Roasted Pumpkin Soup

Ta da! Another pumpkin recipe! Because we all just can't get enough, right? 

Actually, I have to admit that I'm slowly weening off my pumpkin addiction. Every so often I get a craving for something pumpkin-y, but it's definitely mellowed out since September. 

I so often make sweet pumpkin things that I find savory pumpkin recipes to be particularly special. This soup is absolutely divine. The texture is so velvety and smooth that you just want to take a bath in it. And it's incredibly easy!

Roasted Pumpkin Soup Recipe:

• 2 small pumpkin pie pumpkins
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 yellow onion, diced 
• salt, pepper, red pepper flakes
• 1/4 tsp fennel seed
• 2-3 cups chicken broth (depending on how much pumpkin flesh you get - start with 2 and add more as desired)
• 1 tbsp fresh sage
• 1 tsp fresh rosemary
• pinch of fresh nutmeg
• sour cream and green onion for garnish

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Cut the top off each pumpkin and scoop out the seeds. Leave as much flesh and fiber inside the pumpkin as possible (the stringy fiber will actually just mash up with everything else). Place pumpkins on a baking sheet cut side up and place tops on to prevent burning. Roast in the oven for about an hour or until internal flesh is wrinkly and soft. Scoop out the flesh and set aside in a bowl. Reserve pumpkins to use as serving bowls.

In a medium pot, sauce onion and garlic until soft. Add salt, pepper, red pepper flakes and fennel seed. Add the pumpkin meat and chicken broth and stir together. Add sage and rosemary. Bring to a boil, then reduce temperature, cover and simmer for about 15 minutes. Using an immersion blend*, blend the soup together until you achieve your desired texture. I blended it for awhile, used nearly all 3 cups of chicken broth and the texture was absolutely perfect. Grate some fresh nutmeg, cover and cook for a few more minutes. When ready, ladle into pumpkin bowls, top with fresh sour cream and green onion. Mmm mm soup goodness.

*If you don't have an immersion blender, you can transfer to a regular blender and then return to pot to continue to cook. 

Pumpkin Pasta with Sausage

I got a fever, and the only prescription is more pumpkin.

Seriously, cannot get enough. I'm thinking of doing a 31-days-of-pumpkin cooking challenge; I think I could incorporate it into 1 meal every day and be ecstatic with the results. 

This recipe is super easy (start to finish in like 30 minutes), and the flavor is so unique.

Pumpkin Pasta with Sausage Recipe:

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 shallot, minced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• salt, black pepper, red pepper flakes
• 1/2 lb pre-cooked smoked turkey sausage link, sliced
• 1 tbsp fennel seed
• 2 tsp smoked paprika
• 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
• 3 tbsp greek yogurt
• 1/4 cup chicken broth
• handful of fresh spinach
• 2 tsp fresh grated nutmeg
• whole wheat pasta

Start bringing your pasta water to a boil. Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium/medium-low heat. Add the shallot, garlic, salt, pepper and red pepper flakes and cook for a few minutes until golden. Throw in the sliced sausage, fennel and paprika and cook until it starts to release some moisture and brown. In a separate bowl, combine the pumpkin, yogurt and broth and mix until smooth. Add more or less of any of those ingredients to get your desired taste/texture. Add in the saucepan, bring to a slight boil, reduce and simmer until the pasta is finished. Throw in a handful of spinach and freshly grated nutmeg and stir. Finally, add the cooked pasta, combine and serve! 

Pumpkin Mole Enchiladas

I would consider myself a pretty humble person who doesn't boast often or enjoy a lot of attention. Sigh, middle child syndrome. But holy mole (har har) this dish is freaking fantastic. I am tooting my own horn all the way back to the kitchen to get seconds. It was a pretty laborious recipe, but all the careful details really made a difference in the final product. As usual, I didn't measure any of my dry seasonings so I'll try to guesstimate. Yay for fall + pumpkin + smoky Aztec-inspired flavors!

Pumpkin Mole Enchiladas Recipe:

• 1 large split chicken breast (bone-in and skin removed)
• salt, black pepper, Oregano, smoked Spanish paprika, cumin, roasted garlic powder

• 1 tomato
• 2 jalapenos
• 3 green onion bulbs + stalks
• 2 garlic cloves
• handful of mushrooms

• 1/2 can pumpkin puree
• chicken broth (didn't measure but about 1/4-1/2 cup)
• salt, black pepper
• 1/2 tbsp cayenne pepper
• 1 tbsp cumin
• 1/2 tbsp cinnamon
• 2 tsp allspice
• 2 tsp grated nutmeg
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1/2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 tsp smoked Spanish paprika

• 1 cup frozen spinach, thawed
• 2 tbsp Greek yogurt
• 1 tbsp pumpkin mole sauce
• 2 tsp cumin

• 1 cup grated mozzerella and Asiago cheese blend
• corn tortillas

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Place your chicken breast in a casserole dish and season generously with first set of spices. Cover with foil and bake for about 30 minutes. Remove from oven and let sit covered to retain all the juices.

Crank up the oven to broil. Place the next set of veggies on a baking tray and roast in 2 minute increments, checking and rotating often to prevent burning. Took about 6-8 minutes total.

Remove veggies and let cool for a couple minutes. Turn oven back to 350 degrees. Slice up the roasted garlic, remove the onion bulbs (save stalks for later) and de-stem the jalapenos. Add all the trimmed roasted veggies (except for mushrooms) in a blender. Blend until smooth. Add the pumpkin puree and chicken broth and blend. Finally add all of the dry seasonings, blend and pour into a bowl when you have your desired taste and texture.

By this time your chicken should be well-rested. Hand pull the meat off of the bone (laborious, right?). Combine in a bowl with spinach, chopped roasted mushrooms, diced roasted green onion stalk, cumin, Greek yogurt and 1 tbsp of pumpkin sauce. 

Warm tortillas in damp paper towel in microwave for about 45 seconds. Pour a little chicken broth and pumpkin sauce in the bottom of a 9x13 casserole dish (I used the same one I roasted the chicken in so all the little chicken bits and gravy were in there too). Now start rolling enchiladas! Fill tortilla with chicken mixture and cheese and place in dish. Cover everything with the heavenly pumpkin mole sauce and sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake covered for 25 minutes. Remove foil, grate some fresh nutmeg on top and bake again for 5 minutes. BAM! Done. Enjoy these perfect fall enchiladas and smile :)

No-Bake Pumpkin Pudding Pie

You know the problem with seasonal dishes?

We think we can ONLY eat them during that particular time of year.

I don't know about you, but I crave roast turkey, stuffing and pumpkin pie ALL the time. But I guess if I indulged in that craving all the time, Thanksgiving would no longer be so awesome.

Well anyway, this is a pumpkin pie recipe that's perfect for summer. It's cool, refreshing and requires no oven time (well excluding the crust, but you could totally just serve this in a bowl).

Obviously the pudding to crust ratio is overwhelmingly uneven, but I swear there is a crust under there!

No-Bake Pumpkin Pudding Pie Recipe:

• 1 can solid packed pumpkin
• 1 package vanilla pudding mix
• 2/3 cup milk
• 1 tsp cinnamon + more for topping
• 1/2 tsp all-spice
• 1 pre-made crust (I made a weird one that I'll share, but you can use store-bought)

Mix pumpkin with milk in a medium bowl. Add in the pudding mix and spices and whisk together until smooth (no grainy pudding lumps, people!). Pour into prepared crust in a pie dish and refrigerate at least for 4 hours to set (overnight is best). Enjoy with whipped cream or by itself!

Crust:

• 2 packages instant cinnamon oatmeal
• 1/3 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 tbsp margarine
• 1 tbsp applesauce
• 1 tsp honey

So I wasn't originally going to use a crust, which is why I kind of panicked and threw together something from on-hand ingredients. But it actually turned out quite delicious! Because I used instant oatmeal that was already chock full of cinnamon and sugar, I only added a little bit of honey. If you use plain oats, you'll need to add more sugar. 

Basically just mix it all together, pat evenly into a 9-inch pie pan (greased) and bake for about 10 minutes in 425-degree oven or until browned.