By Jen Sotolongo October has hit, so you know what that means. Pumpkin spice everything. It’s the flavor we love to hate, yet love to eat. And for good reason too. There’s something comforting about consuming warming spices like cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger. So let’s just embrace the onslaught of pumpkin spice in everything we eat, starting with these vegan pumpkin spice crepes. Filled with a coconut cream pumpkin filling, and drizzled with chocolate sauce, these babies will be a hit at your next camp breakfast. These crepes are one of those it’s-like-I’m-eating-dessert-for-breakfast-but-it’s-ok-because-it’s-healthy meals. Before we dig into the recipe, I have to explain a few key ingredients and preparations that you’ll need to be aware of before you leave, starting with aquafaba. Aquafaba? What the heck is that? Bean juice, literally. It’s the liquid you dispose of when you open a can of chickpeas, and it behaves just like egg whites. I’m talking meringues, soufflés, mousse, and pillowy vegan breakfast scrambles. The list goes on. Next, get your hands on a can of full fat coconut milk. This is the base for the pumpkin spice cream filling. For best results, this will need to be refrigerated for 24 hours beforehand. You have a couple options here: 1) Refrigerate it before you head off on your trip and keep cold in a cooler; 2) if you’re camping near a river, stick the can of coconut milk there when you arrive at your camp spot. The last thing you need to decide is whether you want to make the batter at camp or at home. Either way works, one just saves more time and dishes at the camp site and allows the batter to rest a bit. Some notes before we begin: * You’ll need coconut oil for both the crepe batter and the chocolate sauce, so I usually melt all the coconut oil I need at once to save time. You can just melt the coconut oil in the non-stick pan you’ll use for the crepes and transfer the remaining amount to another small dish for the chocolate sauce. ** This recipe requires quite a few bowls, so it’s not so backpacker friendly, but great for car camping or bicycle touring with friends. I try to minimize the number of bowls needed as much as possible! And don’t let the ingredient list scare you—a lot of that is just spices and other ingredients that you can put together in a small container at home. Vegan Pumpkin Spice Crepes with Coconut Cream Filling and Chocolate Sauce Makes 8 medium-sized crepes Preparation time: 20 minutes Cooking time: 20 minutes Ingredients Coconut Cream Pumpkin Filling ½ cup coconut cream, preferably chilled for 24 hours (just scoop the coconut cream from the top). Reserve the water for the batter. ½ cup pumpkin puree ½ tsp cinnamon ¼ tsp ginger 1/8 tsp nutmeg 1/8 tsp cloves

1. Add all ingredients to a bowl and whisk until combined. Set aside, away from any heat sources.

Chocolate Sauce 2 T melted coconut oil 2 T maple syrup 3 T cocoa powder pinch of salt

1. Melt the coconut oil.

2. Add remaining ingredients together and whisk with a fork until no lumps remain. Set aside.

Crepe Batter 1 cup all-purpose flour ½ tsp cinnamon ¼ tsp ginger 1/8 tsp nutmeg 1/8 tsp cloves 1 cup almond milk ½ cup coconut water (reserved from the coconut cream pumpkin filling) 1 tsp vanilla 1 T maple syrup 2 T melted coconut oil 6 T aquafaba

1. Heat a non-stick frying pan over low to medium heat.

2. Mix the dry ingredients together in a large bowl until combined. Make a well in the center and add the almond milk, vanilla, and maple syrup. Whisk together until no clumps remain.

3. In a separate medium bowl, whisk the aquafaba until foamy. In three batches, add the aquafaba to the batter with the milk and flour and gently fold until combined.

4. If you’re making this at home beforehand, put into a container like a Mason jar and into the refrigerator (just don’t forget it when you leave for your trip!).

5. Remove the pan from the flame and pour a thin layer of batter into the pan, swirling around to form a thin, round crepe. (I don’t need to add oil to the pan, but you may need to, depending on your pan) Return the pan to the stove and cook on one side until it is heated through, about 1:00-1:30, depending on the heat, and flip. Cook for about another or so.

6. Stack the cooked crepes and set aside while you finish the batter.

7. Fill each crepe with two tablespoons of pumpkin filling, roll like a cigar, then drizzle with chocolate sauce.