Pumpkin Pecan Cookies

I stumbled upon this cookie recipe while in the bulk food aisle of Whole Foods; I knew I could use up the leftover pumpkin puree I had in the fridge. The cookies turned out to be yummy and nutritious. I added a chocolate drizzle because there is no sugar added to the cookies and I like mine to have a little sweetness. The recipe calls for orange juice which has a lot of sugar naturally; I ended up using an orange carrot juice blend instead with a little less sugar. I would suggest adding a tablespoon or two of maple syrup to the cookies for additional flavor depth. The original recipe also called for one cup of chopped pitted dates which I did not utilize and added some dried cranberries instead.

Pumpkin Pecan Cookies with Chocolate Drizzle

 

 

Prep Time: 10 Min

Cook Time: 20 Min

 

Ingredients

 

- 2 cups pecans

- 1/2 cup oats

- 1 cup whole wheat pastry flour

- 1 tsp baking soda

- 1/2 tsp salt

- 2 tsp cinnamon

- 1 tsp cloves

 - 3/4 cup pureed pumpkin

- 3/4 cup of orange juice (I used an orange carrot juice blend with less sugar)

- 2 tsp vanilla extract

- 1/4 cup dried cranberries

- chocolate drizzle (optional)

 

Directions

 

- Preheat oven to 375 F

- In a food processor or blender, pulse pecans and oats about 20 times until a coarse meal forms

- Add flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and cloves and pulse another 20 times to mix well

- Transfer to a large mixing bowl

- Add pumpkin, orange juice, vanilla and cranberries

 

 

 

- Stir to mix well. Mixture will be kind of thick like a frosting

- Drop on a lightly greased baking sheet in about 2 tbs size drops. Flatten the batter slightly to shape.

- Bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown on the bottom.

- Makes about 8 cookies.

- Drizzle with melted chocolate and refrigerate, if desired





 

 

Barbecue Tofu and Pumpkin Mac n' Cheese

I should have titled this blog, How Not To Make Your Own Shell Pasta. When I decided I wanted to make Pumpkin Mac n' Cheese this week, I also decided I would try to make my own shell pasta. If you are going to make your own pasta for the first time 1) follow a recipe and 2) always have some backup store bought pasta. I had a lot of fun making the shell pasta but unfortunately, I did not follow a recipe, I made it the same way I make ravioli dough. First mistake. Ravioli dough ends up getting run through a pasta maker which thins it out really well. If you decide to shape it into little shells, the dough ends up being really thick. Most shell/orecchiette pasta recipes require no egg. Second mistake. I also used a combination of wheat and semolina flour, third mistake, regular unbleached white would have worked best. Although my shell pasta looked really nice, it was just a little too thick to enjoy or use. Lucky for me I did buy some gluten free elbows just in case :)

Making my own Shell Pasta

I have made Pumpkin Mac n' Cheese in the past with your basic cream and milk and some Fontina cheese (which is delicious by the way!) This time I used some alternative milks and a Havarti with Peppadew Peppers from Whole Foods. The peppers give the sauce a nice spice and the Havarti makes it gooey and creamy, yum! The Barbecue Tofu was easy and very tasty. I sauteed it in the pan with the veggies but you could also just put it right on the grill and baste it with barbecue sauce which would be equally as tasty. Make sure you buy the firm/extra firm tofu so it stays intact. I served it all with some grilled corn on the cob which I topped with some homemade Jalapeno Lime Butter. Just mix some butter, chopped jalapenos, garlic and lime. Put in the freezer on wax paper until ready to serve. Slice and spread on the hot grilled corn, so good!



Barbecue Tofu, Pumpkin Mac n' Cheese and Grilled Corn with Jalapeno Lime Butter

Barbecue Tofu, Pumpkin Mac N' Cheese and Grilled Corn with Jalapeno Lime Butter



Prep Time: 10 Min

Cook Time: 40 Min

Ingredients

Pumpkin Mac n Cheese

- 10 to 12 ounces of pasta (elbows or shells) about 3/4 a box

- 1 garlic clove, minced

- 2 tbs butter

- 2 tbs flour

- 2 cups of hazelnut milk (any milk would do, you could also do 1 cup of cream and 1 cup of milk)

- 1 cup of cheese (I used Havarti with Peppadew Peppers, Fontina is also a good choice)

- 1 can of organic pumpkin

- 2 tsp of cinnamon (optional)

- salt/pepper to taste

- Panko breadcrumbs

- Parmesan/Pecorino grated cheese (optional topping)

- 1/4 cup of chopped walnuts

Barbecue Tofu

- 2 garlic cloves, minced

- 1/4 onion, chopped

- 2 celery stalks, chopped

- 1/2 red bell pepper, chopped

- 2 tsp curry powder

- 1 package of organic tofu, sliced

- 1/2 cup barbecue sauce (I used Annie's Naturals, Chipotle Hot Sauce)

Directions

- Preheat oven to 350 F

- Bring a pot of salted water to boil, cook pasta according to directions

- In a large saucepan, saute the garlic clove with 2 tbs of butter and flour. Whisk to form a roux

- Add the salt/pepper, cinnamon and milk, bring to a small boil.

- Reduce to low and continue to whisk occasionally until thickened

- Add the cheese and pumpkin, stir to combine

- Once pasta is cooked, drain and add to sauce mixture

- Pour macaroni in a lightly greased casserole dish

- Top with breadcrumbs, parmesan cheese and walnuts

- Bake covered with aluminum foil for 30 minutes

- While macaroni is baking, in a large saute pan, sautee garlic, onion, bell pepper, celery and curry with a little olive oil. About 5 minutes.

- Add in chopped tofu and continue sauteing for about 10-12 minutes on medium heat

- Add barbecue sauce, stir to coat and reduce heat to simmer for 15 minutes

- Serve tofu with mac n' cheese and grilled corn if desired. Enjoy!



Pumpkin Ravioli with Pumpkin Hazelnut Sauce, Cranberries and Spinach

Nick bought me a very nice pasta attachment for my KitchenAid Mixer for my birthday several months ago. I haven't used it since the day he cooked me homemade raviolis for my birthday. When I cleaned out my banquet about a week ago, I found it inside! I immediately felt guilty and decided that I need to start making use of it. Now that I am getting the hang of making my own pastas, I can't wait to use it for making spinach fettuccine, spaghetti etc.! This recipe does not require the pasta attachment but you could use it to help you roll out the dough and get it nice and thin if you own one.

Pumpkin Ravioli with Pumpkin Hazelnut Sauce

Homemade Pumpkin Ravioli topped with Cranberries, Spinach and Pecorino Cheese

Prep Time: 45 Min
Cook Time: 15 Min

Ingredients

Pasta
- 2 eggs, lightly beaten
- 2 tbs olive oil
- 2 tbs water
- 1 1/2 cup of flour (I used half Semolina Flour and Half Unbleached Flour)
- 1/4 cup of pumpkin puree
- Pinch of salt

Filling
- 1/2 cup of pumpkin puree
- 1/2 cup of tofu
- 1/4 cup of feta cheese
- Handful of dried cranberries
- 1/2 tbs of cinnamon
- 1 tsp of nutmeg

Sauce
- 1/4 cup of pumpkin puree
- 1/4 onion, diced
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 3 tbs mascarpone cheese (you could substitute cream cheese)
- 3/4 cup of hazelnut milk (you could substitute cream and potentially add a hazelnut extract)
- 1 tbs of cinnamon
- 1 tsp of nutmeg
- 1/2 tbs of honey
- Salt/Pepper to taste
- 1/2 cup of Baby Spinach
- Dried cranberries
- Pecorino or Parmesan cheese (optional topping)

Directions

Pasta
- Combine all ingredients and mix and knead together with your fists for about 5 minutes
- I used half Semolina Flour and half unbleached flour. Semolina is popular for pasta but can be gritty and tough to work with, so its better to use just regular flour or half of each.
- I would add a lot of flour to your hands before kneading the dough because it is VERY sticky.
- Once you knead for several minutes, put dough in plastic bag in fridge for 20 minutes to rest.
- Once rested, sprinkle flour on your kitchen countertop. Place the dough on top of that and begin to roll it out with a rolling pin. Keep sprinkling flour on top of the dough as you roll it out so it doesn't stick to the pin. Get the dough pretty thin.
- Then cut squares or circles out on it. Place some filling in a square and top with another square, trim off excess pasta from edges with a knife and seal the edges by pinching together.
- Once done, drop in pot of boiling water and cook for about 10-12 minutes until tender.

Filling
- Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl. Set aside until pasta dough is ready and cut.
- You could use a variety of filling ingredients for this pasta besides what I used. You could use ricotta cheese & pumpkin, or multiple cheeses mixed or sauteed veggies.

Sauce
- On medium heat, saute onion and garlic with a little olive oil. Add the mascarpone cheese and hazelnut milk. Whisk together to melt and combine. Reduce to low and add the pumpkin, cinnamon, nutmeg and honey. Add fresh spinach and cranberries if desired and continue to stir until spinach is wilted.

Once pasta is cooked, drain the water and combine with the sauce. Sprinkle with dried cranberries and pecorino cheese. Enjoy!

Pumpkin Biscotti

Recently I was standing in the bakery aisle at Whole Foods sampling the goodies on display when a mother and daughter excused themselves to grab some Vanilla Pistachio Biscotti that was infront of me on the shelf. The mother quickly told the daughter "grab two!" The mother looked at me and enthusiastically said that they were the best biscotti they had ever tasted and that they were only 25 calories a piece! A little pricey, $6.99 a box, I picked them up hesitantly and looked them over and held onto them (until the mother and daughter duo has disappeared down another aisle) and then placed them back on the shelf. How funny, I guess I was practicing supermarket etiquette...I was afraid that they might be offended if I didn't take their opinion of how delicious these biscotti were by not purchasing them myself. I finished the rest of my grocery shopping and then impulsively right before checking out, I decided to go back to the bakery aisle and get those darn biscotti cookies. What did I have to lose, besides $7?

Well was I glad I bought those cookies because they were delicious! They were very airy and light, not tough like your traditional biscotti cookies. They were almost like a wafer. The ingredients were so simple too: Egg Whites, Organic Evaporated Cane Juice, All Natural Unbleached Wheat Flour, Pistachios, Pure Vanilla Extract and Lemon Powder. I was inspired to make my own so I started doing some research online about making homemade biscotti. I ran across a recipe for Pumpkin Biscotti and knew I had to try it.

Pumpkin Biscotti

Final Product - Pumpkin Biscotti

I found a recipe on www.SimplyRecipes.com that is pretty close to what I created. I put the changes I made in highlight below.

Prep Time: 20 Min
Cook Time: 90 Min

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups of flour
• 1 cup of sugar  (I did 1/2 cup of sugar and 1/4 cup Agave Nectar and 1/4 cup Honey)
• 1 teaspoon of baking powder
• 1 teaspoon of cinnamon (I used about 2 tbs of cinnamon)
• 1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg  (I used about 2 tsp of nutmeg)
• Pinch of ginger
• Pinch of cloves
• Pinch of salt
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup of pumpkin purée
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
• (I added about a 1/2 cup of dried fruits - raisins, apples)

Directions

- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Sift together the flour, salt, sugar, baking powder, dried fruits and spices into a large bowl.

NOTE: If you use honey or agave nectar as substitutes for sugar, be aware that they add more moisture to your dough, so your biscotti will take longer to dehydrate. Another good substitute to use would be evaporated cane sugar. I didn't have that on hand at the time so I used honey and agave.

- In another bowl, whisk together the eggs, pumpkin purée, and vanilla extract. Pour the pumpkin mixture into the flour mixture. Give it a rough stir to generally incorporate the ingredients, the dough will be very crumbly.

- Flour your hands and a clean kitchen surface and lightly knead the dough. Lightly grease a baking sheet. Form the dough into a large log or into two smaller logs. The loaves should be relatively flat, only about 1/2 inch high. Bake for 25-30 minutes at 350 F, until the center is firm to the touch. 

Biscotti shaped into 1/2 inch high loaves in the oven

- Let biscotti cool for 20 minutes and then using a serrated knife cut into 1 inch wide pieces. Lay the pieces on their sides. Reduce the oven to 300 F and bake for an additional 15 minutes. Then flip the pieces and bake the other sides for an additional 15 minutes.

Biscotti pieces - sliced and dehydrating in the oven

- Biscotti may be still a tad moist and chewy, so if you prefer it crisp you can turn the oven on low say 170 F - 200 F and continue to let it dehydrate for another hour or so. Let cool completely and store in a airtight container. Makes approximately 15 cookies.

These cookies were very good and have that hint of pumpkin perfect for the Fall season. A great holiday gift idea would be to dip one half of each cookie in chocolate and then lay on wax paper in the fridge to harden. These cookies were crispy and perfect for dunking in hot coffee like traditional biscotti. Next time I will try to make the very airy Pistachio Biscotti by using egg whites and beating them until fluffy before mixing in the dough. That is the same technique you use for meringue cookies so I have a feeling it could work. Be on the look out for that post :)

Sweet Potato Gnocchi with Maple Pumpkin Sauce

I was inspired to make my own Sweet Potato Gnocchi when I went to Whole Foods recently and saw some in the fresh pasta section. I picked it up, looked at the ingredients and almost put it in my cart. For $9 it would have been very easy to just take the gnocchi home, drop it in some boiling water and dinner would be ready in ten minutes...but where is the fun in that? :) I have found that making your own pasta, while messy, is actually quite simple and equally rewarding.

Sweet Potato Gnocchi with Maple Pumpkin Sauce

Prep Time: 90 Min (includes 60 min to bake potatoes)

Cook Time: 15 Min

Ingredients

Gnocchi

- 2 Large Sweet Potatoes  (approx 2 cups of flesh)

- 2/3 Cup of Ricotta

- 1 Tsp of Salt

- 1 Tbs of Cinnamon

- 1 1/4 Cup of Flour

Sauce

- 1/4 Diced Onion

- 1 Minced Garlic Clove

- 1/2 Cup of Pumpkin

- 1/2 Cup of Hazelnut Milk (can substitute heavy cream)

- 1 1/2 Tbs of Organic Maple Syrup

- 2 Tsp of Cinnamon

- 1/2 Tsp of Cloves

- 1/2 Tsp of Nutmeg

- Pinch of Crushed Red Pepper

- Salt and Pepper to Taste

- Pinch of Basil

Directions

Gnocchi

- Preheat oven or toaster oven to 425 degrees

- Bake Sweet Potatoes for 55-60 minutes until tender enough to pierce easily with a fork

- Cut the Sweet Potatoes in half and scoop the insides into a large mixing bowl

- Add the Ricotta, Salt, Cinnamon and mash together with a potato masher

- Add the flour in 3 separate batches, mixing together with a large spoon in between each batch

- Dough will be very sticky - on a floured surface, split the dough into 6 balls

- Sprinkle each ball with some more flour (to reduce it sticking to your hands) and toss each ball of dough back and forth in your hands to knead and shape

- Roll each dough into a 1inch wide rope using the palms of your hands, then slice into 1inch pieces

Making the Gnocchi - Roll, Slice and Shape

- You can then shape the pieces into Gnocchi. The way I did this was taking each piece and rolling it back in my hands to form an oval shape then pressing each side with the tines of a fork. You can also just roll each piece off the tip of a fork to give it the indentations.

Press the back of a fork into the Gnocchi on each side to shape

                                                             

- You can make the gnocchi ahead of time and place in the freezer for future use.

Place the Gnocchi in separate servings in Ziploc bags before putting in the freezer.

- When you want to use the Gnocchi, just grab a serving from the freezer and drop in a pot of boiling water for 5-6 minutes. Stir the pot once or twice to keep from sticking on the bottom. When Gnocchi is ready it will float to the surface. It will be tender but slightly firm on the outside.

-This recipe makes several servings of Gnocchi, if you are not freezing it ahead of time, drop the gnocchi in the boiling water in batches. When the gnocchi floats, use a slotted spoon to remove from the water. Drop the next batch in the boiling water and repeat.

Sauce

- In a saute pan, saute garlic and onion on medium heat with a little olive oil

- Add the next 8 ingredients

- Stir the sauce on medium heat for 5 minutes and then reduce to low. If sauce is too thick you can always add more hazelnut milk or cream.

Maple Pumpkin Sauce

- Toss the Gnocchi with the sauce and a pinch of basil. Sprinkle with Parmesan or Pecorino cheese if you desire. Enjoy!

This dish is delicious and a reminds me of Fall, my favorite season. I ended up spending less than the $9 I would have paid at Whole Foods making it myself because I had everything I needed in my pantry except for the Sweet Potatoes and Ricotta Cheese. I also love that this dish is entirely Vegan except for the Ricotta and Pecorino Cheese. I will make some more in the near future (with the leftover Gnocchi I put in the freezer) and a Hazelnut Mascarpone Sauce to go with it. Be on the lookout for that blog :)