All things pumpkin!

Hi all! Here in Maine it officially feels like winter. Though we had a blissful 60 degree day last weekend, the temperature in the morning has been hovering around 30 degrees. So, it's time to heat up those ovens for some tasty fall treats. This week, it has been all things pumpkin for me. I found a local farm that had pie pumpkins (after my local grocer laughed at me when I asked if he had any), so I went to work roasting and scooping. From the one pumpkin I have thus far made:

• Coconut Pumpkin smoothie: such a yummy way to start off the day (recipe below)

• Pumpkin muffins: a trusty mid-morning go-to, especially toasted with a touch of butter (recipe below)

• Pumpkin cookies: a treat from our friend over at All Against Grain

• "Pepitas" (pumpkin seeds): another All Against Grain creation, though I may try mine just salted with my next pumpkin (oh yes, more to come!)

• Pumpkin Bread: a new recipe for me, adapted from an scdrecipe.com banana bread recipe.

• Pumpkin doughnuts: Brilliant concoction from the All Against Grain new cookbook. If there is one recipe that convinces you to buy her cookbook, this one should be it. Check it out on her site! Her photos are much more appealing, but here is how mine came out. 
 

Coconut Pumpkin Smoothie
1/2 cup coconut milk
1 banana
1/4 c. pumpkin
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon each of: ginger, nutmeg, and cloves

1) Blend all ingredients together in blender. Add ice before blending if desired.

Note: To help with my J-Pouch, I melt about 1 Tbs. coconut oil and add that in as well. It does wonders for me!



Pumpkin muffins
2 1/2 cups almond flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. each nutmeg, allspice, cloves, and ginger
1/4 c. honey
1 Tbsp pure vanilla extract
3 large eggs
1 cup of fresh pumpkin (squeezed to remove excess water)

1) Preheat oven to 325 degrees F and line muffin tin with baking cups.

2) Mix the dry ingredients and in a separate bowl mix wet ingredients (except the pumpkin). 

3) Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet, whisking together until smooth. 

4) Add the pumpkin to the mixture and mix until smooth. 

5) Fill muffin cups about 2/3 full and bake 25-30 minutes. Muffins should be golden brown on top when done. 

These are especially enjoyed toasted!



Pumpkin Bread
2 1/2 cups almond flour
1 Tbsp coconut flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/3 c. honey
3 eggs
1 cup of pumpkin (with excess water squeezed out)

1) Heat oven to 350 degrees F (180 C). Line a bread loaf pan with parchment paper (or you can use coconut oil to grease it, but make sure it is well greased!)

2) Mix dry ingredients and sift together. 

3) Mix wet ingredients in separate bowl, beating eggs by hand before adding the other ingredients. 

4) Blend dry ingredients into the wet ingredients using a stand mixer or hand mixer (I have only used the hand mixer as our apartment is too small for a stand mixer!).

5) Pour mixture into bread pan and cover with tinfoil. 

6) Bake bread for 20 minutes covered, then remove the tinfoil and bake for another 40-45 minutes with it uncovered. A toothpick should come out clean when it is baked fully. 

Another great recipe to toast up!   

What pumpkin treats are you whipping up this fall? 
Please share in the comments below! 

Fall feast

It is that wonderful time of the year: harvest time. Summer fruits and vegetables give way to autumn's bounty: squash, pumpkin, apples, and pears. Oh my! New England boasts a beautiful fall and these  recipes make use of fall's produce (all local) to put together a fall feast. Here is the menu:

• Roasted squash soup
• Baked pork chops with apples
• Apple pie

Roasted Squash Soup

I have made this soup many times, but with a few tweaks this year it turned out fantastic. I upped the onion and garlic that I normally put in and also added some homemade chicken broth. For those of you following SCD, please check out this site about how to make homemade chicken broth over at Mrs. Ed's site.


Ingredients

1 butternut squash, cut lengthwise
1 Tbsp butter
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
4 garlic gloves
½ tsp salt
½ tsp oregano
½ tsp basil
½ tsp black pepper
½ tsp cinnamon
3 cups water
1 cup chicken broth
4 Tbsp honey


Steps
Preheat oven to 375.

Place the 3 squash halves cut-side down in a casserole dish.

Pour in enough water to cover the bottom of the dish.

Bake 45-60 minutes or until squash pieces feel a bit soft when you press on them.

Remove the squash from oven. When cool enough to handle, remove and discard seeds.

Scoop out the squash and set aside.

In a large pot over medium heat, melt the butter with the oil. Add the onion and cook for about 5 minutes until the onion is translucent. Add the garlic.

Add the squash, salt, oregano, basil, pepper, cinnamon, and water, and simmer for 20 minutes on medium heat with the lid of the pot ajar. Stir occasionally.

Remove the lid from the pot and cook for 8 to 10 more minutes.

Add the honey and mix well.

Cool for 10 minutes. Purée until smooth.

**You may want to add more water to taste. Also, try whipping a batch of these dinner rolls from All Against Grain. Delicious! Isn't she amazing?!

Baked Pork Chops with Apples

I don't follow an exact recipe for this dish, so I don't know where I originally found it. There are many out on the web, but here is our version that we're serving up tonight with some faux-rice and green beans. 

Ingredients

3-4 pork chops 

cinnamon

salt

pepper

1/2 medium onion

4 medium apples 

olive oil

Preheat oven to 350. 

Pour salt, pepper, and cinnamon on a flat plate to taste. Mix with a fork then press pork chops into mixture. Lay into baking dish. 

Dice 4 apples and onion into 1" each pieces.  Put into a bowl and pour about 1 tsp of olive oil over the apples. Then sprinkle salt, pepper, and cinnamon over the apples. Mix to coat the apples. Place them around and over the pork in the baking dish. 

Cook for 30 minutes.

Apple Pie

There is something so comforting about apple pie. The smell of it in the oven brings back memories from being in my grandmother's kitchen at Thanksgiving. Though Gram has passed on, my sister carries on the tradition of making a killer apple pie each year. Though this recipe cannot hold a candle to my sister's baking, it hit the spot for me! Try it warmed with some of All Against Grain's french vanilla coconut ice cream.

Ingredients

Crust 

• 2 1/2 cups almond flour 
• 1 Tbs. coconut flour
• 2 Tbs. coconut oil
• 1 egg
• 1/4 tsp. sea salt
• 1/2 tsp baking soda

Filling from Ancestral Chef

• 5 medium-sized apples, peeled and diced (granny smith or honeycrisp)
• 4 tablespoons coconut oil
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1 tablespoon coconut flour
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/8 teaspoon cloves
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1) Preheat oven to 350.

2) To mix the crust, mix dry ingredients and sift together. Then add the coconut oil (not melted worked for me) and egg and work it into the dry mix. Combine until it forms a ball.

3) Roll out the crust between two sheets of parchment paper. Place half of it in pie plate and cook in the oven for 10-12 minutes or until browned. Leave the other half cooling in the fridge for the top of the pie.

3)  For the filling, melt the coconut oil in a pot over medium.

4) Add the honey and stir together. Then add the apples and spices. Stir the mixture to cover the apples with the oil, honey and spices.

5) Add in the coconut flour and mix well.

6) Add the vanilla extract and turn off the heat. Leave it to cool for 10 minutes.

7) Once filling has cooled, add to crust and then cover with the leftover crust from the fridge. If you want to make it look cool, use a fork to crimp the edges together. Make sure that they are sealed first, or some of the filling may leak out.

8) Bake for 25 minutes.

Enjoy! And give thanks for all the delicious foods that autumn brings to our bellies!