pumpkin Archives - Authentic Simplicity

Pumpkin Spice Granola

September 26, 2015 By Anne Simpson

Granola claims a colorful and circuitous history, strangely intertwined with religion, health nuts, and hippies. Odd, but familiar bedfellows, indeed. Starting with Sylvester Graham (yes, of graham cracker fame), ending up with the hippies of the ’60s, and continuing on to the modern nutrition-conscious housewives of today, it satisfies the need for a quick and healthy breakfast for bleary-eyed mornings.

There are many wonderful things about granola, not the least if which is its adaptability to the contents of your pantry, your dietary needs and desires, and even to the season and its produce. Using a background of a variety of grains and seeds, the fruits of the season can shine in their limelight and create a wide variety of pleasing tastes and textures.

And, of course, pumpkin is the star of the harvest season, and deserves its chance to hog the spotlight. When combined with the usual spices, and some honey, it creates the perfect dressing for granola, made even better by the addition of dried cranberries and apples. Autumn in a delicious handful.

Pumpkin Spice Granola

Ingredients

2 cups rolled oats
1 cup steel cut oats
1 cup puffed millet, or other puffed grain
1 cup crispy rice cereal, or other crispy cereal
1/2 cup sunflower or pumpkin seeds
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
1/2 cup honey
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 tsp powdered ginger
dash salt
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup chopped dried apples

Instructions

Stir together the grains and seeds in a large bowl.
In a separate bowl, stir together the pumpkin puree, honey, and seasonings.
Pour the liquid mixture over the grains, and stir thoroughly until well coated.
Spread the mixture on a cookie sheet, and bake at 250F for at least an hour, stirring every 15 minutes or so. Bake until desired crunchiness, up to 2 hours.
Remove from oven and sprinkle with cranberries and dried apples. Store in airtight containers.

Leave a Comment Filed Under: Breakfast, On The Table Tagged With: granola, pumpkin

A Redeemed Jack-O-Lantern

October 29, 2013 By Anne Simpson

As much as I love to cook up a good pumpkin and throw it into just about everything, I’ve found that there are other - non-culinary - uses for those big fat squashes that might not be edible, per se, but are just as much fun.

This Redeemed Jack-O-Lantern, for example. I found the instructions in the files left by the previous K3 teacher in my classroom, and found further inspiration in the fabulous children’s book, The Pumpkin Patch Parable (that right there is an affiliate link), written by one of my favorite authors, Liz Curtis Higgs (That is not. An affiliate link, I mean.). Instead of glorifying death and fear, it celebrates life and hope; and it radiates faith. That’s my kind o’ pumpkin!

How a Jack-O-Lantern is Redeemed

Choose a big fat pumpkin, the best you can find. No bitsy pie pumpkins this time around! “… just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world…” Eph 1:4
Use a sharp knife to cut a lid out of the top of the pumpkin, making it large enough for you to fit your hand in comfortably.
Scoop out all the icky yucky slimy junk stuck inside the pumpkin. It kind of reminds one of all the yuckiness (aka, sin) that resides in each of our hearts. “What comes out of a man, that defiles a man. For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lewdness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within and defile a man.” Mark 7:20-23
Throw away the icky yucky slimy junk. (If your frugal heart cannot bear to part with the seeds… save them discreetly! The eliminating of the yucky junk is an essential element of the redemption illustration.) “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” I John 1:9
Take a star-shaped cookie cutter and place it on the pumpkin in the general approximation of where it would have eyes if it were a face. Use a hammer to tap the cookie cutter into the pumpkin, and remove the star shaped piece of pumpkin to reveal a star-shaped eye. Repeat for the second eye. (Note: Plastic cookie cutters work, but metal cookie cutters work better. And if you have neither, just use a sharp knife and free-hand it.) Because our sin separated us from God, He had to redeem us. He sent His Son Jesus to earth to live a perfect life and be the perfect sacrifice for our sin. He announced the arrival of His Son on earth with, among other things, a very special star. “Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, saying, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him.” Mat 2:1-3
Use the sharp knife to cut a cross-shaped piece where a nose would be on your pumpkin’s face. God’s redemption plan culminated in the death of Jesus on the cross and His subsequent resurrection. “Without shedding of blood there is no remission.” Heb 9:22
Use a fish-shaped cookie cutter (What? No such thing in your house? Just use a knife.) and a hammer to punch out the mouth of the pumpkin face. No Bible verse here, but a little bit of Christian history: the persecuted early church used a fish as a symbol whereby they identified one another. Hence it is now a symbol of our belief and faith in Jesus Christ as our Redeemer.
Place a tea light candle (I like the fake ones from the dollar store) inside the pumpkin and watch the light shine through the pumpkin’s face. “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.” Mat 5:16

And that’s how a pumpkin (and a person) is redeemed.

Leave a Comment Filed Under: At Home, Children, Home, Ideas, On My Mind Tagged With: pumpkin

Pumpkin Not Chocolate - Smooth & Creamy Hot Pumpkin Beverage

October 23, 2012 By Anne Simpson

Now I have nothing against chocolate, mind you. Quite the contrary. A hot and creamy cup of homemade cocoa fits the bill deliciously on a cold winter evening. It’s just that at this time of year, when the frost is on the punkin and the fodder’s in the shock (whatever that is), I go a little pumpkin crazy and start putting pumpkin into just about everything.

Including hot chocolate. Except without the chocolate. So it’s not chocolate.

I’ts Pumpkin Not Chocolate.

And it’s amazing.

Pumpkin Not Chocolate

Ingredients

1 cup milk (any kind)
2 TBSP pumpkin puree
5 drops liquid stevia (or 1-2 tsp. honey)
dash of cinnamon
dash of grated nutmeg
dash of ginger
splash of vanilla

Instructions

If you have a Vitamix:

Place all ingredients in container. Blend on High until it begins to steam, about 3-4 minutes.

If you don’t have a Vitamix:

Place all ingredients in a small saucepan on the stove. Whisk together over medium heat until it is blended and steaming. Use a stick blender (or jar blender) and blend until smooth and creamy.

Number of servings (yield): 1

What’s your favorite thing to do with pumpkin puree?

Pssst! Out of pumpkin? Vitacost has canned organic pumpkin for only $1.85!

16 Comments Filed Under: Beverages, On The Table Tagged With: pumpkin

SRC: Frosting Made from… Pumpkin Pie?

November 7, 2011 By Anne Simpson

Since deciding to eliminate powdered sugar from our diet, I’ve been on a quest to discover the greatest and best frosting recipes that don’t require powdered sugar at all. It’s been a fun journey, yielding amazing creamy delights like Caramel Buttercream (to. die. for.), Flour Frosting (so much better than it sounds), No-Powdered-Sugar Cream Cheese Frosting (the healthiest of the bunch), and my personal twist on 7-Minute Frosting, Fluffy Coffee Frosting.

It’s no surprise, then, that upon being assigned Meet the Swans for November’s Secret Recipe Club (Find out how the SRC works and see if you’d like to join!), that I didn’t have to look any further than her recipe for pumpkin pie frosting. Krista (the Mrs. Swan) loves to create deliciously decadent goodies with creative twists, like Double Chocolate Ice Cream Waffle Cupcakes, Two-Tone Cookie Crinkles, and Caramel Gingerbread Blondies.

Her creative bent was evident in her use of Pumpkin Pie (yes, the actual pumpkin pie, not a pumpkin-pie-flavored frosting) to frost cupcakes for a wedding, inspired by the genius of The Cupcake Project. I had to make this recipe, not only because it didn’t require powdered sugar, but because it was just so stinkin’ creative that I couldn’t NOT try it. Yes, I know double negatives are not grammatically correct. But you agree with me, don’t you? Aren’t you inspired to try it yourself?

Go ahead, then. Frost those cupcakes with pumpkin pie and be the family celebrity at Thanksgiving this year.

Pumpkin Pie Frosting

slightly adapted from Meet the Swans

Ingredients

2 eggs, beaten
2 cups pumpkin puree
3/4 cup raw sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp freshly grated ginger
1/2 tsp cloves, crushed (or 1/4 tsp ground cloves)
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups scalded milk

Instructions

Stir together eggs and pumpkin puree. In a separate bowl, combine the sugar and spices, then stir into the pumpkin mixture. Gradually add the scalded milk until blended. Pour mixture into a greased 9″ pie pan, and bake at 350F for 40-45 minutes. Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack for a few hours, before refrigerating for at least 4 hours.
When pie filling is completely cooled, remove from refrigerator and scoop into the bowl of a stand mixer. Using the whip attachment, beat just until fluffy and spreadable.
Spread onto cake or cupcakes, or use a decorating bag to pipe a design.

I have to tell you that when I first made these, my DH was a tad apprehensive about pumpkin pie being the frosting. And with his first taste, he was kind of like, “Meh. It’s OK, but not great.” But then he couldn’t stop eating them (and I admit, neither could I!), and after a few more he told me multiple times that “those cupcakes were really good.” High praise, folks!

This is definitely not the QUICKest frosting in my repertoire, that’s for sure. Because of the cooling and refrigerating time that’s an absolute must, you really have to plan ahead with this one and make it a day in advance.

It IS very EASY, though. This recipe is essentially the same as the one you’ll find on the side of Libby’s canned pumpkin, so if you’ve ever made that one, you’re good to go.

This time of year, it’s pretty CHEAP, unless there’s a pumpkin shortage in your area driving the pumpkin prices up. It’s probably about the equivalent of your average buttercream frosting in terms of cost, I’d say.

And it’s definitely a HEALTHY improvement over “normal” frosting. I would love to experiment using partial honey and sugar to reduce the refined sugar amount even further, but I was afraid to mess with the texture this time around. And having pumpkin as the main ingredient in a frosting? Soooo much better for your gut than buttercream … so go ahead, have another one. Or two. I won’t judge.

Of course, you have to use a frosting like this on a truly appropriate cupcake, something a little bolder than mere chocolate or vanilla. I went with sugar and spice… but you’ll just have to come back tomorrow for that recipe!

Now let’s be honest here: would you ever have thought to use pie filling as frosting?

30 Comments Filed Under: Dessert, Home, On The Table Tagged With: powdered sugar free frosting, pumpkin, Thanksgiving

Fight the Flu with Pumpkin Soup

October 26, 2011 By Anne Simpson

Forget the flu shot! This year, fight back with food instead! I’m excited to be joining the following 5 amazing bloggers in hosting a 5-week series that will arm you with recipes to stay healthy this season!

Nikki @ Christian Mommy Blogger
Rachel @ Day 2 Day Joys
Leigh Ann @ Intentional by Grace
Erin @ The Humbled Homemaker

Mindy@ The Purposed Heart

Come back each Wednesday as we reveal five different foods that are purported to support your immune system in the fight against the cold and flu viruses that run rampant this time of year. What’s more, each post will be opened up to all our readers, who will be linking up their favorite recipes with these key flu-fighting ingredients, so you can get lots of ideas for creative ways to serve them to your family!

First up is pumpkin! Yeah, yeah, I hear you say. And I know, I know, I’ve really been quite obsessed with pumpkin this fall. But this is the last one, I swear. At least… I think so, anyway. I reserve the right to blog about anymore amazing pumpkin recipes I may come across in the future.

But there really is a good reason to include pumpkin in the list of foods that will help you ward off the flu this season, and that reason can be summed up in one word: beta-carotene. You know that gorgeous, rich orange color? It comes from the antioxidant called beta-carotene, which the body turns into vitamin A. How does this help you fight the flu?

According to the Mayo Clinic, one benefit of vitamin A - among many - is that it improves immune function. My personal opinion is that good ol’ vitamin A as it’s found in nature is a lot more effective at helping out your immune system than a shot that’s loaded with chemicals and fakes out your immune system.

Whether or not you get the flu shot, though, you’ll love this recipe for pumpkins and the extra vitamin A will do you good, too! I was inspired by this recipe for Armenian Pumpkin Soup, but I’m afraid I totally un-Armenia-fied it by switching out the spices and sauteing the onions with garlic instead of boiling them as suggested.

Pumpkin soup makes a nice stand-in for tomato soup, I think, perfect with a grilled cheese on a rainy day!

Pumpkin Soup

inspired by The Armenian Kitchen

Ingredients

2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
1 cup pumpkin puree
1 1/2 cup broth
1 tsp Chinese 5-spice powder
1/2 cup half-and-half, cream, or non-dairy substitute
salt & pepper to taste

Instructions

Heat some olive oil in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Add garlic and onion and saute until fragrant. Stir in pumpkin, broth and spices. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in milk or milk substitute. Return to heat until hot throughout, but not boiling. Add salt and pepper to taste.

This soup recipe is QUICK enough for even the busiest weeknight meal.

Very EASY, too, if you have the pumpkin puree on hand.

Quite CHEAP, as well, with the minimal amount of ingredients.

And certainly HEALTHY, as we’ve already made clear!

Need more pumpkin inspiration? Be sure to check out the great pumpkin recipes and tips shared by the other amazing bloggers hosting this series with me. They have some great stuff that you don’t want to miss!

Pumpkin Cran Smoothie @ Christian Mommy Blogger
Pumpkin Pear Muffins @ Day 2 Day Joys
How to Roast a Pumpkin @ Intentional by Grace
Creamy Pumpkin Soup @ The Purposed Heart
Probiotic Pumpkin Dip @ The Humbled Homemaker

Come back next week to find out which meal you need to eat or increase your risk of contracting the flu!

We want to hear your ideas for how to add pumpkin creatively into your diet! So go ahead: link up your delicious pumpkin recipes below.

There are only two guidelines for participation:

1. Your recipe must include PUMPKIN as an ingredient. Any entry submitted that does not include pumpkin will be deleted.

2. Please link your posts back to one of the hosting blogs. This way your readers can have access to all of the other great pumpkin recipes as well!

13 Comments Filed Under: Dinner, On The Table Tagged With: flu-fighting foods, pumpkin, soup

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Blondies… aka The Magically Disappearing Dessert

October 24, 2011 By Anne Simpson

I suppose there wasn’t anything particularly magical about the way it disappears. It goes to the usual place via the usual methods, but it’s just so fast! I’ve made this twice in one week, and the second pan is almost gone already. This is why I don’t make sweets very often, people. Agh! They go straight to my hips.

I originally found the recipe at Baking Bites and adapted it slightly based on my needs, desires, and the comments on the original post. I reduced the sugar quite a bit, used white whole wheat flour, replaced the pecans with chocolate chips, and used flax gel instead of the egg. I’ve left the egg in the recipe below, though, because if you can eat eggs, then you might as well use an egg! No point in making the flax gel if you don’t have to!

I also used freshly ground spices, which I think makes a great deal of difference in the flavor of the final product. Fresh ginger, grated straight from the root, finely crushed cloves, and freshly grated nutmeg. Of course, you can use the dried equivalents, and they will still be delicious, but if you have the fresh stuff, go ahead and use it!

You can increase the sugar up to a whole cup if you want, but I found it was really not necessary. At first, my DH said they weren’t sweet enough… then he realized that he was just as addicted as I was, so they must not have been as terrible as he first imagined. I think the next time I may experiment with honey.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Blondies

adapted from Baking Bites

Ingredients

1/2 cup butter or palm shortening
1/2 cup raw sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp freshly grated ginger root
1/4 tsp dried cloves (crush about 1/2 tsp full of whole cloves if you have them)
1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 tsp salt
1 egg
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
3/4 cup white whole wheat flour
1/3 cup chocolate chips (or nuts, or dried cranberries)

Instructions

Beat together the butter or shortening and sugar until fluffy. Add the spices, salt, egg and pumpkin and continue beating until well combined. Stir in flour just until wet. Gently stir in chocolate chips or other add-ins by hand.
Spread mixture into greased 8×8 pan. Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes or until edges are golden and middle is firm.

Bar cookies are a great QUICK treat any time of year, but especially during the busy school season. This dessert is ready to go in well under an hour, start to finish.

Very EASY, too, just like brownies or regular blondies.

Pretty CHEAP for a snack, I’d say. No special expensive ingredients, unless you count the chocolate chips, which you can simply omit if you want.

These are a relatively HEALTHY dessert (although perhaps not at the rate I eat them!), with the reduced sugar and whole grains. To make them even healthier, replace the chocolate chips with nuts (I think pecans or walnuts would be delicious) or dried cranberries. Because they are so moist to begin with, they really do very well with the white whole wheat flour! Some baked goods tend to get dry or tough with 100% whole wheat flour, but I found this recipe was just as delicious with the whole grains.

~I’m excited to announce that I’ve teamed up with a few other bloggers to bring you some delicious and creative ways to fight the flu this winter. Come back on Wednesday for the details!~

Linked to Tasty Tuesday

Hearth & Soul Hop Tempt my Tummy Tuesdays

3 Comments Filed Under: Dessert, On The Table Tagged With: bar cookies, pumpkin

Pumpkin + Pizza = A Match Made in Heaven

October 19, 2011 By Anne Simpson

I’ve already complained at length about my diet-enforced pizza woes, so I won’t bore you with that whole diatribe again. Suffice it to say that necessity encourages creativity around here if we are ever to enjoy our favorite food group (which would be pizza, in case you didn’t follow that).

And honestly, as much as I love pizza, and as much as I have been goofing off with pumpkin since at least the middle of September, it never once occurred to me to put the two together … until I saw Anne-Marie’s Pumpkin Chorizo Pizza a few weeks ago.

Dude. Pumpkins and pizza.

Together!

This was some serious serendipity here, people.

So I definitely had to try it. Unfortunately, I wanted to par-bake the pizza crust the day before to save a little time, but… ummm… I got a little distracted. It reminded me of the days when I was growing up, and my mom was teaching me how to cook. I remember a few - only a few, of course - occasions when my mom was rather exasperated (to put it mildly) because I had been reading or playing with a friend or reading or maybe even just daydreaming while the food I was supposed to be cooking was pretty much just burning.

I am all grown up now, and that ~~occasionally~~ rarely happens anymore. Hardly ever, anyway. And this time, I was doing something I should have been doing when I was a teenager, which was practicing the piano. (I think my childhood sins are coming back to haunt me.) Moral of the story? Don’t practice piano when you’re par-baking a pizza crust at a high temperature.

Unfortunately, my over-baked crust detracted from the awesomeness of the pumpkin sauce and the sausage. Oh well. You won’t make the same mistake, because you never get distracted like I do, and therefore, your pumpkin pizza will be simply amazing!

The next time, mine will be, too.

Pumpkin Pizza Heaven

Summary: adapted from This Mama Cooks

Ingredients

1 pizza crust (I use my artisan bread dough)
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/4 tsp paprika
1 tsp cumin
1/8 tsp salt
1 cup pumpkin puree
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/3-1/2 lb cooked chicken sausage (I used al fredo’s garlic chicken sausage), sliced or crumbled
1-2 cups shredded mozzarella or other nicely melting mild cheese
a handful of dried or fresh sage, crumbled, optional

Instructions

Spread tablespoon of olive oil in a frying pan over medium-high heat. When it’s heated, stir in the garlic and onion, sauteing until fragrant and tender. Stir in spices, pumpkin puree and broth. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer until slightly thickened (this won’t take long.)
Spread pumpkin sauce on crust. Top with sausage and cheese. Sprinkle with sage if desired.
If the crust is not baked, bake at 425F for about 12 minutes. If the crust is par-baked (or overdone. ahem), bake just until cheese is melted and lightly browned and pizza is heated through, about 5 minutes.

And look! My Certain Little Someone even had his very first taste of pizza, too! I made some flatbread using my go-to allergen-free artisan bread dough recipe , and used it as his crust. Of course, like me, his pizza was cheeseless, but still! This was a breakthrough, folks!

Homemade pizzas are so QUICK there is rarely a need to order in! Even making this sauce (instead of dumping canned pizza or pasta sauce) takes very little time.

EASY, too! Making your own crust may seem a daunting task, but honestly, it’s one of the easiest and most forgiving bread products you can attempt.

Pizza is a great CHEAP weeknight meal, too, because it’s a great way to stretch your meat and use up lots of vegetables.

This particular pizza is pretty HEALTHY, because I used homemade sauce (made with pumpkin, no less!), all-natural chicken sausage, and a whole-wheat crust.

Special thanks to my DH, who snapped the photos for me while I was giving a piano lesson. That darn piano kept getting in the way of my precious pizza!

Linked to Tastetastic Thursday, Feasting in Fellowship Friday, and…

10 Comments Filed Under: Dinner, On The Table Tagged With: pizza, pumpkin

Pumpkin Muffins… but Savory!

October 17, 2011 By Anne Simpson

pumpkin muffins

I will be the first to admit that these pumpkins will not win any beauty contests. Thanks to the oats, they have a crumbly texture and bumpy exterior, and thanks to the lack of eggs and sugar, they don’t bind together and rise quite as well as a good little muffin should. But before you turn around and head back out the door - or off to your next blogging adventure - they do have a redeeming quality!

Two, actually:

They have no sugar.
They are moist and delicious! Dee-lish-us, I tell you!

These ugly little savory muffins have amazing flavor that is the perfect accompaniment to an autumn soup. I served ours with potato soup, and it was a match made in heaven. So who cares what they look like? They taste good, and after all, that is the point.

Ugly Savory Pumpkin Muffins

adapted from love food eat

Ingredients

1 cup white whole wheat flour
1/2 cup oats
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 tsp dried sage
1 tsp rosemary
1 tsp parsley
1 1/2 cups pumpkin puree
1/2 cup olive oil
1 TBSP vinegar

Instructions

Whisk together dry ingredients in a large bowl.
In a separate bowl, stir together the wet ingredients until well combined.
Pour the wet ingredients into the dry, stirring just until combined.
Scoop batter into greased muffin tin and bake at 350F for about 25 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Muffins are such a great QUICK bread that you can serve with soup or salad for a light dinner or lunch.

And so EASY, too! Just be sure not to overmix the batter, or they will get really tough.

This particular recipe takes a lot of pumpkin, so it’s not necessarily CHEAP (depending on how much you paid for said pumpkin). Around here, that’s at least a couple dollars. However, this time of year is the cheapest pumpkin’s gonna get, so now’s the time to make them!

These muffins are probably the HEALTHY-est I’ve ever made. They have no sugar, use whole grains, and are largely based on a very healthy vegetable. Very healthy, indeed!

Linking to Tasty Tuesday and…
Hearth & Soul Hop Tempt my Tummy Tuesdays

3 Comments Filed Under: Beverages, Bread, On The Table Tagged With: muffins, pumpkin

Pumpkin in your Enchilada? Uh huh.

October 12, 2011 By Anne Simpson

Not so long ago, pumpkin made its annual appearance in November in one of two or three different places, usually a pie. Sure, sometimes it was creative and popped up in a cheesecake or cream-cheese-topped cake, but it stayed pretty close to the sweet and sticky side of life. Now it dares to go where no gourd has gone before: into the echelons of savory, spicy goodness, as the star of main dishes for both family and guests.

And I have to say, I love its boldness. I have never met a pumpkin dish I didn’t like.

Recently, a pumpkin found its way into my enchiladas. Yup, enchiladas. I originally found the recipe over at Newlyweds and adapted it slightly to fit our needs. I took out the chilies and the jalapenos because my DH can’t have them, but if you like them and can eat them, I really think they would add the perfect spicy flavor. (I was intending to add some to mine and my Certain Little Someone’s portion, but I ran out of time to fiddle with that. Next time!) Just add 1 diced jalapeno and a small can of green chilies to the chicken in the recipe below.

Pumpkins in my Enchiladas

Summary: adapted from Newlyweds

Ingredients

2 TBSP olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 cups shredded cooked chicken
2 cups pureed pumpkin
1 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup cream, milk, or non-dairy milk
2 tsp cumin
2 tsp dried cilantro
salt & pepper to taste
10 corn or flour tortillas (I used my homemade tortillas)
1 cup shredded mozzarella

Instructions

Heat the oil in a frying pan over medium-high heat. Add onions; saute until brown. Add garlic, and continue to saute until fragrant. Add chicken; mix well. Remove from heat and set aside.
In a separate bowl, whisk together, pumpkin, broth, milk, and seasonings. Stir until well blended.
Place a spoonful or two of chicken mixture into the center of each tortilla. Roll up tightly and place seam side down in a 9×13 baking dish. Spoon pumpkin mixture over top, covering all the tortillas. Top with cheese.
Bake at 425F for 20-25 minutes or until cheese browns.

I like that the pumpkin sauce comes together without boiling and simmering, which saves time, making this a QUICK recipe. Maybe not quick enough for a super-busy weeknight, but definitely quicker than other similar recipes. Plan ahead to use leftover chicken, and you don’t have to cook the chicken either!

These enchiladas come together so EASY-ly; no difficulties!

If you use homemade tortillas and broth, as well as chicken leftovers, these are also a nice CHEAP main dish for dinner.

Once again, in order to be HEALTHY, you’ll need to use homemade components. There are very few healthy tortilla brands out there (although corn tortillas tend to be made with purer ingredients than flour - I like Trader Joe’s brand), and store-bought broth is not anywhere near as healthy as homemade. Whether to use canned or freshly pureed pumpkin is mostly a matter of choice. Fresh is always healthier, but I don’t think that canned pumpkin is a terrible choice either, since it doesn’t typically have any additives (it’s just not as fresh).

Linked to Tastetastic Thursday

15 Comments Filed Under: Dinner, On The Table Tagged With: enchilada, pumpkin

Attune Foods Cooking Challenge and Pumpkin Ice Cream Pie with Crispy Chocolate Crust

October 10, 2011 By Anne Simpson

When we first got married, my DH and I had a disagreement about dessert. Specifically, we disagreed (rather vehemently on both sides, I might add) about whether or not dessert could or should be “healthy”.

His POV: Dessert is supposed to be bad for you. It doesn’t need to be healthy.

My POV: It’s still going into your body, so you might as well use the healthiest ingredients possible.

We still occasionally dicker on the topic, but mostly we’ve come to a comfortable compromise whereby I use healthy ingredients for dessert but don’t skimp on taste or quality. Or at least I try not to. Sometimes I’m successful, and sometimes… eh, not so much.

This was one of the successful times! I came up with this recipe after reading about Attune Foods’ Cooking Challenge for October, which was to create a sweet treat using one of a few specific items in their product line. As it happened, I had a box of Erewhon Cocoa Crispy Brown Rice in my pantry, and my wheels started turning from there.

I’d already made some chocolate crispy rice treats that the whole family loved, and I had used a similar mixture before as the crust of a frozen pie. Since I already knew that the theme on my blog for the month of October was “Pumpkins, Spice and Everything Nice”, it was a given already that the filling for the pie crust would be pumpkin-based. I tossed around a few ideas in my head: pumpkin custard, pumpkin pudding, traditional pumpkin filling, etc. None of them seemed quite right, and then it came to me: pumpkin ice cream! Since the crust was for a refrigerated/frozen pie anyway, it was the perfect fit. And then as I was making the pie itself, the chocolate ganache topping just suggested itself as a natural finish to the whole ensemble.

Move over, pumpkin pie. This Pumpkin Ice Cream Pie with Crispy Cocoa Crust and Chocolate Ganache is going to be the star of your Thanksgiving dessert table this year.

Pumpkin Ice Cream Pie with Crispy Cocoa Crust and Chocolate Ganache

Ingredients

Crust:

3 cups Erewhon Cocoa Crispy Brown Rice cereal
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/4 cup butter or palm shortening

Ice Cream Filling:

1 cup pumpkin puree
2 cups milk or non-dairy milk substitute
1/2 cup raw sugar
1 tsp ginger powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp vanilla
2 TBSP raw honey, optional

Ganache:

4 oz. semi-sweet chocolate, chopped
1/2 cup heavy cream or non-dairy milk

Instructions

Crust:

Pour the cereal into a large bowl. Melt the chocolate chips and butter or shortening in the microwave at low power in 30-second intervals, stirring each time, until melted. Pour chocolate mixture over cereal, and stir until well coated. Press mixture into the bottom and up the sides of a glass pie plate. Freeze at least 10 minutes, or until set.

Ice Cream Filling:

Combine all ingredients except vanilla and honey in a saucepan over medium-low heat and stir to combine. Bring to a light boil, then reduce heat and simmer until just slightly thickened. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla and honey, if using. Cool to room temperature, then refrigerate until cold.
Pour into ice cream machine and follow manufacturer’s directions.

Ganache (Make just before assembling):

Place chocolate in a medium bowl. Heat cream or milk substitute just until boiling. Pour over chocolate and whisk until very smooth.

Assembly:

Spread ice cream mixture into prepared crust, and freeze until set. Remove from freezer and allow to thaw for about 10 minutes or so; pour ganache over top, spreading to the edge or drizzling in a design, as desired. Serve immediately.

As you can see, this recipe is already gluten-free, and can easily be made dairy-free and even vegan. I actually made the dairy-free version myself, using palm shortening and sunflower milk to replace the dairy products. Soy or coconut milk would probably be better substitutes.

**If you’re not up for making the ice cream yourself, simply mix the pumpkin puree and spices into a pint of your favorite vanilla ice cream and spread into the pie crust.

This isn’t a super QUICK recipe, especially because you have to prepare the ice cream ahead of time. There’s some thinking ahead involved as far as putting the ice cream machine bowl in the freezer and prepping the ice cream mixture the day before assembly. Also, there’s the freezing time involved.

It is super EASY, though, and can be made even easier by using a ready-made container of ice cream.

It’s not the CHEAPest dessert I’ve ever made, but it’s not the most expensive either. Right now, pumpkins are in season, so they’re the cheapest they will ever be. The Erewhon cereal isn’t really cheap either, but you can find coupons for it occasionally to make it a better deal. Making the ice cream yourself is cheaper than buying it, which reduces the cost also.

A HEALTHY indulgence, that’s what I consider this kind of dessert. All the ingredients are the healthiest versions available, not to mention that the pumpkin in the ice cream is a super food chock full of nutrients and antioxidants. If you want to reduce the sugar and honey, you can by as much as half, although of course it won’t be quite as sweet.

All statements about Attune Foods, its products, or the Cooking Challenges Recipe Contest are my own. This post is part of- and made as a condition to- my entry in the Attune Foods Cooking Challenges Recipe Contest.

I’m linking up to Tasty Tuesday at NapTime Creations and the following:

Hearth & Soul Hop

14 Comments Filed Under: Dessert, On The Table Tagged With: dairy-free, pie, pumpkin

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