Cooking Challenge: Pumpkin

BUMP!!!! :drinker: :bigsmile: :drinker:
All of my MFP friends will know of my LOVE for pumpkin! This is my kind of challenge! I have pumpkin at least once a day hehe :bigsmile: Thanks!
-Meag

Marking my spot.

Bumping for later

Pumpkin Pancakes

2 cups all-purpose flour
3 Tbsp. brown sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp allspice
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp salt

1 1/2 cups milk
1 cup canned pumpkin puree (pure pumpkin)
1 egg
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
2 Tbsp vinegar

Mix the wet ingredients and stir. Combine the dry ingredients and stir into the wet just until combined. If batter is too thick, add more milk. Make as normal pancakes. Serves 4.

Wow! I want to try all of these!

bumping for later....need to find my pumpkin recipes...so many to choose from!!!

keep

I ordered a case of pumpkin off of Amazon.com just so I could make these muffins. I love them THAT much!!

Pumpkin Muffins

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup canned solid-pack pumpkin (from a 15 ounce can) (I used the whole can)
1/3 cup vegetable oil
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pumpkin-pie spice
1 1/4 cups plus 1 tablespoon sugar (I used 1/2 cup of brown sugar and 3/4 cup white sugar)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
Cinnamon
Sugar in the raw


Put oven in middle position and preheat oven to 350°F. Put liners in muffin cups.

Mix together flour and baking powder.

Whisk together pumpkin, oil, eggs, pumpkin pie spice, 1 1/4 cups sugar, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl until smooth, then whisk in flour mixture until just combined.

Divide batter among muffin cups (each should be about three-fourths full), then sprinkle tops with cinnamon and sugar in the raw. Bake until puffed and golden brown and wooden pick or skewer inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes.

Cool in pan on a rack five minutes, then transfer muffins from pan to rack and cool to warm or room temperature.

adapted from http://smittenkitchen.com/2006/10/promise-keeper-pumpkin-eater/

Those look AWESOME, bratgrr1... But what's the damage on them, calorie/fat/sugar wise? It would be great if everyone could post the nutritional facts of their recipe here, if I may be so bold as to suggest. I love new recipes but I definitely want to make sure that I am eating as healthy as possible Thanks!
-Meag

Makes 12 muffins
Each muffin:
Cal 175
Carbs 22 
Fat 7 
Protein 2.8
Fiber 1.8
Sodium 251

I replaced the vegetable oil with olive oil so most of the fats are at least good fats. I don't track sugar. Sorry.  

I miss this cooking challenge - I promise I'll enter something this week

Don't be intimidated by the length of this recipe! The spice mixes have quite a few ingredients, but also share many of the same ingredients. I might recommend buying the spices from a store that allows you to purchase spices in measurements (tsp, tbsp, etc) rather than buying entire containers. This will help save a LOT of money.

Also, the Curry Spices blend makes 1-2 cups! It will last you a VERY long time.

Feel free to message me if you have any questions about the recipe(s)

I've made this soup for my bf and myself at home, and also served it for Chef's Table today for a luncheon. People raved. I love this stuff. Without further ado...

Curry Pumpkin and Sweet Potato Soup

Curry Spice:
Yield: 1 ½ cup

½ cup long-grain white rice
2 tablespoons fenugreek seeds (may substitute fennel seeds)
1 teaspoon whole cloves
3 tablespoons coriander seeds
2 tablespoons brown mustard seeds
2 tablespoons ground turmeric
1 tablespoon cumin seeds
1 tablespoon black peppercorns

Toast rice, fenugreek and cloves in a small dry pan just until smoke appears. Add remaining ingredients and remove from pan to cool. Grind together in a coffee grinder/mill (or using a mortar and pestle)

Per tablespoon:
Calories – 21, Fat – 1, Protein – 1, Fiber – 1, Sodium – 2, Calcium – 2


Sweet Potato Spice Rub:
1 tablespoon coriander seeds
2 teaspoons cumin seeds
1 tablespoon fennel seeds
2 teaspoons dried oregano
½ teaspoon crushed red pepper
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon whole black peppercorns
1 garlic clove (or more to taste, I prefer 2-3)
1 tablespoon olive oil

Toast coriander, cumin and fennel in a small dry pan until aromatic. Add remaining spices (oregano, crushed red pepper, salt, peppercorns) and remove from pan to cool. Grind together in a coffee grinder/mill (or using a mortar and pestle)
Finely mince the garlic.
Combine all ingredients. The mixture will be slightly dry and mealy

Calories – 180, Fat – 17, Protein – 3, Fiber – 5, Sodium – 1178, Calcium – 20


Curry Pumpkin and Sweet Potato Soup
Serves 10
Serving Size: 1 ½ cup

Sweet Potato Spice Rub
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 oz onion, finely chopped
1 lb sweet potatoes
1 and ½ can of pure pumpkin (15 oz cans)
1 can light coconut milk
2 boxes chicken stock (or low-sodium chicken broth)
2 tablespoons Curry Spices

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C)
Scrub potatoes and cut lengthwise into 6 wedges (I don’t peel my potatoes. You may if you want to. Personal preference).
Smear potatoes with spice rub and place on sheet pan (cookie sheet).
- The rub is a little hard to work with at first. But keep at it, it will eventually start sticking)
Roast potatoes in preheated oven for 20-30 minutes, until just tender and beginning to blacken on the ends.
In a large pot, over medium-high heat, cook onions in 1 tablespoon olive oil until translucent.
Pour canned pumpkin and roasted sweet potatoes into pot. Be sure to scrape the spice paste off the sheet pan and add to pot. Use a little chicken stock to deglaze the sheet pan (you want all that spice goodness, don’t you?).
Add can of light coconut milk and about 2 cups chicken stock to pot. Use immersion blender to puree mixture.
- You may also puree everything in batches in a blender or food processor.
Once mixture is thoroughly pureed, stir in more chicken stock until it reaches desire thickness.
*Note* This is a fairly thick soup. You may thin it out with additional chicken stock or water if necessary.

Now, this is where you take control of the reigns. Feel free to add as much or as little of the Curry Spices according to you taste profile preference.

Bring soup to a simmer. Serve.

This soup is delicious with toasted French baguette slices. You may garnish soup with Greek Yogurt, chopped parsley and smoked paprika for a very pretty presentation.

Per Serving:
Calories – 102, Fat – 4, Protein – 4, Fiber – 4, Sodium – 428, Calcium – 3

* Curry Spice blend came from Chef Rene Jungo
* Soup recipe adapted from http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Spicy-Pumpkin-and-Sweet-Potato-Soup/Detail.aspx

Ok so here's what I'll post for the challenge... Since I eat pumpkin every day I wasn't sure what to post, but this is something I tried last night for the boy. He LOVES pumpkin spice lattes at Starbucks and I figured I would try my hand at making some kind of low-fat, low-cal substitute at home... The recipe calls for NO COFFEE, but I'm a coffee addict so naturally I added some

Homemade Pumpkin Spice Latte, altered from http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Famous-No-Coffee-Pumpkin-Latte/Detail.aspx
Serves 4

1/2 cup pumpkin puree
2 cups full fat milk (I used PC Blue Menu fortified soy)
2 tablespoons white sugar (I used brown, but you could use substitute, honey or whatever else - maple would be amazing!)
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice (not in original recipe, but why not?)
1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
6 cups prepared coffee (half pot or so)

Combine pumpkin, milk, sugar, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice and vanilla in a large saucepan over medium heat. Use a whisk to blend well. Heat to a simmer; do not boil. Strain well using a fine sieve and reserve (can blend if desired but I didn't find this necessary at all).
Half-fill 4 large mugs with freshly brewed coffee. Top each cup with 1/4 of the milk mixture and serve. Top with whipped cream if desired.

Per my changes, per serving:
Calories 80
Carbs 13
Fat 2
Protein 4
Fiber 1
Sodium 78

Not quite as good as Starbucks, but it does the trick. I found that the spices stayed a bit powdery and I might try to find cinnamon extract next time around. Also, make sure you heat to a simmer for a few mins - this will help infuse the spices with the milk and make the drink less powdery. Using a fuller fat milk, or half milk and half cream would make it SO rich and creamy, but obviously it would increase the calories and fat substantially. Since I'm a soy-drinker anyway, this was fine for me. Would also be SUPER tasty with half a mug of chai tea I think I might try that next since I love soy-chai fogs this time of year...

Other ways I have pumpkin every day...

Pumpkin Spice Oatmeal (had this today for breakfast)

1/3 cup old fashion oats
2/3 cup water
cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice to taste
1 packet splenda/stevia (if desired)
1/3 cup pure pumpkin puree
1/4 cup plain greek yogurt
1/2 Tbsp pure maple syrup

Cook the oats and water in the microwave on high for 1 min. Mix in spices and sweetener to taste. Return to microwave for 30 seconds. Stir in pumpkin until combined. Fold in cold greek yogurt, just until ribboned (I like to taste it separately from the oatmeal but in every bite - I am picky like this, but do it however you like). Drizzle with maple syrup and enjoy! If I don't have greek yogurt, sometimes I'll use cottage cheese or 1% plain yogurt. It all tastes good!

Later today I am going to try the pumpkin + homemade chili combination! Mmmm so much pumpkin :bigsmile:

Amazing pumpkin butterscotch pudding! It's like the pumpkin pie filling but a LOT less calories! Skip the crust, that's where a TON of calories and fat are hidden!

I added this as Jess's homemade pumpkin butterscotch pudding if anyone is interested!


Ingredients:



Libby Canned Pumpkin--30 oz can, 3.5 cup
Meijer All Natural Nonfat Plain Yogurt, 1 cup
Almond Milk - Silk Pure Almond (Original), (you can use skim milk if desired)
Jello Fat Free Sugar Free Butterscotch Instant Pudding Mix, 1 box
1 tsp. cinnamon + 1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice + sprinkle of nutmeg and cloves (or more spices if desired!)




Mix together well. I added it all to the blender to make it extra creamy. Top w/ extra cinnamon and a few walnuts or fat free Reddi whip if desired.



Butterscotch Pumpkin Pudding


8 Servings

Amount Per Serving (calculated at Sparkrecipes.com)


Calories 77.5



Total Fat 0.8



Saturated Fat 0.0

Polyunsaturated Fat 0.1

Monounsaturated Fat 0.2

Cholesterol 1.3

Sodium 128.1

Potassium 96.3



Total Carbohydrate 12.8

Dietary Fiber 4.5

Sugars 6.6

Protein 3.5


Vitamin A 264.8 %

Vitamin B-12 0.0 %

Vitamin B-6 0.0 %

Vitamin C 1.8 %

Vitamin D 3.1 %

Vitamin E 9.8 %

Calcium 9.3 %

Copper 0.3 %

Folate 0.0 %

Iron 4.0 %

Magnesium 0.5 %

Manganese 0.8 %

Niacin 0.0 %

Pantothenic Acid 0.0 %

Phosphorus 0.8 %

Riboflavin 0.3 %

Selenium 0.0 %

Thiamin 0.0 %

Zinc 0.3 %

NAME OF RECIPE: Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins (http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Pumpkin-Chocolate-Chip-Muffins/Detail.aspx)

I saw this while I was searching yesterday... Looks SO good!! I wish I could bake just one - having them in the house would be bad news, for sure!