VeganMoFo #16: Happy Halloween...Don't Get Cheated out of "Tricks or Treats"

Happy Halloween, Everyone! We've been MIA between vacation and Hurricane Sandy, but we wanted to get on here just in time to wish you all the happiest of the season, even at the lowest of times. We hope all who have been impacted are safe and well and that things turn for the better really soon!

Since today is the last day of October, we like to share some photos we took from our visit to the New York Botanical Garden and their Haunted Pumpkin Garden exhibition with a carving demo with Ray Villafane and his grew. It was amazing to say the least.

In honor of this wonderful holiday, we'd like to share one of our favorite Halloween goodies...and annual traditions...watching "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown!"



Now, if you were impacted by Hurricane Sandy, we hope you get to have your Halloween! Some events are being rescheduled around our parts to ensure the kiddies don't get hurt. So, whether you're celebrating today, tomorrow, next week or whenever, be safe, have a great time and don't get "cheated out of Tricks or Treats!"

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Sing-A-Long Time: Sandy

In honor of the impending hurricane coming our way...

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VeganMoFo #15: The Pumpkin Pumpkin Song...

Hey there! It's Macaroonie. Artichoke's going to take the reigns of the blog over the next couple of days. I've got a take-home final exam to finish by next Monday. If you didn't know I'm in grad school, and my program track sets my courses into 6-week intensives. Crazy, I know! So, I already am at the end of one course and about to start the next in 2 weeks. So, I'll be off trying to remember formulas and building quantitative models. BUT before I go, I found this cute kids song on YouTube to share with you all!

Enjoy!

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Pink Frosting Bakery - Verona, NJ (Formerly known as Cupcraze Bakery)

Credit: Pink Frosting Bakery

Update: We've updated this post to reflect the business' name change.

Veganism is growing in NJ! Folks, if you haven't heard, there's a new vegan bakery on the scene, joining the ranks of Sweet Avenue Bake Shop and Papa Ganache. Cupcraze Bakery Pink Frosting Bakery has opened in Verona, New Jersey.

Owned and operated by Hiral Udawat, Cupcraze Bakery Pink Frosting Bakery has only been opened a couple of weeks, but is starting to get the attention of the locals, vegans and omnivores alike. It's all about satisfying the sweet tooth in a healthier way that's cruelty-free and mindful of allergens and maintaining good health. We're all for that!

The bake shop is cute and still growing, as the foot traffic builds. What's bringing the folks in? A lovely offering of vegan and gluten-free varieties cookies and cakes. While the menu isn't extensive as some of our other favorite bakeries, Cupcraze Bakery Pink Frosting Bakery offers a solid mix with chocolate chip cookies, whoopie pies and some pretty rockin' cupcakes that go beyond any cake box mix.

We happened to stop by after picking Mac up from work to grab dinner in Montclair before heading to see Morrissey at Radio City. Mac found out about it doing a simple search online for vegan bakeries near Montclair, since we were planning to have dinner in the area.. We figured we'd get a couple of treats for the road and after the show. We ordered a whoopie pie, a chocolate chip cookie, a lemon cupcake and a banana split cupcake. All drool-worthy upon sight!



We were bad kids, almost spoiling our dinner, by splitting the whoopie pie, which was really good. Mac said it tasted like an Oreo cookie (which she love). Cupcraze scored some major points with that. After dinner, we treated ourselves to the cookie as we headed into Manhattan. The cookie was good with a classic chocolate chip cookie flavor.



Leaving the concert, Mac was a little worried about the cupcakes not holding up. I told her she didn't need to worry. If they did get a little messy, it wouldn't be a big deal. Good to say that the cupcakes held up perfectly, thanks to the cool cupcake holders set in the cake box! Also, being in the trunk of the car for a couple of hours didn't hurt them.



Having gotten home just in time to see Raul Ibanez kill things with 2 home-runs during last Wednesday night's Yankees game, we definitely celebrated with the cupcakes. I went for the lemon, which had the right amount of citrus in it. A little more than subtle, but not overpowering. It was quite nice with the cream cheese frosting.



Mac had the banana split that she was eyeing up from the website and then in the shop. When she took a bite, her eyes bugged out (that good). She said the cupcake was perfect with the banana cake with chocolate, buttercream and cherry on top. It was too much like banana bread with ice cream, which is one of our faves.

Now, we have a go-to bakery as we hit our favorite areas of NJ! One near my parents. One near work. One down the shore! You can't go wrong with any of the three. So, while we're NYers working in NJ we say "Welcome to the neighborhood and the state, Cupcraze Bakery Pink Frosting Bakery!  We wish you the best and hope you stick around for a long while...with banana split cupcakes!"

Pink Frosting Bakery (Formerly known asa Cupcraze Bakery)
534 Bloomfield Avenue
Verona, New Jersey 07044
(973) 239-1048
http://www.cupcraze.com

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The Lucky Cow - Cornwall, New York

We're taking a mini-break from our VeganMoFo Pumpkin Craziness to share this bit with you!


Vegan and vegetarian good eats from The Lucky Cow makes up the Lucky Duo!

After carting off our booty of pumpkins, veggies and apples from Lawrence Farms Orchards, we were hungry. Sadly, we didn't know of any vegan or veg-friendly spots around Newburgh, New York. Thankfully, Mac was armed with her trusty mobile and quickly pulled up the invaluable Happy Cow app. The Happy Cow led us to The Lucky Cow, a vegetarian, vegan-friendly food truck based out of Cornwall, which is about 15 minutes away from Newburgh (and a good 90+ minutes from our home in NYC).

Mac, ever the researcher, saw that The Lucky Cow would be The Shops at Jones Farms. When we got there, as nice as it was, there sadly was no truck. There were some cute farm animals, including some TRULY free range chickens and roosters playing around. BUT we were hungry!!! So, off to Facebook Mac went! The Lucky Cow had a change of plans for Saturday. They would be running the truck from their home about 5 minutes away.

We made the trek and saw the placards directing us to deliciousness...and some yard sales. Apparently, that day was the town's yard sale event, where residents sold their wares and things, like a community spring cleaning (but in October). I was really stoked to see this, because I like yard sales and I like vegan food!

As we saddled up to the truck, there was a lot of activity! Halloween house decorating, kids running about, folks looking through books and CDs for sale. There was the truck, in the middle of it all, with a couple of tables and some chairs set up on the front lawn.



Though to some the menu may the small, you got to remember, it's a food truck. And for this food truck owned and operated by a very friendly young couple named Mike and Sam, the offerings were diverse. The Lucky Cow caters to vegans, vegetarians and gluten-free folks. All animal-free and every item is noted with a hand-drawn icon to say what's suitable for the customer's dietary needs. You've got to love business owners who have their customers in mind. Trust us, there was nothing lacking for anyone.

Mac was set on the falafel wrap with sauteed kale and black bean hummus for us to share. For a side, I wasn't sure if we should go for the curried cauliflower or the jalapeno cole slaw. So, I asked Mike which would he prefer. He said the cauliflower and that sold it.

When our food was ready, we took a seat and right away were amazed by the cauliflower! Then, we bit into the falafel to which we added hot sauce (a must!) and again were impressed! Everything was so good and fresh. The Lucky Cow needs to make a move downstate or we need to go up to Cornwall more often :)


 

While we were eating, we met Sam's sister, Sara and brother-in-law, Joe. We overheard them talking about Peacefood Cafe, a place Mac's been wanting to try, but was a little scared off by due to some negative online reviews. Sara and Joe had nothing but great things to say about Peacefood. So we'll be going there soon.

We had a nice conversation on the importance of veganism, and health. Sara and Joe told us their story of going vegan, which was due to their son's health issues and then grew into compassion for animals. Another thing that was cool was to hear that Joe was from our neck of the woods, literally a couple of blocks away from where Mac grew up and where we live.



Before we left, I decided that we had to try the raw date square. So, I got one to go. Mike saw my tattoo and told me about a rumor that the Misfits may get back together with Danzig (whole other conversation, but cool if true!).

So with good food in bellies and a yummy date square in tow (devoured before we left the block), we made our way back to NY. This was not without a good book find on the yard sale table where I found a copy of McSweeney's Mammoth Treasury of Thrilling Tales. SCORE for 50 cents!



I have to say I was really impressed with The Lucky Cow and their family. Not only do they make a mean falafel wrap, some darn good cauliflower and a delicious date square (Mac wants the recipe), they're good people doing good things for themselves, for others, for animals and the world. I learned something from the visit. The vegan community is a small, yet big community. We're growing and we're sharing.

Thanks for the good eats, treats, book and conversation!

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VeganMoFo #14: Lazy Sunday

Today, we've decided to do much except make a chick'n pot pie this evening for dinner. So, while we prepare to make our first vegan pot pie, here are some photos from our pumpkin picking trip yesterday at Lawrence Farms Orchards in Newburgh, NY. We made a cool new friend (tee hee)!

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VeganMoFo #13: The Healthy & Versatile Pumpkin

Today, Artie and I will be off to do some pumpkin picking in Newburgh, NY. We love fresh pumpkins. You can do so many things with them, food wise. You've seen a couple of recipes we've put together so far, but we really hope to branch out more. What's also great is that pumpkins are good for you! They have a number of health benefits to them:

• They're a great source of Vitamin A and fiber
• Because of the fiber, they're filling...and good for weight loss/management
• They're lower in calories (without the pie crust and whipped creme, of course)
• They're lower in carbs, if you're watching that sort of thing
• They are a good source of protein, especially the seeds
• The seeds are also great for your skin, immune system and mood

And on top of that, pumpkins have a great color (pinks, oranges, etc), look pretty around the home and can be used as art, which we'll be checking out next weekend! And I don't know if you heard, there's a GREAT one that sits comes to the pumpkin patch and brings the kids presents (Linus told me that)! 

So, if you haven't tried pumpkin for something other than pie, you should! It's a great time of year to do just that!

There are a TON of great resources around online and off about pumpkins and health! Search them out!

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VeganMoFo #12: Pumpkin Science Fun

I like finding cool scientific tips and tricks, like this one. Look at what can be done to make your Jack-o-Lantern become a foamy spitfire mess!

Pretty cool, eh?

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VeganMoFo #11: No Pumpkin for You!

Yeah, we're putting a freeze on the Pumpkin Craziness today. Well, actually, we're being lazy. We went to see Morrissey last night at Radio City Music Hall (Brilliant Show!), and were too tired to whip up anything starring pumpkin to share with you. Instead, we'll share a couple of photos Mac took at the show with her phone.

Until tomorrow...

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VeganMoFo #10: Chocolate Pumpkin Mousse!

Watch out Peanut Butter! Pumpkin's making moves on Chocolate!

I've decided not to write much on this mousse dessert I made. I'll just say that I didn't know that pumpkin and chocolate could go together so nicely. Try it out and let us know what you think? Better yet, what are your favorite foods to have with chocolate. Let us know!


Pumpkin+Chocolate Mousse
Source: Macaroon with Too Much Pumpkin Puree
Serves 6-8

Ingredients:

• 1 c. unsweetened soy milk
• 1 can pumpkin puree
• 1/2 c. brown sugar
• 1/3 c. cocoa powder
• 1 Tbsp cornstarch
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp. cinnamon or allspice
• A pinch of sea salt
• 1/4 c. semisweet chocolate chips (optional)

Directions:

1. In a medium saucepan, mix soy milk and pumpkin puree and bring to a boil. 
2. Lower heat and whisk in sugar, cocoa powder and cornstarch until mixture starts to thicken. Then, whisk in vanilla, cinnamon and sea salt.
3. Remove from heat and stir in chocolate chips. Allow mixture to cool slightly.
4. Pour mixture into serving cups, cover with plastic wrap and place in refrigerator to complete setting
5. Enjoy with some vegan whipped cream, with chocolate bits or as it is. 

I added in bits of Fig & Fennel Bark from Lagusta's Luscious to my mousse! YUM!

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VeganMoFo #9: Spaghetti & Pumpkin Sauce

The Food Duo household is made up of 1.5 Italian persons. We've eaten so many kinds of pasta with so many different sauces and toppings, it's crazy. While we often go for a traditional homemade tomato sauce, we have a thing for getting in as many veggies we can into a pasta dish. One of our favorites is squash, usually zucchini or yellow/pattypan squash. Since we're on our month-long pumpkin kick, we wanted to try to make a pumpkin sauce. What a perfect time, since we bought 4 cans of pumpkin puree from Trader Joe's last week.

For me, I would have preferred to try this out with fresh pumpkin cut into tomato sauce, but Mac wanted to go a different route. She wanted to make something like a thick alfredo with a sweet yet earthy kick. Pumpkin puree thinned out with veggie broth served as the base before stirring in soy milk for the "creamy" factor. The spice blend including sage and allspice really balanced out the pumpkin. The balsamic vinegar just brightened up the dish with a little sweetness. The nutritional yeast added a nutty flavor. I think it was pretty darn good for a whip-up tossed with some spaghetti.

Macaroon's Pumpkin Crazy Pasta Sauce
Source: Mac with 4 Cans of Pumpkin Puree & A Dream
Makes enough for 1lb of cooked pasta

Ingredients:

• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 2-3 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1/2 medium onion, chopped
• 1 can of  pumpkin puree
• 1-1/2 c. soy milk
• 1 Tbsp nutritional yeast
• 1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 1/4 tsp. dried sage
• 1/4 tsp. dried basil
• 1/4 tsp. oregano
• 1/4 tsp. allspice

Directions:

1. Heat oil in medium saucepan. Saute garlic until lightly browned. Add onions sautee until the onions become translucent
2. Add pumpkin to pan and stir to loosen the puree. Whisk in soy milk and nutritional yeast. Bring to a boil
3. Lower to a simmer, stir in vinegar and spices. Cover with lid. Cook for 10-15 minutes. Stirring occassionally
4. Serve over pasta and enjoy!

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VeganMoFo #8: A Little 3D Pumpkin Carving

Macaroon's not feeling well today. I'm going to take the reigns on today's late posting.

We live in walking distance of the New York Botanical Garden. I've really grown to enjoy and appreciate it. In fact, we ALMOST got married there.

While looking into Halloween-themed events we would like to attend this year, we found out that NYBG is hosting a "Giant Pumpkin Carving Weekend" on October 20th and 21st. During the event, Ray Villafane, is going to carving live. It's easy to say that I'm a fan!

You may know Ray Villafane is from Halloween Wars or the Food Network Challenge: Outrageous Pumpkin Challenge. You may be familiar with how creative, technical and realistic his carving artistry is. If not, check out this WSJ.com article from last year. 

If the article's not enough, there's a pretty cool YouTube video of Ray's work that I recommend you watch.

We'll be sharing some photos of our outing in the future.

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Vegan MoFo #7: Tis the Season for Pumpkin Pie...Soda! (Repost)

Another an Oldie but a Goodie for VeganMoFo...
Originally posted on November 2, 2025


We simply love Autumn. What is it about this time of year that makes us so happy? Is it the ideal weather or gorgeous foliage? Is it donning cozy, warm  clothes, or enjoying all the fun offerings at Fall festivals? Is it sipping warm cider or Halloween? Or is it the ubiquitous seasonal pumpkin products that that always crop up around this time of year? It’s all of these things and more!

Speaking of seasonal pumpkin products, did we ever come across a doozy at Whole Foods a couple of weeks ago. While looking for a product for her graduate marketing class, Mac stumbled across an endcap labeled "Pumpkin Pie Soda," which was both odd and intriguing. So, you know we had to try it!

The "Pumpkin Pie Soda" is made by an independent soda maker called Maine Root. Maine Root’s products, which are organically sweetened and certified Fair Trade, are growing in popularity, sold in specialty grocers, like Whole Foods, as well as online. Though their top products are their root beers, they offer a variety of year-round flavors like their Sasparilla and Ginger Brew. They're also not hard to find, being sold at national grocery chains like Whole Foods and Trader Joe's, specialty shops and online.

As it turns out, the Pumpkin Pie soda is simply superb! It has the right amount of sweetness, and is nicely balanced with traditional flavors you come to think to be in a pumpkin pie, like nutmeg and cinnamon. We also love the packaging with its bold orange and green appeal. It’s no wonder why Maine Root won the Best of New England award at the 2010 Expo East New Product Pavilion. Too bad it won't be available all year round! We may just have to stock up!

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VeganMoFo #6: Our Fifth Wedding Anniversary

Today was our fifth wedding anniversary. Artie and I hacked around Ulster and Duchess Counties, NY. We visited a gnome, enjoyed some Turkish lunch, bought some soon-to-be devoured vegan chocolate and walked over the Hudson River 2x.

According to marriage etiquette, which we don't follow, the celebratory couple should either receive the traditional gift of wood or the contemporary gift of silverware for their 5th anniversary. I have NO clue as to why. We were nowhere near that when we booked trips to Las Nevada and Vermont for later this month as our gifts to each other. So, we've got bad marital manners, I guess. 

But why wood? Why silverware? Why not pumpkins if you're celebrating in the Fall? Tis the season, right? By the way, we didn't have any pumpkins at our wedding. However, we did have our color theme as orange, chocolate and cream!

So, it got me to start thinking and searching the trusty Internets (yes, I added an "s" to the end). I found some cool pumpkin-themed gifts that I would have liked to received for our anniversary. 

1. A ceramic pumpkin. My mom has one of these, like the one you see from Domestic Designer. I think everyone should have one either as a cookie jar, or a hiding place for stuff you don't want your spouse to find or get into!

2. A stack of pumpkin pillows, as found on MarthaStewart.com. Fall festive enough for you?



3. A pumpkin pie plate, similar to this one from Kaboodle.com. I have a thing for pie plates with either a recipe inscribed in it or one with a fruit-shaped/accented lid.



4. Pumpkin soap (I found this one etsy that I've yet to order and try). You're not fully clean unless your pumpkin-y clean...in the Fall!





5. Pumpkin candles/candle holders. Nothing says "romance" more than this charming gourds from about.com




OKAY OKAY OKAY! I'm REALLY reaching to these ideas!!! But hey, it's VeganMoFo and we're doing it up pumpkin style!

Time for me to get back to enjoying the remaining hours of my anniversary. We'll soon have some photos to share of our lovely time, especially the amazing views from over the Hudson River.

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VeganMoFo #5: Pumpkin Corn Chowder (Repost)

Sharing an Oldie but a Goodie for VeganMoFo...
Originally posted on November 8, 2025

I've never had a vegan cream soup before. However, after our trip to the Dominican Republic and having a great vegetarian pumpkin cream soup, I decided that I wanted to make one of my own sans dairy, using fresh pumpkin that we picked a couple of weeks go.



Thanks to one of my new favorite sites, VegWeb.com, I found a great recipe, which I used as a base. I tweaked it quite a bit with fresher ingredients and added spices. I also decided to slow cook it with our trusted crockpot. It came out pretty darn good.



Pumpkin Corn Chowder
Source: Member corduroy posted on VegWeb.com
Serves: 7 one-cup servings

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 Tablespoons vegan margarine
• 1 small onion, minced
• 1 (10 oz.) package frozen whole kernel corn, thawed
• 1 (16 oz.) can pumpkin
• 2 cups vegetable broth
• 1 Tablespoon Turbinado sugar
• 1.5 teaspoons ground sea salt
• 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
• 2 cups vanilla soymilk

Macachoke Tweaks: I used approximately 4 cups of chopped roasted pumpkin in place of the pumpkin puree. I cut the kernels from 2 ears of fresh corn instead of using frozen corn. I bumped up the sugar to 2.5 Tablespoons.I didn't have vanilla soymilk. So I used unsweetened soymilk with 1/2 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract. The ground cinnamon was replaced with a cinnamon stick. I also added 1 teaspoon of curry powder, 1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg and fresh ground pepper. You may have to tweak the spices to get the flavor you want.

DIRECTIONS:

1. Melt the vegan margarine in a dutch oven or large pot; add onion, and saute until tender. Add the corn and cook,stirring occasionally, for 2 to 3 minutes.
2. Stir in the pumpkin and the next 4 ingredients; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 5 minutes. Stir in th soymilk; cook until thoroughly heated (DO NOT BOIL).
3. Enjoy!

Macachoke Tweaks: Place all ingredients in crockpot. Cook the chowder on low for 5 to 6 hours. At the last 30 minutes, remove the cinnamon stick. Then, use an immersion blender to combine the ingredients into a nice thick chowder. If you do not have an immersion blender, ladle mixture in a standard blender and puree for 30 seconds to 1 minute.

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VeganMoFo #4: Crazy Creepy Pumpkin Dance Newscast

Non-food, we know, but a friend of ours posted this on her Facebook page. And now, we're passing it along to you.

ENJOY!

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VeganMoFo #3: Hudson Valley Garlic Festival

On Saturday, we went to Day 1 of the Hudson Valley Garlic Festival in Saugerties, New York. The festival was a 2-day event, not only in a celebration of the fragrant bulb, but of harvest, local food, art and community! Even though the garlic was the spotlight, there were pumpkins and cool crafts abound...not to mention some pretty amazing lemon garlic sno-cones! We hope to be back there next year!

Here are just a few photos of the day:

We got tickets to ride...

Willkommen!

Look! It's Rob Pattinson!

Aww yeah! Jamaican Coconut Curry from the Vegetarian Oasis Stall

A wall of garlic wreaths

Pretty gourd home decor for sale

It's a bird! It's a plane! It's garlic in the sky!

Garlic Man regales his people

Lemon Garlic Sno-Cone! Run this through the Snoopy Sno-Cone Machine!

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