Sunday, November 4, 2012

Pumpkin Overdose

I'll admit it, I do get excited when basically everything becomes pumpkin-flavored in the fall.  But, I always get excited for seasonal/ holiday food - hot apple cider around Thanksgiving, egg nog for Christmas, Reese's eggs in the spring (those totally count), and corn on the cob in the summer!!!

I did have my first pumpkin spice latte of the year while it was still warm out, but mostly I was excited to try out some new recipes.

First I made Mama Peas' pumpkin streusel swirl loaf.


It was delicious!!  I highly recommend it.

I used canned pumpkin for that recipe, but then I roasted a sugar pumpkin I got in my second CSA share.



And I roasted the butternut squash, too, following Angela's tutorial.


Lookin' gooooood.


I saved the seeds from the pumpkin and the squash so that I could roast them and make a delicious, iron-filled snack.  Once again, I followed another tutorial by Angela.

I just realized that it looks like I'm hiding an egg in this picture, haha, but it's really just a hard-boiled egg that I was trying to prevent from rolling off the counter.  
I coated the seeds in about a tablespoon of coconut oil (melted), about a tablespoon of brown sugar, and a hefty sprinkle of pumpkin pie spice


Oh yum.


Come in a little closer to see that gorgeous, crunchy coating.


They taste even better when eaten from an orange dish.


Once I roasted the pumpkin, I scooped out the flesh and put it in my food processor to make a puree.  Easy peasy.  Then I used the puree to make 3 more recipes.  I was on a roll!  First up - pumpkin granola.  It's got a great ingredient list and is very healthy.  It even contains quinoa, which I had never thought to include in granola before.  The quionoa gives it some extra protein, and a great nutty flavor.  (I know quinoa is a seed, but "seedy flavor" does not sound too appealing!)

By the way, old pasta sauce jars make great storage containers!
 I've been eating it with unsweetened vanilla almond milk.  I'm in love.


I also made Kath's baked pumpkin oatmeal.  (And I think my oven must be slanted, judging by the slope of the oatmeal in this dish.)



I'm a huge fan of having breakfast ready to go in the morning, so I baked this on Sunday and had breakfast ready and waiting for me the rest of the week.



In the mornings I just scooped out a section of oatmeal, put it in a bowl with some unsweetened vanilla almond milk (a current favorite of mine, if you couldn't tell), and heated it up in the microwave for about a minute.  Perfection.


Finally, I tried out a savory dish - crock pot turkey white bean chili.  It might sound a little strange, but it was absolutely delicious, and easy to make.  And I just love using my crock pot - so convenient!


I could have eaten this for another week straight.


Sadly, I ran out of homemade pumpkin puree at that point.  But I think I put it to pretty good use.

Oh, and I bought some pumpkin soup from Trader Joe's, too.


It. Was. Incredible.  I first had pumpkin soup in France when I was studying abroad, and I absolutely loved it.  I searched everywhere for something comparable in the States, but the closest I could get was sweet potato and squash soups.  I tried making my own pumpkin soup one time from scratch, but it was an absolute disaster and completely discouraged me from making another attempt.  Luckily, after 5 years, I finally found what I was looking for.  Sadly, I only got one container.  I'll be counting down the days until it comes out again next year!

So is that enough pumpkin for ya?  I wonder what my next seasonal food fixation will be... gingerbread?  Cranberries?  Something peppermint?  Hmm, we shall see.

Song of the day:

"The Story" by Brandi Carlile.  I really love this song because it's such a good mix of pretty and raw vocals.  And it's fun to sing along to (but not fun to hear me singing along to!).



7 comments:

  1. How awesome that you got to study abroad in France :)
    Also, that baked oatmeal looks delicious. I might have to try out the recipe this weekend!

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    1. It was so great to be able to study abroad in France - I loved it! I started learning French in 3rd grade, and I got to live with a host family, so it was a great way to really develop my language skills and be immersed in the culture. I want to go back! Unfortunately I've lost a lot of my French since then :(

      I definitely think you should try out the baked oatmeal - it's simple to make and delicious! Definitely a great weekend recipe.

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  2. mmmmmmmmmm love all of this seasonal pumpkin goodness!! everything looks delicious!! I have yet to roast seeds, but yours look so gooooooooood, so I might need to get on that. also the granola and loaf sound magnificent!!!

    and i have never tried pumpkin soup! Im going to have to look out for that at TJs!

    hope you are having a great week, Stephanie!

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  3. I love pumpkin soup! It is my favourite soup by far! And how awesome you studied in France!

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    1. Mmm, I agree, pumpkin soup is just so good! I loved studying in France - I wish I could go back and visit! Hopefully someday soon :)

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  4. OMG I'm totally drooling over everything in this post. I bet that pumpkin granola is beyond fabulous with vanilla almond milk. And that struesel loaf?! That's been on my list to make for a while but I've never gotten around to it!

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    1. Mmm yes, the granola was so good with vanilla almond milk. I need to make another batch of granola ASAP! Such a good snack. I would definitely recommend the streusel loaf! It tastes really decadent but is much healthier than most sweet breads.

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