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!

My All-Time Favorite Cream of Zucchini Soup

As soon as you harvest zucchini from your garden patch, make up a batch of this soup.  It has great flavor and is a wonderful soup to enjoy year-round!

Ingredients:

3 cups sliced Zucchini (4 small OR 1 lb.)
1/2 cup water
1 tablespoon Instant Minced Onion (or fresh onion very finely minced)
1 teaspoon Season-All (McCormicks)
1/2 teaspoon Parsley Flakes or finely minced Fresh Parsley
2 teaspoons Chicken or Vegetable Stock Base
2 tablespoons Butter
2 tablespoons Flour (for gluten-free, use rice flour or potato starch to thicken)
1/8 teaspoon White Pepper
1/4 teaspoon Bon Appetit (McCormicks)
1 cup Milk
1/2 cup Light Cream
Sour Cream, to top
Paprika, to garnish

If you have fresh onion and parsley on hand, use it rather than the dried.

Directions:

1. In a medium-size pot, combine zucchini, water, onion, Season-All, parsley flakes and 1 teaspoon of the stock base.
2. Cook until zucchini is tender and very little water is left.
3. Put the zucchini mixture in a sieve to mash, or puree in a blender (my preference).
4. In a medium-size sauce pan, melt the butter. Whisk in the flour, remaining stock base, pepper, MSG and Bon Appetit; blend well.
5. Stir in the milk and light cream. Simmer, stirring until it thickens.
6. Stir in the zucchini mixture and thoroughly blend. If the soup is thicker than you prefer, add more milk until it is the consistency you like.
7. Serve the cream of zucchini soup with a dollop of sour cream and garnish with paprika.

Makes 4 Cups

Recipe from McCormick's 1978 Spices of the World Cookbook.

Cooking with Shrooms

Hungarian Mushroom Soup

My friend Jacqueline recently shared this Allrecipes.com recipe with me, which turns out to be the same Hungarian Mushroom Soup recipe I have from Rain Forest Mushroom Company, except theirs calls for a mix of wild mushrooms.  I've needed to get over my discomfort with the notion that cooking with mushrooms picked in the wild is "a dangerous fare". This past weekend was the perfect opportunity to take the wild mushroom challenge. I'm hooked.

Homemade Mushroom Soup 101 Wonderful!

While I took a break from cooking Friday evening, my husband spent 40 minutes in the kitchen making us this absolutely delicious creamy mushroom soup; vegetarian and gluten-free. He served it up in deep bowls with slices of fresh-baked bread for himself and gluten-free bread for me to sop up the rich and flavorful broth. Here's Cliff's version of the recipe:

Ingredients:

• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
  
  
• 2 cups chopped onions
  
  
• 1 pound fresh white cap mushrooms, sliced (or mix: shiitake, maitake, oyster...)
  
  
• 2 teaspoons dried dill weed
  
  
• 1 tablespoon Hungarian paprika
  
  
• 1 tablespoon wheat-free soy sauce (or regular)
  
  
• 2 cups vegetable broth (or chicken stock)
  
  
• 1 cup milk
  
  
• 3 tablespoons almond flour (or all-purpose flour)
  
  
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
  
  
• cayenne pepper, to taste (or ground black pepper)
  
  
• 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
  
  
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
  
  
• 1/2 cup sour cream
  

Directions:

1. Melt the unsalted butter in a large pot over medium heat. Saute the onions in the butter for 5 minutes. Add the mushrooms and saute for another 5 minutes. Stir in the dill, paprika, soy sauce and broth. Cover, reduce heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes.
   
   
2. In a separate bowl, whisk the milk and flour together. Pour the mixture into the soup and stir until it's well-blended. Cover and simmer for 15 more minutes, stirring occasionally.
   
   
3. Finally, stir in the sea salt, pepper, lemon juice, parsley and sour cream. Mix together and allow the soup to heat through over low heat for 3-5 minutes. Do not boil. Serve while hot. 
4. Option: garnish with a dollop of sour cream and paprika. Serves 6 or 2-4 very hungry people.

Then on Sunday afternoon, we attended the Mushroom Festival and Plant Sale sponsored by the Cascade Mycological Society and Lane Community College at the Mount Pisgah Arboretum in Eugene.

Human Shroom ticket-takers at the footbridge. 

First things first, cast our vote in the Scarecrow Contest.

Kimby and Jade Maxson pose with their Spider entry,

which won "Best Overall" in the Scarecrow Contest.

Field to Table sauteed mushrooms (sans the penne pasta) and LCC Culinary School mushroom stroganoff in phyllo bowl.

We bought several bags of wild mushrooms, including

chantrelles, shiitake, maitake and oyster; 3 for $10.

We also came away with some excellent mushroom recipes.

More Mushroom Recipes on the Cascade Mycological Society website.

Last night, I used two bags of the mixed wild mushrooms I bought at the mushroom festival for a saute that will serve 2-4. This recipe really brings out the flavor of the mushrooms. Delish!

Ingredients:

• 1/2 pound of shiitake, oyster and maitake mushrooms
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 tablespoons butter (1/4 stick)
• Sea salt and cayenne (or black pepper) to taste
• 1 shallot, finely chopped
• 1-2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
• 1 tablespoon fresh chives, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• Light sprinkling of garlic salt, to taste

Directions:

1. Clean mushrooms by gently brushing away any residue with a damp paper towel.
2. Cut of any tough stems and discard. If mushrooms are large, cut into bite-size pieces, following the shape of the mushroom.
3. Heat oil and butter in skillet over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms, salt, pepper and saute for about 3 minutes. 
4. When liquid is released, raise heat to high and saute, tossing often for another 2 minutes.
5. When liquid is nearly evaporated, add shallots and saute for another 1 to 2 minutes or until mushrooms are lightly browned and tender. Add parsley and tarragon or chives. 
6. Taste. Adjust seasoning, if necessary. Serve hot.
   

 

 Cooking from Raman Prasad's Recipes for the Specific Carbohydrate Diet on page133, I made Nafisa's Spicy Fried Fish with halibut and served it with red Himalayan rice and the sauteed mushrooms. Magnifique!

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice
• 1/4 teaspoon red chili powder
• 1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 pound firm fish fillets, such as sole, halibut or bass
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• Lime wedges, for garnish

Directions:

1. Combine lime juice, chili powder, turmeric and salt in bowl large enough to hold fish fillets.
2. Coat the fish on all sides and marinate for 30 minutes.
3. Heat olive oil in skillet over medium-high heat.
4. Place fish in skillet and cook until the bottom is done; about 4-5 minutes.
5. Turn the fish over and cook for another 3 minutes or so, until the fillets reach a crisp consistency and the fish is firm.
6. Garnish with wedge of lime. Serves 3-4.

Get yourself some wild mushrooms, invite some friends over and have your own Mushroom Fest!

Roasted Ling Cod, Mexican Rice and a Thankful Heart

Today turned out to be one in which I eventually ran out of emotional and physical energy, yet I was hoping to gather enough steam to cook a couple more dishes from my Cooking Course Challenge cookbooks. I almost opted for cheese, crackers and organic soup from a box. Instead, my husband gave me a much needed shoulder massage and poured me a glass of wine as I set to work in the kitchen to make us dinner.  I regrouped, relaxed, and it was well worth the effort. We sat down to a lovely meal and gave thanks to the Lord. Every bite was deliciously rewarding.

Tonight’s fare was Roasted Ling Cod (recipe calls for bass) with Parsley Butter from Raman Prasad’s Recipes for the Specific Carbohydrate Diet from page 135, served with lightly steamed spinach and Mexican Rice from page 140 of Donna Klein’s The Gluten-Free Vegetarian Kitchen.

Here’s Prasad’s recipe for Parsley Butter:

4 tablespoons of butter, softened

1-1/2 tablespoons almond flour

2 shallots, minced

4 tablespoons parsley, chopped

3 limes, juiced

Salt and pepper to taste

Combine the almond flour, shallots, garlic, parsley, lime juice and softened butter in a small bowl. Add salt and pepper to taste. I substituted cayenne for black pepper.

This savory butter would be excellent with any grilled, roasted or baked fish and can be made in advance, by storing it in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Before using, allow the butter to soften.

I have to say that the hearty, perfectly seasoned Mexican Rice was the best I have ever eaten, anywhere, ever. The house was fragrant with the pungent aroma of chili powder, cumin and garlic slow cooking together with stewed tomatoes, green pepper and onion with rice. From now on, I will cook this rice dish anytime we have a Mexican-themed meal or potluck with family and friends.

Cuanto más gratitud que tenemos, más tenemos que ser agradecidos para.

The more gratitude we have, the more we have to be grateful for.

Great Friends, Local Wine and Spicy Moroccan Vegetable Stew with Rice and Mint Gremolata

Every year Chateau Lorane Winery hosts a fall wine club party at their tasting room overlooking Chateau Lorane's Lake Louise. Our friends the Stavers, also wine club members, took us as their guests. Roger scored, winning a bottle of Merlot for making the closest guesstimate of the weight of one of two giant pumpkins that greeted us. I believe it weighed 103 pounds!

Living less than two miles from the winery, we returned to our place for dinner. Although it was a busy afternoon, with very little time to prepare our meal in advance (a little over an hour), I got busy cooking up Donna Klein's The Gluten-Free Vegetarian Kitchen Moroccan Vegetable Stew made with scallions, carrots, chickpeas, tomatoes, peas and onions and spinach, served with rice (steamed with turmeric), while my husband set to work making the Mint Gremolata garnish to top the stew. Recipes are on page 47 and 48. I doubled everything but the salt, and  tripled the crushed red pepper flakes, cinnamon, ginger and coriander. Glad I did; made our taste buds happy!

I also had everything ready to go and chilling in the refrigerator to quickly  assemble individual salads of romaine, green onion tops, sliced mushroom and mandarin oranges with a  light vinaigrette.  For a cold beverage, I served the homemade Horchata de Arrzo I made a couple days before. A very tasty, sweet complement for most any spicy meal.

I got a laugh out of making this particular recipe the day after seeing the movie Cold Soul.  Paul Giamatti plays an actor named Paul Giamatti whose extracted soul looks exactly like a chickpea.

Thank you to Roger and Joyce for a lovely evening and the 2003 Chateau Lorane Cabernet Sauvignon with flavors of plum and blackberry with hints of spice and licorice.

Here's Donna's recipe for Mint Gremolata. I doubled the recipe, as follows:

4 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
4 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
2 large clove garlic, finely chopped
2 teaspoon freshly grated lemon peel
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

In a small bowl, mix together the ingredients until well-combined. Refrigerate up to one (1) day until ready to serve.

Note: Having a warming drawer is absolutely wonderful! While we were away for a couple hours with our friends, the stew and rice kept warm without over-heating or over-cooking, ready to serve as soon as the loaf of 10-minute bake-and-serve Pugliese (artisan recipe; not gluten-free) came out of the oven!