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 II {Cardamom Spiced Maple Roasted Pumpkin Pie}

Recipe number two in the Turnip & Bean Autumn Pumpkin Recipe Series, is a classic: pumpkin pie.

I have eaten a lot of pumpkin pie in my day. Some of the best have come from the Grandmas, Nanas and Mothers in my family and of other friends. While I wanted to channel the classic pumpkin pie flavours, I also wanted something a bit different. I decided to use cardamom and freshly grated ginger in this recipe to add a unique twist. I also roasted the pumpkin, as you might recall from the first post, with maple syrup. I continued using maple syrup as a sweetener throughout this recipe.

Cardamom Spiced Maple Roasted Pumpkin Pie

 

 

Ingredients:

For the pie crust:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup, plus 2 teaspoons of cold salted butter
1/4 cup cold or iced water
2 tablespoons maple syrup (or brown sugar)

Preheat the oven to 400ºF. In a large mixing bowl measure out the flour. Cut in the cold butter and work it with your fingers until the mixture resembles a course meal, with pea-sized pieces of butter still visible. Add the cold water and maple syrup. Combine the meal and the wet ingredients until it comes together forming a solid mass of dough. Do not work the dough too much. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and let sit in the fridge for about 25 minutes.

Roll out the pie crust to fit pie shell. The pie plate I used was a deep dish, so this made the bottom of the crust and there was enough extra for decoration along the crust. A braided crust or leaves looks particularly nice. Bake the pie shell in the preheated oven for 4 minutes, until the crust has a matte (not glossy) look to it. Remove from the oven and let cool slightly before adding the pie filling.
 
For the filling:

2 1/2 cups maple roasted pumpkin
4 eggs
1/2 cup maple syrup
1/8 cup milk or cream (you could also substitute this for almond or soy milk)
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/4 teaspoon ground all-spice
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Preheat your oven to 425ºF. In a large mixing bowl, combine all of the ingredients with a whisk. At this point the mixture will likely be a bit lumpy. I used my immersion blender to make a smooth pie filling mixture.

Pour the filling into the prepared pie crust. Bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes. After this time, turn the oven down to 350ºF and bake for another 45 to 60 minutes until the crust is golden and the pie filling has set in the middle. Let the pie cool.

I enjoyed this pie without any topping, but whipped cream or vanilla ice cream would be heavenly with a slice.

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)

Finally, fall! {Warm & Cozy Vegetarian Samosa Stuffed Peppers}

Although Alex and I love the summer months - the hot, sunny weather, the blue skies, the lazy, popsicle filled days - we spent much of the month of August dreaming of fall.

The dreams of cool mornings, knitted scarves, warm sweaters, riding boots, warm spiced lattés, and cozy comfort foods that filled our heads, are finally coming true these past few days. The leaves are turning a burnt orange, a vibrant red or a golden yellow. Walking to work in the morning you can see your breathe in the crisp air and feel the crunch of leaves under your feet. You have those warm, fuzzy thoughts of cuddling up with someone special under a blanket.

Finally, fall!

To celebrate the start of this time of year, I was very excited to do some comfort cooking. My recipes are often cooked up, due to necessity or what is in my fridge or pantry at the time.This recipe is no exception. I was inspired by Indian spices that just seem to scream fall, with their warmth and intense colours and flavours.

This recipe is vegetarian and is relatively easy, and will definitely warm you up on those cool fall evenings.

Vegetarian Samosa Stuffed Peppers

*This recipe makes 6 portions (or three peppers, halved)

Filling:

4 medium potatoes, boiled and diced
1/2 cup red pepper, finely diced
1 large onion, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 cup frozen or fresh green peas
2 tablespoons madras curry powder (fresh ground if possible)
1 tablespoon paprika
1 tablespoon cumin
1 teaspoon ground fennel
1/2 cup water
1 cup homemade tomato sauce or crushed tomatoes
Salt and pepper to taste

Peppers:

3 medium sized peppers
1 1/2 cups homemade tomato sauce or crushed tomatoes
1 tablespoon madras curry power
Halloumi or mozzarella cheese (optional)

Method:

In a large skillet, heat a tablespoon of olive oil and add the finely diced onion. Cook the onion until there is some caramel and golden colour. Add in the finely diced red pepper and cook until soft. Add in the garlic and the madras curry powder, paprika, cumin and fennel. Toast the spices in the pan for a minute or so - the smell of spices should waft through the air. Add in the cooked potatoes and peas and mix well with the onion, pepper, spice mixture. Add the water and tomato sauce, and salt and pepper to your taste. Cook, covered over a low heat for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, mashing the potatoes and peas together slightly, until it becomes a coherent mixture.

Preheat your oven to 375°C. Halve and clean the three medium peppers and set aside. I used green and red peppers for this recipe, I can't decide which I like better as both were delicious, but use your preferred colour of pepper. Mix the tomato sauce and madras curry powder in a bowl and set aside as well.  Prepare a deep dish baking pan, by lining it with tin foil (for easy clean up). Grate the cheese and set aside (optional).

To assemble the stuffed peppers, inside each of the pepper halves, add a tablespoon or so of the spiced tomato sauce. Scoop a heaping spoon of the potato and pea (samosa filling) mixture into each of the stuffed peppers. In the baking dish, place a thin layer of tomato sauce. Place each of the filled stuffed peppers into the tray. Top the peppers with the remaining tomato sauce. Then top the stuffed peppers with cheese of your choice. Salty halloumi or mozzarella is best; this is an optional addition.

Bake in the over for 1 hour, or until the peppers are soft and the warm spicy smell envelops your kitchen. These can be eaten straight out of the oven or you can let them cool and pack them in airtight containers for weeknight dinners. They can also be put in the freezer and reheated at a later date.

Welcome fall into your kitchen with this warm and cozy recipe!

Enjoy!

-Turnip (Tina)