Starring: Pumpkin

I have liked pumpkins ever since Cinderella's turned into a magical carriage and chauffeured her to the best night of her life. Just kidding. But seriously. It was no joke this gourd was chosen for that fairy tale... armed with antioxidant superpowers, pumpkin packs a huge amount of beta-carotene and carotenoids, powerful nutrients which protect the body's cells from aging and disease, including a variety of cancers. Among these phytonutrients, you'll find fiber and iron in pumpkin as well. And the seeds contain iron, protein, and healthy fats! Pumpkin is totally great, and much more versatile than just in pie form. Canned pumpkin contains all of the nutrition in fresh, and is the edible form of pumpkin we know best. I love adding pumpkin puree to oatmeal or risotto. But what about the pumpkin sitting on your porch? Here are some other ideas for this wonderful cucurbit...

Exhibit A: The pumpkin which has sat on our porch since 1 week before our wedding. We picked it at a local pumpkin patch, and it has surely brought seasonal joy and happy thoughts to all of our neighbors for the past month.

Exhibit  A: Pumpkin

Now, to cook. This pumpkin was rather large, so I wouldn't have attempted cutting it if I didn't have a heavy, newly-sharpened chef's knife. (And you shouldn't either, unless you want to lose your hand.)

Exhibit B: Our pumpkin, cut open with sharp knife, guts exposed.

Exhibit B. (The labels are so you don't get lost.)

Then I scooped out those precious seeds and... did not a thing with them. Oops! If I had, I maybe would have followed Emeril's family recipe for roasted pumpkin seeds.

I roasted half of the pumpkin face-down at 350 for 45 minutes, until the pumpkin flesh was soft when pierced with a fork. (Exhibit C) The other half I peeled with a knife and diced into 1-inch pieces, roasting those at 425 for 20 minutes, turning once, then for another 15. 

Exhibit C: Roasted pumpkin half

Once the pumpkin half was cooled, I scooped out the flesh and pureed it in a food processor until smooth. It made almost 4 cups of puree!  I used 2 cups to make Caramelized Pumpkin Butter, recipe courtesy of Vegetarian Times.

Caramelized Pumpkin Butter
Ingredients:
2 cups sugar
2 1/2 cups pumpkin puree
2 Tbs. lemon juice

Directions:
Combine sugar and 2/3 cup water in a saucepan until sugar is dissolved. Bring to a boil over high heat. Boil 7-9 minutes, or until sugar turns a pale amber color. Remove from heat, and carefully add pumpkin puree (mixture sizzles, don't freak!). Stir in the lemon juice. Return to a boil over medium heat and cook 5 minutes, or until thickened and glistening, stirring often.

If you are a canning whiz, unlike me, you will surely know how to seal this jam into jars and give as adorable gifts with a tag that reads: "Spreading Love and Thanksgiving From Our Family to Yours" (I won't tell that you got that phrase from me.)

Caramelized Pumpkin Butter

Another brilliant use for pumpkin puree is soup. My mom makes a very special pumpkin soup that I've asked her to share with me for this post. She can't get canned pumpkin in Germany, so every season she spends time cooking whole pumpkins, pureeing, and freezing the puree for soups, muffins, and more.

Spicy Pumpkin Soup
Recipe courtesy of CinCin
Ingredients:
4 tbs. butter/ olive oil combined
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/8 tsp. crushed red pepper
2 tsp. curry powder
1/2 tsp. coriander
3 cans (15 oz.) pumpkin or 6 cups cubed pumpkin
2 smaller potatoes, diced
2 carrots, diced
4-5 cups broth
1-2 cups milk
3 tbs. brown sugar
1 cup evaporated skim milk

Directions:
1) Melt butter & oil. Saute garlic & onion. Add spices.
2) Add pumpkin, broth, veggies and simmer 20 min.
3) Puree with immersion blender (cool first if desired).
4) Reheat, add sugar. Slowly add milk, stirring to desired consistency.  Add cream (evap. milk) and adjust seasonings to taste.

Cindy's Spicy Pumpkin Soup, photo taken in Cindy's kitchen in Germany

Now, what about those roasted pumpkin chunks? Try my recipe for...

Pumpkin and Black Bean Stir-Fry with Spicy Peanut Sauce
Stir-fry (read: small amount of oil, medium-high burner, constant stirring) onion, broccoli, and red pepper until brown, 4-5 minutes. Add in previously roasted pumpkin chunks (any squash will work) and cooked black beans, stirring until heated through, 2 minutes. Top with Spicy Peanut Sauce, and remove from heat. Serve with brown rice.

Spicy Peanut Sauce
Combine:
1/4 cup peanut butter
3/4 cup coconut milk
2 Tbs. brown sugar
1 Tbs. lemon juice
1 tsp sriracha (hot chili sauce)
1 tsp tamari (or soy sauce)
1 tsp sesame oil (optional)
1 clove garlic, minced
1 Tbs. chopped cilantro

Pumpkin and Black Bean Stir-Fry with Spicy Peanut Sauce

easy to make, easy to eat

I hope for your sake you didn't take your porch decoration to Punkin' Chunkin' so that you can make one of these delicious recipes. Have a happy and healthy holiday!

Brussel Sprouts for Cousin

This veggie post is in honor of my cousin Kevin, on his birthday! Kevin never met a brussel sprout he didn't love. Sauteed, cheese and mushroom soup-covered, steamed, bacon-rubbed, or my personal favorite... roasted, of course!

Brussel sprouts are only lovable. These mini cabbages with cancer-fighting properties reveal an earthy, sweet flavor when cooked. My favorite way to prepare brussels are to cut in half, tray up with some onion and butternut squash, toss in a sweet and savory Maple Balsamic Dressing, salt and pepper, and roast at 375 for 20-25 minutes, until golden brown and beautiful.

Maple Balsamic Dressing
1/2 cup garlic oil (Wegman's Basting Oil... what else? or use olive oil and 1 crushed garlic clove)
3 tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp maple syrup
1 heaping tsp dijon mustard
1 tbsp lemon juice
Salt and pepper to taste
Makes about 1 cup.

 

I am so glad I came to love the sprouts. I didn't always like them, but every year at Thanksgiving I saw Kevin eat them at Grammy's. He and Grammy were usually the only ones to partake. The rest of us turned up our noses. Brussel sprouts are a very rejectable vegetable.

How I was as a child (with curlier hair)

How Kevin looked to me (not actually him)

But now, I can't get enough! Thanks for the inspiration, Kev. I miss you, but I trust you are eating well in State College, and I promise I am doing the same here in Keene.

Grab some maple syrup and happy brussel-roasting!

Give Beets a Chance

Tonight's post will come much to Mark's dismay.

I have come to love his most hated food of all time. BEETS!

Beets are a root I seldom cook with, mainly because we didn't eat them much growing up... besides pickled beets... to which I will still say- no thanks. But I recently saw a beautiful photo of sliced beets in a health magazine, which was enough to convince me to buy them last week.

The lowly beet. Just wants to be eaten. Even comes with an emotional tag.

Beets are a bargain. Not only do you get the beet root itself, but the greens on top are edible too, and quite delicious when sauteed! If the colors of the leaves look familiar, it's because baby beet greens are often found in your favorite salad blend, Spring Mix. Beautiful bright, purpley-red beets contain a powerful pigment. It's powerful for many reasons...

1. It helps protect against cancer.
2. It's a great source of iron and folate.
3. It stains your hands and makes it appear as if you have committed murder.
4. It can cause something called beeturia... or so I hear.

The last time I had beets was in the summer at a fantastic restaurant called The Skinny Pancake in Burlington, VT. I had a crepe filled with beets, caramelized onions, and goat cheese. It was memorable! Beets and goat cheese are a trendy combo these days, and one that I know I like... so this is the direction I took with my own.

I chopped 'em up with some onion and coated them with the most fantastic oil you will ever taste. It's simply called "Basting Oil," and it's made by Wegmans. It's garlicky, herby, and just awesome.

Run, don't walk, to the nearest Wegmans and BUY THIS! I roast EVERYTHING in it!

I roasted the beets and onion with a little salt and pepper at 375 for about 30 minutes. Just out of the oven, I tossed it all with some goat cheese. It was warm, sweet, salty, creamy, tangy... it was just plain good. I also sauteed the greens in the same garlic oil. I didn't intend on taking another photo, but I had to mid-bite, because it was too yummy.

I ate my beets and greens with some brown rice and lentils, cooked in garlic and red wine.

The very next day, I saw someone on TV make a beet and quinoa salad. It's like this week was destined for BEETS! I couldn't find the actual recipe, but it did inspire me to create something similar of my own.

I roasted beets and onions the same way described above. (I actually turned the heat down to 350... sometimes little pieces of onion burn easily, and I didn't have that problem this time.) I added those veggies to some quinoa cooked in salt, pepper and garlic. Quinoa is a high-protein grain with a nutty flavor. It cooks up in just 20 minutes on the stove top. I fluffed in some lemon juice, honey, olive oil, chopped cilantro, pumpkin seeds, and yes... goat cheese! It was pink and delicious... I currently can't stop eating it.

I hope you will try this beautiful root for yourself. If not, at least buy yourself some goat cheese!

I can't wait to make this for my future husband! I'm sure he'll come around... after all, when he first met me, he didn't like... mushrooms, asparagus, peppers, beans, vinegar, or curry. Now he can't get enough. Let's hope he falls in love with beets soon!