Curried Pumpkin Soup

This November marks my third attempt at NaNoWriMo (aka National Novel Writing Month). The goal is to write 50,000 words of nonfiction during the month of November. That averages out to 1,666 words a day. I am up to 34,000 words right now with 20 days to go so I'm in great shape. This is why I am able to blog. It's been quiet since November started around here and that's my reason! I did "win" in 2010 and got to about 20,000 words last year before I fizzled out. 

It's an interesting concept to write a novel alongside 200,000 strangers. Many of them become virtual friends when it's over (or real friends if you go to a city write-in event). I just hope and pray that when November ends and my novel is ready for my first revision the nightly dreams about my characters end. I thought pregnancy dreams were vivid and non-stop - they were nothing compared to this! I'm happy to share my writing with anyone who'd like to constructively criticize, so shoot me an email if you're interested :) 

This soup powered me through a solid two hours of writing, it's so simple but full of flavor with some delicious spice and heat. It's also light and healthy so I didn't feel so guilty dunking my cheesy cornbread into it (recipe will be up next!). An option to make this a velvety smooth soup is to puree it, but I liked the little bits of texture and color. I added to this as I went along so I encourage you to do the same, start cautiously with the spices and add more as you please. 

Curried Pumpkin Soup

Veggie by Season original

1 tbsp. olive oil

1 small yellow onion, minced

2 medium carrots, peeled and minced

3 garlic cloves, minced

4 c. vegetable stock

1 28 oz. can pumpkin puree

1/4 c. split red lentils

Kosher salt 

Black pepper

1-3 tsp. curry powder (I use the spicy kind of World Market)

1/2-1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice (I use Trader Joe's)

1/4 c. roasted pumpkin seeds toasted with a sprinkle of curry powder

Heat a dutch oven over medium heat. 

Add olive oil, onion, carrots and garlic. 

Season with kosher salt and black pepper, stir and cook for 5 minutes.

Add vegetable stock, pumpkin, lentils, 1 tsp. curry powder and 1/2 tsp. pie spice, stir and bring to a boil.

Reduce heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes, taste and add more curry, pie spice and salt/pepper as needed.

Ladle into a bowl and top with roasted pumpkin seeds.

Pumpkin Soup with Brown Butter

I feel like I'm constantly on the hunt for Pumpkin soup that is flavorful and not full of cream. This soup was full of flavor, an assortment of vegetables, herbs, and just a dollop of creme fraiche and a swirl of brown butter, which added tremendous flavor. The only problem, once again, was the fact that I don't have my blender or food processor here in Boise, so I had to use canned pumpkin and leave my vegetables finely minced. In the future, I'd love to try it with a fresh baked pumpkin with sage.

I loved how this soup was completely savory, no hint of sweetness or even spices that remind you of sweet pumpkin (cinnamon, ginger) just a hint of fresh nutmeg at the end. I also am so glad that I have gotten over my fear of butter consumption. Funny, it never bothers me when I eat cookies, but excess butter in my food makes me feel like I'm over-indulging. However, I did cut back the amount from the recipe.

Pumpkin Soup with Brown Butter and Creme Fraiche

adapted from Williams-Sonoma

1 28 oz. can pumpkin puree
1 sprig of fresh sage leaves
4 tbsp. butter
1 leek, white and green parts, finely minced
2 carrots, peeled and finely minced
2 shallots, finely minced
1 small yellow onion, finely minced
6 garlic cloves, finely minced
6 c. vegetable stock
1 bouquet garni (4 parsley sprigs, 4 thyme sprigs, 1 bay leaf, tied in cheesecloth)
1/2 c. creme fraiche
Freshly grated nutmeg, for serving
Kosher salt and black pepper

In a Dutch oven over medium heat, melt 2 tbsp. butter.
Add leek, carrots, shallots, onions, season with salt and pepper.
Cook, stirring often, until vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes.
Add garlic, stir and cook for about a minute.
Add the pumpkin puree, stock, bouquet garni, stir and taste, adjust seasonings.
Cover and simmer for 20 minutes, remove the bouquet garni.
Blend soup in batches, if desired.
Heat a small saucepan over medium-low heat, add 2 tbsp. butter, cook and swirl until butter begins to brown and smells nutty, about 3-4 minutes.
Ladle soup into bowls, top with a dollop of creme fraiche, swirl in a bit of the butter, and grate fresh nutmeg on top, serve immediately.

Pumpkin Black Bean Chili

I'm probably breaking some sort of rule by posting a fall-ish recipe in August, but isn't it what bloggers do? Or better yet, isn't it what Floridians do? By August, I am so sick of the 90*+ days that all I can do is dream of cool fall days back in the midwest with Football, crisp apples, and my favorite sweater...

I am a huge fan of sweet potatoes and black beans, but it can get awfully starchy. Butternut squash and pumpkin make nice substitutes while lowering the carb and calorie count of a dish. This chili combines a few of the best late summer veggies with the best fall has to offer, pumpkin and pumpkin beer!

As you northerners start to feel fall creeping in, enjoy this dish while I stubbornly sweat in eternal summer eating my chili!

Pumpkin and Black Bean Chili

adapted from Crumb blog

2 tbsp. EVOO

1 small yellow onion, minced

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 red bell pepper, diced

1 green bell pepper, diced

Salt and pepper

2 tsp. chili powder

1 tsp. smoked paprika

1 tsp. cumin

8 oz. pumpkin beer, such as Harvest Moon

1 tbsp. pure maple syrup

1 15 oz. can solid packed pumpkin

1 28 oz. can fire roasted crushed tomatoes

2 c. vegetable stock

2 c.black beans (canned or dried and cooked)

1 c. frozen corn kernels

Heat a soup pot over medium-low, add EVOO and bring to temperature.

Chop and add onions, garlic and bell peppers, season with salt and pepper. 

When veggies have softened, add spices, pour in beer and deglaze the bottom of the pan, scraping up bits with a wooden spoon. 

Turn heat to high, add maple syrup, pumpkin, tomatoes and stock.

Bring to a simmer, turn heat to low and add black beans and corn.

Cover and simmer for 25-30 minutes, taste and adjust seasonings.

Top with sour cream, cheese, cilantro, or any of your favorite chili toppings. 

Sell Your Soul Pumpkin Cookies

When browsing through "Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar" for Christmas cookie recipes, I flipped past this recipe without giving it much thought. Then I saw the picture that accompanied the recipe, and had second thoughts. The cookies looked chewy and dense, not cakey and round like more pumpkin cookies. After reading the description, the author claims to make a chewy pumpkin cookie, you can sell your soul, or you can reduce the moisture content in the pumpkin - genius! 

These cookies are a bit of work because you have to cook the pumpkin down, but they're so worth it. I quadrupled this batch, and put the pumpkin in the crock pot to reduce all day while baking other cookies, but the original recipe calls for cooking out the moisture in a pan. Either method works, it just depends on how much attention you have for the pumpkin. 

My sister, the one I made the Nutella Thumbprints for, already told me these are her new favorite. Add some cinnamon ice cream and make yourself an amazing fall/winter flavored ice cream sandwich!

Sell Your Soul Pumpkin Cookies

from "Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar"

1 c. canned solid pack pumpkin

1/2 c. earth balance (or butter, for the non-vegans)

1/2 c. sugar

1/2 c. packed light brown sugar

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 1/2 c. unbleached all purpose flour

1/4 c. oat flour (put some oatmeal in a blender)

2 tbsp. cornstarch

1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. ground ginger

1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg

1/4 tsp. ground cloves

1/2 tsp. baking powder

 1/2 tsp. salt

Pumpkin seeds, shelled, for garnish if desired

First, reduce the pumpkin.

Either place in a crock pot on high for several hours, stirring occasionally, or place in a saucepan over medium heat for about 45 minutes, stirring often. You can either weigh or measure, you want to reduce the pumpkin by half, ending with 1/2 c. or 4 oz. Cool to room temperature.

Preheat the oven to 350*

Line baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a stand mixer, cream earth balance with the sugars, when soft and fluffy, add the vanilla and pumpkin, mix until incorporated.

Add all remaining ingredients and mix until just incorporated.

Chill dough for 30 minutes.

Spoon walnut sized balls and roll in your hands, then press lightly on a cookie sheet.

Press pumpkin seeds on top, if desired.

Bake for 12-14 minutes, until golden and no longer glossy in centers.

Cool on cookie sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack. 

Yield 24 cookies

Pumpkin Bread

I can't help but think the internet has really changed how often people bake, how much more confident people are, the different recipes they try, and unfortunately, how often people have a baking failure. It's just so easy to pull up Google and type in "Pumpkin Bread". Your search will yield hundreds of recipes, some from published sources, some from blogs, some from user submitted sites, it's recipes overload! This is both good and bad, because you can easily come across a great looking and sounding recipe, but when you make it, it's a big fat fail. I've learned to stick with recipes from sources I know are tested, but occasionally I'll go to a bloggers recipe or a user-submitted site. 

When I was looking for a pumpkin bread recipe, I found this one from all-recipes. What shocked me was it has a 5-star rating from over 4 thousand people! I think if 4,000 people like the recipe, I will too! I did read through the comments to see what people thought, any changes they made, and decided to implement a few of my own. Isn't it funny that I make sure I'm using a "good" recipe, but then make changes anyway? I found these changes to suit my taste and not effect the bread, so hopefully if you try them you'll have positive results, too! My changes were: subbing half the oil with yogurt, using milk instead of water, subbing some brown sugar for all granulated, and increasing the spices, because I love a spicy bread. I made 4 mini loaves of bread, 2 were frozen, but will need to be defrosted very soon! 

Pumpkin Bread

adapted from Downeast Maine Pumpkin Bread

8 oz. (1 c.) pumpkin puree

2 eggs

1/4 c. canola oil

1/4 c. plain, nonfat yogurt

1/3 c. milk

1 c. granulated sugar

1/2 c. brown sugar

1 3/4 c. unbleached all purpose flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

1 tsp. ground ginger

1/4 tsp. ground cloves

1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg

Preheat oven to 350*

Spray 4 mini loaf pans with nonstick spray.

Fit a stand mixer with the paddle.

Add pumpkin, eggs, oil, yogurt, milk, sugar and brown sugar to the bowl. 

Turn on low speed until completely mixed, about 2 minutes.

Add flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, cloves and nutmeg.

Mix again on low until dry ingredients are just absorbed.

Divide equally into loaf pans, place in the oven.

Bake for 35 minutes, use a toothpick inserted in the center to determine if loaves are cooked.

Cool in pans for 30 minutes, then remove and cool on a wire rack for another 30 minutes.

If freezing, wrap tightly in aluminum foil and place in a freezer safe bag. 

Pumpkin, Black Bean and Goat Cheese Tamales

Back in November, I had an urge to make tamales after finding an Eating Well recipe that looked delicious.  I went to several grocery stores over the course of three weeks before I finally found dried corn husks, and then Thanksgiving came, and then the pregnancy made me so sick I took a month off from cooking. While cleaning out the pantry last weekend, I found the corn husks smashed in the back behind a sack of flour, and immediately decided the tamales had to be made!

I knew that because of the steps in the recipe, the assembling of each tamale and cooking time, it would be an all day affair. I followed the recipe exactly as written, only substituting a 15 oz. can of solid pack pumpkin for the frozen squash. In the end, I had close to 30 tamales, with extra filling and masa leftover, so I think this recipe could easily be halved if you are aiming to make 16 tamales. Also, I stuffed my tamales a little full, so I double wrapped each one, I also didn't tie them closed, just packed them snugly so they remained wrapped well. I chose to serve my tamales with guacamole, but you can serve them plain or with sour cream, queso or scrambled eggs, a traditional side.

As I was documenting the tamale making, something tragic happened... my camera fell off the kitchen table and now the lens is stuck. I'm hoping it won't be too costly to repair, but this means I'm back to the kodak easy share point and shoot from the early college years. If I wasn't so eager to blog the awesome recipes I have coming up, I'd hold off, but I'll do my best!

Pumpkin, Black Bean and Goat Cheese Tamales

from Eating Well

4 oz. dried corn husks - This was about 50 of different shapes and sizes

Batter:
1 3/4 c. masa
1 1/4 c. hot water
1 1/2 c. part skim ricotta
1/4 c. canola oil
2 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. salt
2 c. grits or cornmeal
1/2-3/4 c. vegetable stock

Filling:
1 15 oz. can solid pack pumpkin puree
1 15 oz. can black beans, drained or 2 c. cooked and chilled
1 4 oz. can chopped green chiles, drained
3/4 tsp. salt
3/4 c. crumbed goat cheese

For serving:
Guacamole and lime wedges

Preparation:
Place corn husks in a bowl, fill with hot water and soak for 30 minutes, loosely separating them

Prepare Batter: Put masa and water in a large bowl, stir with a wooden spoon until a soft dough forms (I added another 1/2 c. water as I used instant masa). In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat ricotta, oil, baking powder and salt. Beat in grits/cornmeal, then add masa mixture until incorporated, add stock until batter is smooth and spreadable, but not runny.

Prepare filling: Pour pumpkin into a strainer and set to drain, gently pressing to release water. Pour into a bowl, add black beans and drained chiles, stir and season with salt.

Assemble tamales: Drain water from husks, gently pat dry with a towel. Place a steamer basket in a large pot, fill with water just to the stop of the steamer. Spread 1/3 c. masa into the center of the husk, spoon 2 tbsp. filling in and sprinkle with goat cheese, fold the sides in then roll from the bottom. Place the tamale seam side down into the steamer basket, repeat with remaining husks.

Cover the pot and place on a burner over high, bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. Set a kitchen timer for 60 minutes, and check tamales for water often. (I refilled my water 2 times to make sure there was always enough).
Use tongs to remove from the pot, masa should be firm and pulling away from husks.
Serve with guacamole, if desired.
Store leftover tamales in a tupperware still in husks. To reheat, steam for 10 minutes.
Leftovers are good for 2-3 days.

L - Masa, R - Filling, C - Goat Cheese 

Note: I used an offset icing spatula for spreading masa

Corn husks and steamer

Filling a tamale

Cooked tamales, still in husks. Tying a knot to hold them together is optional if wrapped tightly.

Tamale Pie with Pumpkin Cornbread

With my husband working late nights, I've been relying heavily on dinners that can sit in the oven and wait on him. As I was browsing through my Moosewood Cookbooks, I saw their tamale pie recipe that I had made once before, but wasn't very impressed with it. I decided to use it as a starting off point, but make some changes I felt it needed. I had recently purchased a bag of Arrowhead Mills Cornbread Mix, which I thought was simply cornmeal. I decided to make the cornbread healthier and seasonal, I'd add some pumpkin to the mix. This meal was warm, comforting, and a much tastier take on the original dish.

Tamale Pie with Pumpkin Cornbread

1 1/2 c. Arrowhead Mills Cornbread Mix

1 egg, beaten

1 c. skim milk

1/2 c. solid pack pumpkin 

1 tbsp. honey or maple syrup

Pinch of cayenne pepper

1 red bell pepper, diced

1 green bell pepper, diced

2 ears of corn kernels or 1 c. frozen corn kernels

1 yellow onion, minced

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 15 oz. can petite diced tomatoes with jalapeños

2 c. cooked pinto beans

1 tsp. chili powder

2 tsp. ground cumin

1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

Salt and pepper

Garnishes:

Chopped cilantro

Grated Cheddar

Sour Cream

Preheat oven to 350*

Heat a large skillet over medium heat, add 1 tbsp. EVOO, peppers, onion and garlic.

Season with salt and pepper, saute' for 10 minutes, until vegetables have softened.

While veggies cook, in a mixing bowl whisk together egg, milk, pumpkin and honey.

Add cornbread mix, sprinkle of cayenne, and stir until mixture just comes together.

Drain tomatoes and add to vegetables.

Add beans and spices to vegetables, stir well and taste, adjust seasonings.

Pour into a casserole dish, then spread with cornbread topping.

Place in the oven and bake for 30-40 minutes, until cornbread is golden brown and set.

Spoon into a dish and serve with garnishes.

Roasted Squash and Wild Rice Salad

A few posts back, I admitted that I'm not a huge rice fan and don't make it very often. I usually tend to pass rice recipes by in magazines and cookbooks. However, in my last Vegetarian Times magazine, I saw an ad for Lundberg Family Rice's Roasted Squash and Wild Rice Salad. It looked so good! So I got online and googled the salad, and found not only the Lundberg version, but another recipe on 101 Cookbooks. I decided to kind of combine the two and add a few of own ideas. 

I used a large kabocha squash to make this salad, but any variety will work! I loved the idea from 101 Cookbooks using whole roasted shallots, so I added those as well. For protein, I almost fell back on my old stand-bys, garbanzo or tofu, but I decided to try something different. Since I was making a rice dish, I felt like Black-eyed Peas would be a great pairing. Though all beans taste relatively the same, these were delicious in this dish. Finally, I sprinkled the dish with cranberries and cilantro for some sweetness and a bright punch of flavor. It was a very balanced dish, and I can finally say my rice came out great! 

Roasted Kabocha and Wild Rice Salad with Black-eyed Peas 

inspired by Lundberg Family and 101 Cookbooks

2 c. prepared Wild Rice blend cooked in vegetable stock

*I used 2/3 c. rice and 2 c. stock and it came out perfectly

2 lbs. kabocha, peeled and cubed

10 small shallots, peeled

1 tbsp. EVOO

Kosher salt and pepper

2 c. black eyed peas, cooked, or 1 15 oz. can drained and rinsed

1/4 c. dried cranberries

1/4 c. chopped cilantro

Juice of 1 lemon

1 tbsp. honey

Preheat oven to 400*

Line a baking sheet with foil, add squash and shallots, drizzle with EVOO, sprinkle with salt and pepper, toss well.

Place in the oven and roast for 30 minutes, until tender and caramelized.

While roasting squash, cook rice.

When rice is tender and fluffy, add lemon juice and honey, toss to distribute.

Add black eyed peas, gently fold in to heat through.

Scoop half of the rice into a serving dish, layer with half the kabocha, then the rest of the rice, then the kabocha and shallots.

Sprinkle with cilantro and cranberries, serve warm.

FYI - Look for details coming soon about a blogger bakesale hosted on Veggie by Season. If you would like to bake something for the cause (injured, stray dog I found and will be taking to the vet Saturday), please email me at veggiebyseason@gmail.com

Pumpkin-Mango Casserole with Macadamia Crumble

Along with the Chestnuts, I received a pound of raw Macadamia nuts from Oh! Nuts. I chose these because they're my husband's favorite nut, and I thought he'd appreciate a few dinners featuring them. If you saw my post from last week, you know I am now the proud owner of a freezer full of pumpkin puree, courtesy of my green thumb (and yes, that is dripping with sarcasm... the pumpkins are pretty much the only garden success I've had). 

Mangoes were $.50/each this week, and go naturally with Macadamia nuts, so I thought a Thanksgiving-esque casserole with a crunchy Macadamia crust sounded great. We ate this casserole with dinner, but it could easily be a delicious breakfast! It's a bit eclectic, but suited our tastes.

Pumpkin-Mango Casserole with Macadamia Crumble

2 c. pumpkin puree

1 mango, peeled, pitted and finely diced

1 egg white

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp. ground ginger

Pinch of salt

1 tbsp. packed brown sugar

crumble:

1/2 c. rolled oats

1/2 c. roughly chopped raw Macadamia nuts

2 tbsp. pure maple syrup

pinch of cinnamon

Preheat oven to 400*

In a large mixing bowl, whisk egg white to a froth.

Add pumpkin, mango, cinnamon, salt and brown sugar.

Gently whisk to combine.

Spray a casserole dish with nonstick spray (I used 2 small ramekins for individual servings).

Add the pumpkin mixture.

In a small dish, toss crumble ingredients together.

Sprinkle over pumpkin mixture in casserole dish.

Place in the oven, bake for 20-30 minutes, until bubbly and crumble has browned.

Pumpkin Ravioli with Cilantro Pesto and Artichokes

Last week, I made this delicious dinner, Pumpkin Ravioli in Broth with Vegetables and Beans. As I described in the post, I have a deep love of all things pumpkin, especially ravioli, but have a hard time finding sauces that aren't cream based. That recipe was a huge success, and I almost made it again with my leftover frozen ravioli!

But as I was making the ravioli that Saturday afternoon, I was brainstorming on what to do with the leftovers. See, ravioli making is a process, so when you commit to it, you might as well go all out and make a few batches. I'm hoping to one day locate ravioli forms, which do make it a bit easier, but for now, it's truly a from scratch, handmade affair.

My thoughts went from sauce to sauce, I didn't want something heavy, and since it was a weeknight, I needed something fast. Enter pesto. I absolutely love pestos of all kinds, from the flavorful fresh herbs to the variety of cheese and nut combinations, it's truly a clean out the fridge type sauce that seems elegant and is just so simple to make. One of it's downfalls though is though it's not creamy, it can still be very high in calories and fat. Though nuts and EVOO contain the 'good fats', and the calories are from a good source, it needs to be kept in check.

I like to make my pesto on the thicker side and use a bit of the starchy cooking water to thin it. I also opt for less nuts and cheese, and really pack it with herbs. The best part of making a pesto is it's foolproof. Keep adding the ingredients until you reach the consistency and flavor balance you want.

These ravioli would pair well with almost any herb, basil would highlight the sweet flavors, parsley would make it more earthy, spinach would also work well, but I chose cilantro. Pumpkin and cilantro are a common combination in Indian and Thai cooking, and they really complient eachother well. I chose to add some artichokes because I wanted more vegetables, but roasted red peppers would also be a nice addition!

I see another weekend of ravioli making in my future because it literally took just a few minutes to throw this dish together for an easy weeknight meal.

Pumpkin Ravioli with Cilantro Pesto and Artichokes

1 dozen Pumpkin Ravioli

1 can of quartered artichoke hearts

1 bunch of cilantro, about 2 cups, packed

2 garlic cloves, smashed

1/4 cup reduced fat feta cheese

Handful of almonds

1 tbsp. EVOO

Salt and pepper

1 tbsp - 1/4 cup reserved cooking liquid

Bring a large pot of water to a boil, salt and add ravioli.

Add cilantro, garlic, feta and almonds to a food processer.

Pulse to create small bits.

Season with salt and pepper, add EVOO, pulse again.

Use a measuring cup and spoon out some of the ravioli water, drizzle into food processor and pulse to create desited consistency.

Add half the pesto to a bowl, drain ravioli, add to the bowl, top with the remaining pesto.

Gently toss to coat, add artichokes, toss, top with extra feta and serve.

Pumpkin Ravioli in Broth with Vegetables and Beans

Pumpkin ravioli are one of my absolute favorite foods, but I don't have them often because it's hard to find a way to prepare them that doesn't involve some sort of creamy sauce or brown butter. Even if you make your sauce "light" with a cannelini bean, cottage cheese or tofu puree, it still has a tendency to overpower the pumpkin flavor.
Last week I was scrolling through the recipes on Herbivoracious and found this recipe for Pumpkin Ravioli in a light broth with vegetables and beans, it was perfect! A complete meal featuring pumpkin ravioli, but also with beans and vegetables in a simple broth - just what I was looking for.
Unfortunately it's not fall, and sugar pumpkins are not available, so I used canned pumpkin puree, which was a chore to find! I also decided to really pump up the pumpkin by making the ravioli dough with half pumpkin and half egg. Not only does this flavor the dough, but it makes it even healthier!
I loosely followed the recipes from Herbivoracious, and found this dish to be excellent! Though it may seem like a fall-like dish, the leeks and carrots and vegetable broth make it spring-frendly. I am looking forward to creating a dish with the other half of the ravioli I made and froze, and I've got a few ideas in mind!

Pumpkin Pasta

2 1/2 - 3 cups Unbleached All-Purpose flour
2 eggs
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tbsp. EVOO

Add 2 1/2 cups of flour to the bowl of a mixer, make a well in the middle.
Add eggs, pumpkin puree, salt and EVOO.
Attach dough hook, mix dough on low speed for 5 minutes.
If it is wet and sticky, sprinkle in more flour, if it is too dry, add warm water 1 tbsp. at a time.
Remove from mixer, knead for a minute, roll into a ball and rest for 10 minutes.
Divide dough into fourths, run through a pasta roller to create long, thin sheets.
Let dough rest again.
Yield enough dough for 3 dozen ravioli with leftover scraps.

Pumpkin Ravioli Filling

adapted from Herbivoracious

1 cup pumpkin puree
1 tbsp. butter
1/2 onion, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon chili flakes
3 leaves fresh sage, chiffonade or 1 teaspoon dried
1/4 cup grated parmesan or romano cheese
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
Salt and pepper to taste

Heat a saute pan over medium-low, add the butter, onions and garlic.
Season with salt and pepper, saute for 4-5 minutes, until translucent.
Spoon into a mixing bowl.
Add chili flakes, sage, parmesan, nutmeg and pumpkin puree.
Stir to combine.

Scoop 1 tsp. mounds of mixture onto pasta sheets, place another sheet on top, press air out around filling, press edges to seal, slice off rough edges and cut pasta.
Place on a flour dusted baking sheet and place in the freezer, continue until finished.
Yield about 2.5-3 dozen ravioli.

Simple Broth and Beans

adapted from Herbivoracious, serves 2

2 large leeks, white parts only, cleaned and sliced thin

1 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 onion, minced

3 medium carrots, fine dice

3 cloves garlic, minced 

2 bay leaves

1/2 cup white wine

1 15 oz. can cannelini beans or other white beans

4 cups vegetable stock

Salt and pepper to taste

Grated parmesan cheese and chili flakes for serving

Heat a soup pot over medium heat.

Add EVOO, leeks, carrots, onion and garlic, season with salt and pepper.

Cook for 5-10 minutes, until vegetables are slightly caramelized.

Add white wine, reduce by half.

Add stock, bay leaves and beans.

Simmer for 20 minutes.

While broth simmers, bring a large pot of water to a boil.

Season with salt, drop in ravioli (I made 1 dozen for 2 servings), cook for 5-7 minutes, until ravioli float to the top.

Remove from water with a slotted spoon and add to the broth.

Ladle broth and vegetables into a bowl, add ravioli, top with parmesan cheese and red pepper flakes.

Kale and Bean Enchiladas with Pumpkin Sauce

Last week my friend Sheri told me about a recipe she found and loved for Pumpkin Enchiladas. She sent me the recipe, and said she couldn't wait to see what I came up with (clearly she knows I don't follow recipes!)

On the same day, I saw this recipe for Kale and Bean Enchiladas pop up in my google reader. I thought it would be really interesting if I tried pairing the two, rather than make chicken enchiladas as Sheri's recipe instructed.

I loved the filling for these enchiladas, it made what can be a very caloric dish seem extremely light and healthy. Cate used pinto beans, but I had kidney beans on hand, so I used them. The sauce was really creamy, and made it seem like the enchiladas had much more cheese on top.

Kale and Bean Enchiladas (via Cate, adapted from Daily Unadventures in Cooking)

Pumpkin sauce (via Sheri, adapted from Great Food Fast by Martha Stewart)

Enchiladas:
2 cloves garlic
1 small yellow onion, chopped
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 jalapeno, finely diced
1 tsp ground cumin
1 zucchini, grated
Salt and pepper
1 bunch kale, roughly chopped
1 can light red kidney beans, rinsed
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, minced
Pumpkin sauce, below
6 tortillas (I used flour, but they got soggy, I'd recommend corn)
Handful or two of grated cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 400.
Heat a skillet over medium high heat.
Add the olive oil, garlic, onions, jalapeno, zucchini, cumin, pepper and a big pinch of salt.
Cook for about 5 minutes, add kale and stir until soft.
Remove from heat and stir in a a few grinds of black pepper, the pinto beans, cilantro, and a few tablespoons of enchilada sauce.

Pumpkin Sauce

1 15oz can pumpkin puree
2 cups vegetable stock
3 garlic cloves, peeled
1 jalepeno pepper, quartered (remove ribs and seeds for less heat if desired)
1 tsp chili powder
2 tbsp tomato paste

In a blender, puree the pumpkin, stock, garlic, jalepeno, chili powder, tomato paste, salt and pepper until smooth.
Pour 1 cup of sauce in the bottom of an 8in square (or other shallow 2 qt) baking dish.
Spoon kale mixture into tortillas, roll and place in baking sheet.
Finish with all tortillas, cover in sauce, top with shredded cheese.
Bake for 25-30 minutes, until golden brown and bubbly.

Pumpkin Spice and Eggnog French Toast Casserole

One of my favorite brunch items is overnight french toast or a strata. They're so easy to prepare, can be made in advance, can be flavored a million ways, and serve a crowd.



The first french toast casserole I decided to make was Pumpkin Spice. I absolutely love pumpkin, so it was an easy decision. I decided to go food shopping and see what bread was fresh and looked good, and the baker told me the challah was fresh and delicious. It was exactly what I had hoped for! This french toast was fantastic, a little spicy, and creamy in the middle with some crunch on the outside.

Pumpkin Spice Challah French Toast Casserole

1-2 tbsp. softened butter

1 loaf of challah bread, sliced 1" thick

6 eggs

2 cups of 2% milk

1/4 cup packed brown sugar

1 cup pumpkin puree

2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1 tsp. ground ginger

1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg

1/2 tsp. ground cloves

Butter the bottom and sides of a casserole dish.

Line the dish with bread, cut to fit nooks and try to make layers even, crossing bread in different directions (you can also cube the bread and scatter it).

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, brown sugar, pumpkin, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and cloves.

Pour evenly over bread, press bread down to saturate.

Cover with saran wrap or foil and refrigerate overnight, or at least 4 hours.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Remove saran wrap or foil. Spray foil with nonstick spray, re-cover casserole.

Bake for 1 hour, uncover and bake for another 15-30 minutes (to determine how long it needs to bake, jiggle the dish, if the center isn't set, continue to bake. If there is no jiggle, remove and serve).

For the second French Toast Casserole, I decided to use eggnog. It seemed to be a natural choice since french toast is eggy. JJ said his family loves eggnog, so it was a great idea. This one seemed to be a bit more creamy and the favorite among the crowd.

Eggnog Challah French Toast Casserole

1-2 tbsp. butter, softened

1 loaf of challah bread, cut 1" thick

6 eggs

1 1/2 cups lowfat eggnog

1 cup 2% milk

1 tsp. ground nutmeg

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

Butter the bottom and sides of a casserole dish.

Lay bread in the dish, crossing to create even layers.

Whisk together eggs, eggnog, milk, nutmeg and cinnamon.

Pour evenly over bread, press down to soak in as much as possible.

Cover with saran wrap or foil.

Refrigerate overnight or at least 4 hours.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Remove saran wrap, spray foil with nonstick spray, re-cover.

Bake for 1 hour, uncover and bake for 15 minutes to 30 minutes.

Bourbon Pumpkin Cheesecake

For Thanksgiving I was put in charge of desserts, as I noted in my previous menu post. Well the day has passed, and the desserts are finished, but the memory of this cheesecake is everlasting. As I was bringing the desserts in and out of the kitchen, the family's reponse to this one was amazing. Not just because of the appearance, but you tell someone a cheesecake has pumpkin AND bourbon, and they're on board!


This recipe was recommended to me by Bridget, and she did not steer me wrong! I used her adaptation for the filling and my own creation for the crust.... which was not so much a creation as just a simple crumbly crust made from grahams and butter. I was planning to use a honey or cinnamon graham crackers, but when my mom found ginger cat cookies for people at TJ's, I told her they sounded perfect and to go ahead and buy them!
The cheesecake turned out great! It cracked slightly as it cooled because my swirl on top was pretty wet. The pumpkin puree my mom got for me (Libby's) seemed much wetter than what I've been using (whole foods organic pumpkin puree), so that could be part of the reason. Nonetheless, it was fantastic! I served it with a homemade cinnamon-vanilla whipped cream, which I'll post later on.

Bourbon Pumpkin Cheesecake

(filling adapted from Gourmet via epicurious.com by Bridget)

Crust:

2 cups crushed ginger cat cookies or graham crackers

8 tbsp. (1 stick) melted butter

1 tbsp. granulated sugar

Filling:

1½ cups canned solid-pack pumpkin

3 large eggs

½ cup (3.5 ounces) packed light brown sugar

2 tablespoons heavy cream

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 tablespoon bourbon liqueur or bourbon (optional)

½ cup (3.5 ounces) granulated sugar

1 tablespoon cornstarch1

½ teaspoons cinnamon

½ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

½ teaspoon ground ginger

½ teaspoon salt

3 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, at room temperature

Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 350F.

Spray bottom and sides of 9-inch springform pan evenly with nonstick cooking spray.

Transfer crumbs to medium bowl, drizzle melted butter over, and mix with rubber spatula until evenly moistened.

Turn crumbs into prepared springform pan and, using hand, spread crumbs into even layer. Using flat-bottomed ramekin or drinking glass, press crumbs evenly into pan bottom, then use a soup spoon to press and smooth crumbs into edges of pan. Bake until fragrant and browned about the edges, about 12 minutes.

Cool on wire rack while making filling.

2. Working with a stand mixer, preferably fitted with a paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the cream cheese on medium speed, scraping down the bowl often, for about 4 minutes, or until it is velvety smooth.

In a medium bowl, stir together granulated sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and salt.

Add granulated sugar mixture to cream cheese and beat for another 2 minutes.

In a medium bowl (or the same one), whisk together pumpkin, eggs, brown sugar, cream, vanilla, and liqueur (if using) until combined.

Beat at medium speed until combined, about 2 minutes.

3. Pour filling into crust, smoothing top, then put springform pan in a shallow baking pan (in case springform leaks).

*To make the swirl, I removed 1/2 c. batter before pouring it into the crust and mixed it with 1/4 c. pumpkin in a seperate bowl, then piped it and used a knife to make the swirl on just the very top of the cheesecake.

Bake until center is just set and measures 140 to 150 degrees on an instant-read thermometer, 50 to 60 minutes.

4. Cool cheesecake completely in pan on rack, about 3 hours.

Chill, covered, until cold, at least 4 hours.

Remove sides of pan and bring to room temperature before serving.

Harvest Granola

The next granola I made for Becky is really a compilation of my favorite fall flavors - pumpkin, maple, cranberries, pecans, and cinnamon. I also added pistachios for some extra color and crunch. Again, so easy to make, you can throw in whatever you'd like and make it your own!

Harvest Granola

4 cups rolled oats
1/2 cup canned pumpkin puree
1/2 cup pure maple syrup
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1/2 cup pistachios
1 cup dried cranberries
2 tbsp. canola oil
1/4 tsp. salt


Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
Add all ingredients to a mixing bowl, toss to evenly distribute.
Pour into a parchment lined baking sheet in an even layer.
Bake for 20 minutes, toss with a fork, bake for another 20 minutes.
Remove from the oven, cool for 4 hours at room temperature, store in an air-tight container.

Pumpkin Pancakes with Cranberry Syrup and Cinna-Cran Goat Cheese

I'm not a big breakfast eater. Something about filling myself up early in the morning with carbs and protein (usually high in fat) makes me feel lazy and lethargic all day. It's not until dinner time that I want to eat a full, hearty meal. This fact means that I rarely cook breakfast or brunch dishes.
Now that it's September, I feel as though it's time to go pumpkin crazy. I've been wanting to make pumpkin pancakes for the longest time, so I decided to go for it. I whipped up the pancake batter and it turned out great. The pancakes are spiced with traditional pumpkin pie flavors, and the whole wheat flour adds health benefits but doesn't overpower the flavor.
I found frozen whole cranberries in the freezer section of my new grocery store, and thought a cranberry syrup would be great on these. It was a bit tart, but I loved it. I also topped these with a bit of cinnamon cranberry goat cheese, which I had leftover from my 4-pack and was stumped on how to incorporate it into a meal.
It was an interesting dish, however I think the cranberries and goat cheese overpowered the pancakes a bit, and I think they would be better simply topped with some pure maple syrup.

Pumpkin Pancakes with Cranberry Syrup and Cinna-Cran Goat Cheese

Pancakes:
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. ground ginger
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1 egg
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
2 tbsp. light brown sugar
3/4 cup skim milk


Cranberry Syrup:
2 cups fresh cranberries (frozen, thawed in fridge)

1/2 cup water

2 tbsp. brown sugar

In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together flours, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

In a small mixing bowl, whisk together egg, pumpkin, brown sugar and milk.

Heat a griddle over medium-low.

Pour the wet ingredients into the dry, whisk until just combined.

Ladle 1/4 cup at a time onto the griddle, cook until bubbles rise then flip (about 4-5 minutes for the first side, 2-3 for the second).

Plate or keep warm in a 200 degree oven.

Place all cranberry ingredients in a small soup pot.

Bring to a boil, turn to low and simmer for 10 minutes, or until thick and berries have burst.

Ladle over the pumpkin pancakes, crumble cinnamon-cranberry goat cheese over top.

Makes about 8 pancakes

Pumpkin Butter and Brie en Croute

So I dreamed these up one night because I love brie with jam or something on top, and I love brie en croute. I think the idea was good, but my execution wasn't as good. I should have sealed up the edges or used a fork to crimp the sides, because half the filling oozed out the sides of these. They were still good, don't get me wrong, but I imagined biting into a plump pocket of melted brie and pumpkin, and it was just lacking a bit. I'm going to try these again though!

I could just make the whole wheel encased in pastry, but I wanted something bite sized that you could grab, not have to cut into and dip.

Pumpkin Butter and Brie en Croute

2 batches Savory Pie Crust

1 wheel of brie, cubed

1/2 c. pumpkin butter

1 egg, beaten with a few tbsp. of water

Roll out dough, cut out shapes.

Top with a tsp. of pumpkin butter and a piece of brie.

Using a pastry brush, wipe the sides with the egg wash. Press another pastry round on top. Seal edges very well.

Place on a sheet pan and in the freezer for 30 minutes.

Bake at 400 for 15 minutes, or until browned.

Thanksgiving Pies!

This year for Thanksgiving, my mom put me in charge of making the pies. We originally were going to have as many as 26 people, but ended up with half that... but I still wanted to make all of the pies! It's a good thing I did because we all ate pie for breakfast each morning.


I asked my mom to warm my 2 apple pies in the oven before dessert, but the oven was at 400 and they burned... so sad. But, the sugars really caramelized and were crispy and really good! I think they looked worse than they tasted!


I decided to keep them traditional, but add a few twists, so I made:
Double Crusted Apple Pie
Crumble Crusted Apple Pie
Pumpkin Pie
Twofer Thanksgiving Pie
Coconut Creme Pie


My dad requested the coconut creme, which isn't exactly traditional, but turned out to be a hit! Everyone loved it. For the apple pies, I combined Fuji and Honeycrisp. The crumble pie went fast - adding the cranberries and pecans really made it unique and delicious.
I was a little disappointed by the Twofer, I was hoping it would be 2 distinct layers of pumpkin and pecan pie, but it was just pumpkin pie with pecans on top, really. I think if i baked off the pumpkin layer, then added the pecan layer I'd get the results I wanted... maybe next year!

Crumble Crusted Apple Pie

Crust (halved):

3 c. flour

1/4 c. sugar

1 tsp. salt

2 sticks frozen butter, grated on a cheese grater

1/4 c. shortening

a little less than 2/3 c. ice water

Filling:

10 apples, peeled and sliced

1/2 c. brown sugar

1 tsp. cinnamon

juice of 1 lemon

1/4 c. flour

1 c. dried cranberries

Topping:

1 stick of butter, grated

1 c. quick cooking oats

1 c. brown sugar

1/2 c. flour

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1 c. crushed pecans

Roll our crust, place in pie plate. Fill with apple mixture, top with topping. Bake at 350 degrees for one hour or until golden on top.

Twofer Pie, from Dorie Greenspan

FOR A 9" SINGLE CRUST:

1 1⁄2 cups all-purpose flour

2 tbsp. sugar

3⁄4 tsp. salt

1 1⁄4 sticks (10 tbsp.) very cold (frozen is fine) unsalted butter, cut into tbsp.-size pieces

2 1⁄2 tbsp. very cold (frozen is even better) vegetable shortening, cut into 2 pieces

1/4 c. ice water

Pumpkin filling:
1 cup canned unsweetened pumpkin puree
⅔ cup heavy cream
½ cup packed light brown sugar
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
2 tsp. dark rum
½ tsp. pure vanilla extract
½ tsp. ground cinnamon
¼ tsp. ground ginger
¼ tsp. salt

Pecan filling:
½ cup light or dark corn syrup
¼ cup packed light brown sugar
2 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
½ tsp. pure vanilla extract
¼ tsp. ground cinnamon
Pinch of salt
1 ½ cups pecan halves or pieces

1. For the crust: Put flour, sugar, and salt into a food processor; pulse to combine. Drop in butter and shortening; pulse to cut into flour. What you're aiming for is to have some pieces the size of fat green peas and others the size of barley. Pulsing, gradually add about 3 tbsp. ice water—add a little water and pulse once, add some more water, pulse again; keep going that way. Then use a few long pulses to get water into flour. If, after a dozen or so pulses, the dough doesn't look evenly moistened, pulse in up to 1 tbsp. more ice water, to get a dough that will stick together when pinched. Shape dough into a disk; wrap in plastic. Refrigerate 1 hour.
2. For the pumpkin filling: Pulse all ingredients together in a food processor. Leave filling in bowl.
3. For the pecan filling: In a bowl, whisk together all ingredients except pecans until smooth.
4. Preheat oven to 450°. Roll dough out to a 12" circle on a floured counter, turning dough over frequently; keep counter floured. Slide dough into the fridge for about 20 minutes to rest and firm up. Fit dough into a buttered 9" pie plate; cut excess dough to a 1⁄4"–1⁄2" overhang. Fold dough under itself, so that it hangs over the edge just a tad, and flute or pinch the crust to make a decorative edge.
5. To assemble: Give the pumpkin filling one last quick pulse, then remove bowl, rap it on counter to debubble batter, and pour filling into crust. Top pumpkin filling evenly with pecans, then pour over pecan filling. Poke down any pecans that float to the top and aren't covered with filling. Bake pie for 10 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 300° and bake for another 35–40 minutes, or until it is evenly puffed and a slender knife inserted into the center comes out clean. Transfer pie to a cooling rack and let it stand until it is just warm or until it reaches room temperature.

Pumpkin Butter Pecan Thumbprints

I love thumbprint cookies, and when I found pumpkin butter, I knew it would be great with a pecan based thumbprint cookie. These were a big hit!

Pumpkin Butter Pecan Thumbprints

2 c. flour
1 c. pecan pieces
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon salt
1 c. butter
1/2 c. light brown sugar
1 tsp. vanilla

1/3 c. pumpkin butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Combine first 5 ingredients in a medium bowl.
Beat butter in a large bowl until smooth.
Gradually beat in brown sugar and beat until light and fluffy.
Beat in vanilla until blended.
Beat in flour mixture until just blended.
Form dough into 1 inch balls.
(At this point, I dip the top of the cookies into the chopped pecans because it is hard to get them to stick when you just sprinkle them on.).
Flatten slightly and place on ungreased cookie sheets.
Press down with thumb in center of each ball to form a indentation.
Pinch together any cracks in dough.
Fill each indentation with generous 1/4 tsp of jam. Sprinkle filled cookies with remaining 1/2 cup of pecans.
Bake 14 minutes or until just set.
Let cookies stand on sheets for 5 minutes and transfer to wire racks to cool completely.
Cookies are best the day after baking.

Adapted from this recipe!

Pumpkin and Coconut Soup

I chose to make this Pumpkin soup from Martinique because I had some pumpkin puree and coconut milk on hand, as well as most of the spices and seasonings in the soup. The flavors in this soup were so complimentary, spicy, sweet, acidic, and earthy...

Pumpkin and Coconut Soup

1/4 c. butter

1 c. peeled, chopped onion

1 lb. pumpkin, seeded, peeled and diced

1 tbsp. ginger

2 tbsp. curry powder

1 28 oz. can coconut milk

1/4 c. sour cream

1/3 c. fresh lime juice

2 tbsp. salt

2 tbsp. pepper

1/4 c. grated coconut

2 tbsp. grated lime peel

In a large saucepan, melt the butter over low heat. Add the onion, cook for 10 minutes. Add the pumpkin and simmer for 5 minutes. Season with ginger and curry powder.

Cover with 1 c. of water, simmer for 30 minutes. Stir in the coconut milk and simmer for another 20 minutes.

Blend the soup until smooth and creamy, stir in the sour cream and lime juice, season with salt and pepper.

Turn into a soup bowl, sprinkle with coconut and lime peel.