Autumn Pumpkin Spice Series III {Pumpkin Hummus & Spiced Pita Chips}

It is Halloween! I hope all you ghouls and goblins are preparing to scare up a storm this evening and gather pillow cases worth of candy! I remember very fondly, how excited my sister and I would get dressing up in wacky costumes and getting out in our neighborhood to knock on those doors and in unison declare, "Trick-or-Treat!" at the top of our lungs, grab our loot and run away! The good houses gave away full chocolate bars or cans of pop (my parents were known for that) and the bad houses gave healthy snacks (Ew, gross!). But by the end of the evening after running around the block and gorging on candy, chocolate and chips, we often ended up with sore bellies.
 
As the final post in the Autumn Pumpkin Recipe Series, I wanted to do a snack that was healthy to have perhaps, before going out for Halloween, or for the day after, when those treat-filled bellies needed a little pick-me-up!

This is a very easy recipe but is really satisfying. I brought this into work a few weeks ago and everyone loved it, so it is co-worker approved!

Pumpkin Hummus & Spiced Pita Chips

Pumpkin Hummus

1 can of chickpeas, plus 1/4 cup of liquid from the can
1/2 cup roasted pumpkin
2 tablespoons tahini
3 cloves garlic
Juice of 1 lemon
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon cumin
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

In a food processor, add all of the ingredients together. Blend together until the mixture becomes a very smooth and almost fluffly like texture. You may need to add a bit of water to loosen the mixture in the food processor.

Serve in a nice bowl, with a drizzle of olive oil on top and a sprinkle of paprika. I also topped mine with some great salty pumpkin seeds that I made.

Spiced Pita Chips

Pitas
Extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper
Paprika
Cumin

Preheat the oven to 400ºF. Prepare your pitas by brushing them with olive oil. I used whole wheat pitas for this recipe. I also used locally made pitas from a Middle Eastern bakery. Once brushed with olive oil, sprinkle the pitas with salt and pepper, paprika and cumin. If you would like a more spicy flavour you can also add cayenne pepper on top.

Stack the prepared pitas on top of each other and cut into eighths. Arrange them on a baking sheet and bake in the pre-heated oven for about 15 minutes or until golden and cripsy. I didn't use an exact recipe for this snack because you can make as little or as many pitas as you want, using this method. In my experience, its best to make more, because they get eaten up pretty darn quick (just ask my beau!).

Serve these pita chips with the pumpkin hummus. These chips are delicious and even good as a snack on their own.

Happy Halloween!

Enjoy!

-Tina (Turnip)

Autumn Pumpkin Recipe Series I {Pumpkin Apple Sage Soup aka. Thanksgiving Soup}

Finally, I am sitting down to write the first of a series of blog posts about that wonderful fall ingredient: PUMPKIN! 

I made all of these recipes using two medium sized Pie Pumpkins from a local Ottawa grower. To start off all of these recipes, the pumpkins were cut in half, the seeds and pumpkin insides (guts, really) were taken out, and they were then smothered in olive oil. One pumpkin (two halves) were covered in salt and pepper for the savory recipes and the other pumpkin was brushed with some local maple syrup. I roasted them in an oven preheated to 375ºF, for about 60 minutes. Once roasted until the flesh was golden and soft, I scooped out the pumpkin and transferred it into tupperware containers for future use. The seeds were separated from the pumpkin insides, washed, dried and also stored in an airtight container. Finally, the rest of the pumpkin insides I stored in a ziploc bag for a special treat for a certain four-legged friend (stay tuned for that recipe coming up). When embarking on this little pumpkin recipe binge, I decided I wanted to use the entire pumpkin; and I almost did. The only thing I ended up discarding was the skin.

For the first recipe of the series, lets talk soup! I love squash soup and I figured, hey! pumpkin is like squash, so let's whip up a nice, hearty, soul-warming soup! And I did! This recipe might just be one of the best soups, I have ever made. It tastes like a whole Thanksgiving dinner in one bite. Definitely the perfect lunch or light dinner, now that the days are getting colder and heading in to winter.

Pumpkin Apple Sage Soup aka. Thanksgiving Soup

 

 

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups roasted pumpkin
2 medium apples, chopped
2 medium onions, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 large carrots, chopped
5 sage leaves, bruised (with the back of a knife)
4 cups of vegetable stock
1/2 cup of apple cider
1 teaspoon dried savoury
1 teaspoon dried, ground fennel seed
1/2 teaspoon celery salt
Salt & Pepper to taste
Extra virgin olive oil

Method:

In a large pot, over medium heat add some olive oil and add the onions, apples, carrots and garlic. Cook until soft. Add the sage leaves, the savoury, fennel seed, celery salt and stir the mixture. Add in the roasted pumpkin, mix well with the onion, apple and spice mixture. Add the vegetable stock and the apple cider. Stir and cook the mixture for about 20 minutes over a medium heat.

Once simmered, turn off the heat and let cool down slightly. You can use a standard blender or an immersion blender to purée the soup until it is nice and smooth. Put back in the pot and taste for seasoning. Add salt and pepper to taste, if needed.

Serve this soup with some pumpkin seeds on top (recipe to come), some bacon, or top with some chopped sage. This soup is ideal with some warm, crusty bread and butter on the side.

This recipe makes two large mason jars of soup - also great way to store it in the fridge and take to work!

Enjoy!

-Tina (Turnip)