade, applesauce, lemon juice & nutbutter, perhaps a tasting bar is in order. That's not a bad idea, these things taste sooo good,but if you actually have leftovers, I suggest warming them up the next day under a broiler or in a toaster oven. You will seriously eat these until you have frumpkins coming out your ears! You can thank me later - not right now, I'm busy frying up a midnight snack of rootbeer-battered FRUMPKINS!

Thanksgiving Dal with Pumplings

I imagine that this is what a homesick American would eat if visiting a good friend in India over thanksgiving: dal textures and ingredients, but pumpkin flavors and spices. It has some wordy steps, so read through first, and the timing and development of the dish will seem perfectly natural.

1. Put a large pot with 6 cups of water on to boil and cover.

2. While waiting for the water, get out a saute pan, veggie oil, 1/2 cup dal, cutting board, large knife, at least half of a sugar pumpkin (approx. 6" wide), 1 large or 2 small parsnips, turmeric and salt. Carefully cut the pumpkin in half by inserting the tip of your knife, then push the blade in to the hilt, and pull the handle down. If needed, pull out your knife and insert farther down, do not try to saw through, it's unsafe. Scoop out the seeds with a spoon and set aside to toast with Braggs later if you like. One half you can cover with saran wrap on a plate for all your other great (but not as good) pumpkin recipes. Peel the remaining half and cut in half again, so you have two quarters. Dice one of the quarters into rough 1/2" cubes. Peel the parsnip(s) and dice likewise. Next put the saute pan over medium heat. While it's warming, chop the remaining quarter of pumpkin into rough 2" cubes and set aside. Pour about a tblsp of oil into the saute pan. While it's heating, dump the small pumpkin cubes and parsnip into the boiling water with a half a tsp. each of the turmeric and salt. Finally, saute the dal in the hot oil for 2-3 minutes, careful not to let them burn, then stir them into the pot with the pumpkin and parsnips.

3. Next, get out a large microwaveable mixing bowl, flour, cumin (optional), and 1/3 cup warm water. Make sure there's a clean spot on the counter for rolling out the plumplings in a minute. In the bowl, mix 3/4 cup of flour, 1 tblsp of oil, 1/2 tsp of cumin, and 1/2 tsp of salt. Continue to mix while slowly adding the water (may not need all of it) until the dough attains a satiny texture. That's half-way between tacky and crumbly. You'll end up using between 1/4 - 1/3 cup of water. Now dependent upon your level of ambition, use the entire ball of dough, or a quarter at a time, and roll it out into long snake like you used to do with playdo as a kid, 'til it's a little more than 1/2" in diameter. Using your thumb and forefinger, pinch off inch-long sections of the dough so the pieces look like a cross between gnocchi and orecchiette. Set those aside while you rinse out the bowl. Using the bowl, microwave the large pumpkin cubes for 4 minutes on high. Now's a good time to stir the dal and wipe down the counter.

4. Next, get out a fork, coriander, ground ginger (if you only have fresh, grate or finely chop 1/2"), and cardamom. The microwave should be done by now, so sprinkle 1 tsp of coriander, 1/2 tsp of ginger, and 1/2 tsp cardamom on the pumpkin and smush it up with the fork. Stir the pumpkin mash and the dumplings into the dal, and be sure to occasionally stir getting everything in the bottom mixed up until the dal is cooked. This should take about another 15 minutes, but it depends on your consistency preference. Some people like it soupy, some like it pasty. Regardless, the next step should happen when you're 5 minutes away from considering it "cooked."

5. Turn the heat to medium under the saute pan and add another tablespoon of oil for tempering the spices. While it's heating, get out a stick of cinnamon, a 4"-long chili (preferably a skinny red Thai chili), ground cinnamon, ground clove (if using whole, you need 2 and careful dinner guests), lemon juice (or half a lemon), and 8 medium or 10 small fresh sage leaves (if only have ground sage, use 1 tsp). The oil should be hot, so toss in the cinnamon stick and while it's spluttering (that's the technical term), slice the chili in half. Mix both chili halves in and while it's spluttering, wash your hands. Then toss in the cinnamon and clove and while it's spluttering, mince the fresh sage. Mix in the sage and splash in the lemon juice. Finally stir the whole spluttery mixture into the dal, and let the flavors meld for 2-3 minutes while you wash up and set the table.

Serve heaping spoonfuls to hungry dinner guests who love thanksgiving and dal all at once! 45 min to prepare 4 servings

Pumpkin Pine Nut Bread Pudding

1 large red onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 tbs olive oil
3/4ths a loaf of sliced bread, torn into bite-size pieces or smaller
2 1/2 cups of plain soy milk
1 1/2 cups of pureed pumpkin
1 16 oz. package of silken tofu
1/2 cup of pine nuts
2 tbs brown mustard
1 tbs dried basil
1 tbs cumin
2 tbs braggs or soy sauce
2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp dill weed

This savory bread pudding serves 8!

Add the oil to a pan, and saute the onion and garlic for about 5 minutes or until they become soft.
In a large blender, add the tofu, pumpkin, mustard, soy milk, and all of the spices, though not the pine nuts. Blend until smooth, then stir in the onions and garlic.

Oil a 9X13 inch baking dish, and place the pieces of bread inside in an even manner. Sprinkle the pine nuts at different layers of the bread. Pour the pumpkin liquid evenly, covering all of the bread, and wait 30 minutes, or until most of the liquid is absorbed.
Put pan in an oven preheated to 375 for an hour, or until the top of pudding nicely browned. Serve with garnish of avocado.

Spicy Pumpkin Brown Rice Sushi Rolls

2 mini pumpkins
4 scallions
about 12 medium-sized shiitake mushrooms
1 cup (dry) short-grained brown rice
2 Tb + a dash of rice vinegar
1 tsp sugar
1 TB agave nectar
4 sheets toasted nori
Shriracha sauce
bamboo mat for rolling

Bring 2 cups of water to boil, add the rice and simmer for 50 minutes. Cut the pumpkins in half and remove the pulp and seeds. Cut away the skin, and cut the flesh of the pumpkins into strips, about the width of your pinkie. Adjust for nonaverage pinkies. Steam the pumpkin for about ten minutes, until it is tender when pierced with a fork. Steam the mushrooms for about 5-7 minutes, until they are tender but not squishy. Slice the mushrooms into strips. Slice the scallions lengthwise into thin strips.

When the rice is finished and has cooled for a few minutes, mix together the sugar, agave and 2 TB of vinegar in a large, wide bowl -- glass is best. Add the rice, and toss. Prepare a bowl with a dash of vinegar and about twice as much water, to dampen your hands while rolling. Place a sheet of nori on your bamboo mat. (Rolling is possible but difficult without a mat.) Cover the lower half of the sheet with a thin layer of rice. In the middle of that layer of rice, place a row of pumpkin strips, a row of shiitake, and a row of scallions.

For presentation, try to allow the ingredients to protrude about half an inch (or more) from the edge of the nori. Roll the sushi, using the mat to keep the roll tight. Use a dab from your vinegar/water bowl to dampen the top of the nori sheet to close the roll. Slice the rolls into 6 or seven pieces each.

Place a small dab of shriracha on each piece. Enjoy! Yield: 4 rolls of sushi, about 24 pieces.

Three-Bean, Cornbread Chili Stuffed Pumpkin

1 pumpkin about 7 inches in diameter

1 cup dried (or one can) Kidney beans (soaked over night)

1 cup dried (or one can) Pinto beans (soaked over night)

1 cup dried (or one can) Black beans (soaked over night)

1 medium sweet, red onion, chopped

5 cloves- 1 whole garlic, minced

11/2 cups or 12 once can tomato paste

½ cup or one small can diced green chilies

2 tbs maple syrup or sweetener of your choice.

Salt, pepper, cumin, cayenne, chili powder, to taste

2 cups cornbread of choice, cubed and dried for one day.

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees

2. Prepare pumpkin. Cut around stem of the pumpkin about 4 inches in diameter and set aside. Scrape seeds from pumpkin (you really ought to dry them out and eat them) but leave pulp intact. Set aside.

3. Take all beans, drain and then bring to a boil. Boil 1 hour or until all the beans are tender. Drain

4. Combine onion, tomato paste, garlic, green chilies and maple syrup with beans

5. Add Salt, pepper, cumin, cayenne, chili powder, to taste

6. Gently mix in the cornbread crumb

7. Put chili mixture into the pumpkin and place the pumpkin inside of a sturdy pie pan on a cookie sheet (note, the pumpkin will need to be served on whatever its cooked on because the bottom will become weak and break easily) bake for about one hour or until the sides of the pumpkin are malleable to the touch.

The stem may be returned tot eh top of the pumpkin for presentation. Before serving, mix up the contents of the pumpkin, scraping the sides to release the pulp and mix it in with the chili. Enjoy!

Pumpkin Banana Creme Brulee

Winner, Pumpkin Battle
1 cup of pureed pumpkin
1 ripe banana
1/2 cup coconut milk
1/2 cup vanilla soy milk
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp allspice
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1 tbs corn starch
a pinch of salt
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
3 tbs of rapadura
3 tbs of maple syrup
4 tbs vegan pure cane sugar

Makes 3 servings.

Put all ingredients except the pure cane sugar in a blender and mix thoroughly. Preheat over to 375 degrees. Pour mixture from blender into the 3 creme brulee bowls. Put the bowls in a pan of water and put the pan in the oven for about an hour, or until the top looks nice a brown. Some cracking may occur. Remove from water and put the pure cane sugar evenly on the top. Put the 3 bowls directly under the broiler tray until the sugar melts, then take out and let cool. You could also use a food torch and melt the sugar that way. Garnish with a sprig of mint. Crack the top crust with a spoon and dig in!

Pumpkin Spinach Wrap

Tortillas

1 cup pumpkin, cubed
3 cups fresh spinach
1/2 cup thinly sliced red onion
1 - 2 tbsp grated ginger root
1 tbsp sesame seeds

Marinade

3 tbsp soy sauce
1 1/2 tbsp brown sugar
3 tsp apple cider vinegar
1/4 tsp lime juice
2 tsp ginger puree
2 tsp minced garlic
tabasco to taste

Peel and cut approximately 1 cup of pumpkin into 2 cm (1 inch) cubes. Combine marinade ingredients in a container with a lid, mix well. Put cubed pumpkin into the marinade and shake container (with lid on!). If you have time, let the pumpkin sit in the marinade for a couple hours, but it should still work fine if you don't. Place pumpkin on a lightly oiled baking sheet and bake for about 30 min, or until cooked, at 350. Set the marinade aside to use later.

While the pumpkin is cooking, thinly slice red onion and wash 3 cups fresh spinach. When the pumpkin is ready, quickly stir fry spinach and ginger together 'til spinach is wilted. Place a portion of the spinach in a tortilla, sprinkle with sesame seeds, a portion of the baked pumpkin and drizzle some of the marinade over the top. Roll up and enjoy!

Makes: approx. 4 wraps

Pumpkin Tahini Soup

1/2 of a small - medium sized onion (finely chopped)
2 large cloves garlic (finely chopped)
1 tsp. olive oil
2 C vegetable broth
1 (15 oz.) can pumpkin
1/2 C tahini
1 Tbsp. dijon mustard
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp curry
salt and pepper to taste

Cut up onion and garlic and sauté with olive oil until onions
are clear. Add the vegetable broth and let warm up a little bit
Add can op pumpkin, tahini, and mustard. stir until smooth and warm.
Add curry, cumin, salt, and pepper.
Let cool for a bit, put in vitamix/food processor and blend until smooth. serve.

Kick A$$ Pumpkin Seeds

Here is a fast easy treat. Keep a wet cloth handy because your fingers will get sticky.

1 1/2 cups pumpkin seeds(shelled)
1 tsp. dry chili peppers
1/4 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp. brown sugar
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 1/2 tsp. lemon juice.

Heat a frying pan over medium heat, using NO oil or vegetable spray. Add the pumpkin seeds & stir continuously, so they don't burn. When they start to plump & change colour slightly (about 5 minutes), add salt, garlic & chili pepper. Cook for a few minutes, then quickly add the brown sugar & stir until it has dissolved, then stir in lemon juice.

Sweet Pumpkin Ravioli with a Pumpkin Spinach Sauce

Ravioli Dough (makes 8 fairly large raviolis):

1 cup flour
1/4 cup water
1 tsp olive oil
dash salt

Ravioli Filling:
1 tsp olive oil
1 cup vegan ground "beef"
1/3 can pumpkin
2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
2 tbsp soy cream
salt & pepper
1 tbsp brown sugar

Pasta Sauce:
1 tbsp olive oil
2/3 can pumpkin
1/2 can tomato blocks
1/4 cup soy cream
1/4 cup cocount milk
2 large handfuls of fresh spinach
1 tsp garlic salt
couple shakes of pepper, to your liking
1 tsp brown sugar
1 tsp oregano


First begin the ravioli dough. Pour the flour in a bowl with the salt, and add the water and olive oil and mix thoroughly with a spoon. Begin kneading the dough with your hands until it forms a nicely mixed ball. Cover with saran wrap and set aside for 20 minutes.

In a shallow pan, heat the olive oil and then add the vegan ground beef. Sautee for 3 minutes, then turn the heat to a low flame and add the pureed pumpkin, mixing thoroughly. Add the 2 tbsp of soy cream to make it blend together better, and then add the pumpkin pie spice, brown sugar, salt and pepper. Keep on the flame for about 3 more minutes, and then remove and set aside to cool.

To make the pasta sauce, add the olive oil, pumpkin, tomato blocks, soy cream, and coconut milk to a pot and simmer until slightly bubbling. Throw in the spinach, and mix well into the mixture. When the spinach has wilted, add the sugar, garlic salt, and oregano, and simmer on a low flame while you prepare the ravioli.

Heat a pot of water and lightly salt. Roll out the ball of pasta dough on a floured cutting board, and then cut circles out of it. Take each individual circle, roll it even thinner, rest it in a ravioli maker (I used a small handheld one that gave half-moon shapes) and place a small spoonful of the ravioli filling in the center. Clamp the ravioli maker shut and hold firmly for a few seconds, and then set the ravioli to the side. When all of them are prepared, put them in the boiling water for about 7 minutes, and eventually they should float to the top of the water. Using a slotted spoon, take them out and place them on a plate to cool down and dry slightly.

Transfer to a plate and top with the pasta sauce, some salt and pepper and enjoy!

Southwest Pumpkin Pizza

1 pizza crust

1 15 oz. can solid pack pumpkin

1 1.13 oz. (or 4 tbs.) taco seasoning blend

1 lime

2/3-1 package of FYH cheese, nacho flavor (OR cheese sauce from cheesy bean and cheese enchiladas)

1/4 c. black beans

1/4 c. red bell pepper

1/4 c. green bell pepper

1/4 c. sweet onion

1/4 c. black and green olives

cilantro, avocado, salsa, and 'sour cream' to garnish

Directions:

1. Prepare your favorite pizza crust as directed. (If you're using a pre-baked crust preheat the oven to 425F)

2. Combine canned pumpkin with taco seasoning and juice of 1 lime

3. Spread spicy pumpkin mixture on crust

3. Top with shredded cheese and between 1-1 1/4 c. of your favorite southwest veggies (suggestions above)

4. Bake for approx. 15 mins., then broil for 1-2 minutes (watching carefully!) until cheese is melted

5. Garnish with your favorite taco condiments

Maple- Brown Sugar Pumpkin Casserole

2 15 oz. cans of unsweetened pumpkin

1 apple, chopped

1/3 cup of raisins

1/2 cup of brown sugar

2 tbs. of maple syrup

pecans

cinnamon, ground cloves, nutmeg to taste

Combined all ingredients. Bake at 375 for 20 minutes.

Butternut Pita Pizzas with Pumpkin Tomato sauce

1 small Pumpkin
1 small Butternut squash
5 cloves Garlic, peeled and crushed
1 Cup Water
3 TBSP Tomato paste
2 TBSP dried Italian Seasoning Blend, plus more for garnish
Olive Oil 1 TSP Cumin
Salt & Pepper to taste
5 Loaves Pita Bread
Onion & Garlic Powder to taste

If you're as busy as me then you might want to spread
this recipe out over several days.  I cooked
the pumpkin and squash the night before I made this
recipe.  This also gave me time to dry out the seeds
and toast them, that way I could use them as a garnish
for the pita pizzas.

Preheat oven to 350. Cut Pumpkin in half and remove
seeds and stringy pulp, save the seeds, you can toast
them and eat them later.  Cut Butternut length wise,
remove seeds, these also are edible I toasted them
with the pumpkin seeds. Place pumpkin halves cut side
down in casserole dish adding 1 cup of water around
the halves.  Next, put the butternut halves cut side
down on a cookie sheet.  Drizzle oil over the
butternut halves and put your garlic cloves in the
middle of the two butternut halves.
Bake both your pumpkin and your butternut for
approximately 1 Hour (more of less depending on the
size of your fruit) until tender.

Let your pumpkin and squash cool off a bit before
attempting the next step, you don't want to burn your
fingers.

Scoop the pumpkin flesh into a food processor with a
metal spoon.  Puree the pumpkin.
Cut the Butternut into smaller sections and peel/cut
the skin off the butternut.  Cube the butternut into
small pieces.  Save those garlic cloves you'll need
them for the next step.

Measure the pumpkin puree, you'll need 1 cup to make
the sauce.
In food processor add the cup pumpkin puree, tomato
paste, Italian seasoning mix  (mine has Oregano,
Basil, Rosemary, Thyme, Sage, Marjoram, you can use
any dried herbs you already have.), cumin, salt and
pepper, the 5 cloves of garlic and 6 TBSP olive oil.
Process until smooth.  Add more or less olive oil
until you get the desired consistency.

Brush or spray each loaf of pita with olive oil,
sprinkle the edges with garlic and onion powder.
Smooth the pumpkin tomato sauce onto each pita with a
spoon, top with the butternut squash cubes.  Sprinkle
with some of your dried Italian seasoning mix.  I put
some toasted pumpkin/squash seeds on top.  Bake for 15
minutes or so until the crust is nice and brown and
crispy.

Eat and enjoy!

Roasted Pumpkin Soup or Autumn Goodness Soup

I wanted something earthy & savory & this is the result. The taste is warm thanks to the Jalapeño but it is not over-powering. The coconut milk is the right compliment to the spicy pumpkin.

8 cups Pumpkin
10 cloves Garlic
3 Carrots
1 Onion
1 Jalapeno Pepper
8 cups Vegetable Broth
1 tsp. Rosemary
1/2 tsp. Marjoram
1/2 tsp. Sage
5 or 6 threads of Saffron
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste
1-13 1/2 oz can Coconut Milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a large cookie sheet with a non-stick
spray. I used a half of a 10 lb pumpkin. Cut the half pumpkin in half, so
you have 2 quarters & remove the seeds. Save the other half of the pumpkin
for pie, stirfry or some other treat.  Peel the garlic cloves & tightly wrap
in foil. Peel the carrots & cut them about an inch thick. Peel the onion,
then quarter it & wrap tightly in foil. Cut the Jalapeno in half, leaving
the seeds in the pepper. Put the pumpkin, carrots & foil wrapped vegetables
on the cookie sheet & place the Jalapeno cut side up on the cookie sheet as
well. Roast in the oven, keeping a close eye on the Jalapeno, onion &
garlic. Your nose will tell you when they are done (about 20 minutes).
Remove the Jalapeno, onion & garlic, leaving the carrots & pumpkin to
continue cooking until they are tender (another 1/2 hour). When the pumpkin
is done,  carefully peel it  & rough chop it & put it along with all the
carrots, onion, garlic & Jalapenos (with the seeds) into a large pot. Add
the vegetable broth & spices.

Using a food processor, blend small batches into a nice thick consistency,
or if you have an immersion blender, this step will be much easier.
Just before serving, add the Coconut Milk & heat through. Add salt & pepper
to taste.

Serve with a hearty grain bread & a leafy salad for a wonderful warming meal
on a cool Autumn evening.

Rib-Stickin' Layer Bake

A creamy pumpkin spread highlights a layered-one dish casserole: warm comfort food for the upcoming cooler nights. Serves 3

6 lasagna noodles
2 cloves of garlic, crushed 1 1/4 cups pumpkin, pureed (canned or fresh)
1 1/2 tbsp miso paste
1 1/2 tbsp nut/seed butter (tahini, peanut, almond)
2 medium tomatoes, thinly sliced
salt & pepper
2 cups kidney beans (canned or otherwise cooked until quite soft) 2 cups shredded spinach
Chipotle Tabasco sauce (to taste)

Bring a pot of water to boil. Cook lasagna noodles according to package directions, until al dente.
Preheat oven to 350. In small saucepan, sautee garlic until fragrant and golden. Add pumpkin - if using canned, up to 1/4 cup of water/broth may need to be added to make creamy. When pumpkin is heated through, add miso paste and nut/seed butter. Stir well to combine: Mixture will be rather thick - this is necessary for spreading purposes. Spray or oil a loaf pan. Arrange a portion of sliced tomatoes on the bottom of said pan. Layer 2 lasagna noodles side-by-side on top of tomatoes. Spread approx. 1/3 of pumpkin mixture on noodles, followed by 1/3 of the kidney beans. Top beans with 1/3 of spinach, followed by sliced tomatoes. Sprinkle tomatoes with salt & pepper. End with a layer of noodles. Repeat layering process - final layer will not be topped with noodles, but will finish with tomatoes. Cover baking dish with aluminum foil, place in oven until warmed through.
Finally, remove covering, and broil for 5-7 minutes, or until tomatoes are slightly shriveled. Serve with a generous dousing of Chipotle Tabasco sauce and a mixed green salad.