Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

When you are scrapping out your Halloween pumpkins before you carve your beautiful designs into them, be sure to save the seeds for roasting... don't let them go to waste, as they make a very nutritious and delicious snack.

My daugther's family just finished carving their pumpkins, and now the grandkids and me are roasting them in the oven; seasoning them with a mix of pumpkin spice, sugar and cinnamon for a sweet treat.

Directions
Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. 

Seed the pumpkin:
Using a large, long-handled spoon, scrape both the pulp and seeds out of your pumpkin into a large bowl.

Clean the seeds: 

It's messy, but you'll want to separate the stringy pulp from the seeds you're about to roast. Rinse the seeds in a colander under cold water,  plucking out any remaining pulp, then shake dry. Don't blot with paper towels, as the seeds will stick.

Dry the seeds: 

On an oiled baking sheet, spread the seeds out in a single layer and roast at 300 degrees F for 30 minutes to dry them out.

Add spices: 

Leave the oven on at 300 degrees F, while tossing the seeds in a large bowl with a light drizzle of olive oil and your choice of spices according to taste. If savory, include salt. Return the seeds to the oven spread out on the same baking sheets, and bake until crispy and a light, golden color. It will take about 20 minutes or so. Keep an eye on them!

Sweet Toss (below): with cinnamon and sugar (pumpkin spice optional; do not use salt).
Indian Toss: with garam masala; mix with currants after roasting.
Spanish Toss: with smoked paprika; mix with slivered almonds after roasting.
Italian Toss: with grated parmesan and dried oregano.
Barbecue Toss: with brown sugar, chipotle chile powder and ground cumin.

Roasting...

Roasted... Yum!

Red Curry-Spiced Pumpkin Soup

A couple days ago, our neighbor invited me over to share some of the last pumpkin from their garden with us. When I arrived, Kyle met me outside with an axe. She wanted to know how much of the 100 pound pumpkin I wanted. She hacked off a couple large chunks, which I brought home, cut into 8 thick slabs and roasted on two racks in my oven at 375-degrees for nearly two hours.

Some of them I vacuum sealed and froze; the rest I put in the refrigerator for making pumpkin soup this evening for our Christmas Eve lunch tomorrow with family.

I pureed two quarts of cubed roasted pumpkin in my food processor in two batches.

Ingredients:

2 quarts of pureed pumpkin
3 tablespoons melted butter
1 14-ounce can coconut milk
1-6 teaspoons red curry powder (or paste; add more or less to taste)
2 teaspoons sea salt, finely ground

Directions:

1. Pour the pureed pumpkin into your soup pot and begin cooking on medium-high heat.
   
2. Add the coconut milk, butter and curry powder, and bring to a simmer.
3. If you desire a thinner consistency, add water or vegetable stock.
   
4. Add salt and adjust the curry according to your taste.

Serves 8-10

Gluten-Free & Dairy-Free Pumpkin Bread

Nikki Ostrower is the founder of NAO Nutrition. I took Nikki's challenge to make her 100% all-natural pumpkin bread. She claimed that it is “SO tasty you will not believe it's Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free and has NO added processed sugar!!!” She’s right. Well, with a few trials and errors, I came to like her recipe as much, if not more than any conventional recipes I’ve tried in the past. Although my loaves turned out looking rather homely, it's great to have some tasty gluten-free baked goods around this holiday that I can enjoy!

As I was adding the dry ingredients to the bowl for the first loaf, I discovered I was out of xanthan gum. Ugh. Far from the nearest store that sells such an ingredient, I pillaged my pantry for some  kind of an alternative. I settled on adding two packets of Knox gelatin to the dry mix. The texture was good; the consistency fine, except it was a little gummy on the bottom, though I baked it for an hour. 

The second loaf that included the xanthan gum, which baked for an hour and ten minutes, rose higher, grew wider, split in the middle and collapsed, had a similar texture and consistency, but more flavor, because I added one teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice to Nikki’s original recipe:

"Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Grease an 8.5" loaf pan

Combine in a large bowl:

1 cup canned pumpkin
1/2 cup organic canola oil
1 cup grade B maple syrup
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 eggs

Whisk together in a separate bowl:

1 1/2 cups gluten-free flour - I used Arrowhead Mills Gluten Free All purpose Baking Mix (you can always use just buckwheat flour, quinoa flour, brown rice flour)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon xanthan gum
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon cardamom
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts (optional)

Directions:

Add the dry ingredients into the pumpkin mixture and stir until smooth.
Place the batter into the greased pan and cook for 50 minutes to an hour.

Do the toothpick test to see if completely done.

Cool the loaf and ENJOY!!!"

Note: For me, I think a little more experimentation is in order with spices and trying other gluten-free, all-purpose baking mixes, and working with other individual flours.

Cooking Gluten-Free Vegetarian with Donna Klein

 Tonight, I began the “Challenge”, cooking out of The Gluten-Free Vegetarian by Donna Klein. While my husband tackled paper work he brought home from the office, I cranked up the propane stove-top, first slow-cooking the Curried Pumpkin Risotto on page 117. In-between stirring in more of the simmering broth ¼ cup at a time, I made the dressing for the Spinach Salad with Orange-Raisin Dressing and Sunflower Seeds on page 58. As I was putting the finishing touches on our dinner, Cliff took a break and helped me out, creating the Orange-Marinated Strawberries on page 197, which we later poured over vanilla ice cream for dessert.

I’d never cooked with Arborio rice before. It's a short, round grain rice with a creamy, chewy texture. I’m delighted to discover it, because I can use Arborio in all my recipes that call for orzo pasta, which is made from semolina or wheat.

For those that go light on spices, you’ll want to cook with a mild curry and perhaps cut down on the amount of cumin and pepper. I can’t eat black pepper, so I used a pinch of finely ground cayenne instead. We ate the Pumpkin Risotto as the main entrée, but it would be fantastic as a side dish, especially during the fall and winter months. Count on needing an hour to make your risotto; you are reducing over a quart of liquid and pumpkin puree as your rice cooks uncovered on the stove-top.

While I was adding and stirring ingredients to the pot, my mother called to share some good news about my Uncle Kenny, who is in the hospital recovering from a stroke. Trying to listen and talk  on speaker phone while ladling broth, I managed to burn my hand picking up the handle of the scorching hot saucepan, which in turn caused me to bang my head into the corner of the cabinetry encasing the overhead fan. My mother said it first, “I better go so you can get back to your cooking!”

The salad recipe I selected from the book worked quite well as a lightly-sweetened complement to the spicy curry dish. The sunflower seeds added the nutty flavor and crunch that I missed by forgetting about the toasted pine nuts set aside to sprinkle on top of the risotto.

Cliff said our dessert tasted like a Creamsicle, which is not a bad thing, because the Creamsicle remains one of our favorites from childhood. However, this is a far healthier version loaded with fresh strawberries and ample marinade to make a slurry of goodness to drink like a smoothie. You know, this recipe might work really well for a gluten-free waffle topping. You could cook and thicken the marinade with cornstarch, use whipping cream or gluten-free vanilla ice cream and top with fresh berries.