Mexi Fried Rice

Rice is something I always have on hand. I love it's fluffy texture and ability to take on so many flavors. And lets face it, when you order Chinese food, there is always a bin of the stuff left. I use it for desserts, breakfasts, dinners and sides. One of my all time favorite things to make is fried rice.

Asian style fried rice always has a home in my fridge, but once you have the basics down, fried rice can be anything. The difference is oils and add-ins. The best advice I can give you is to start with cold rice, ideally made at least a day ahead.

Unlike traditional Mexican Rice dishes, this doesn't involve a can of tomatoes and sauce. The tomatoes here are just used for topping. The color comes from the spices!

Mexi Fried Rice

4 cups cooked rice, cold
1/2 cup sweet corn kernels
1/2 cup pigeon peas (or regular)
1/2 cup mixed bell pepper strips
1/4 cup thinly sliced onion (aprox 1/2 small onion)
3 roasted red peppers, diced
1 tsp cumin
1 tbsp turmeric
1 dried chili*
1 small tomato, diced
1 avocado, diced
Garlic Cilantro Balsamic
2 tbsp Garlic Olive Oil
1 tbsp Chipotle Olive Oil
Salt to taste

Heat the oils in a large pan to medium high. Add the onions and saute until just translucent, 1-3 minutes. Add the dried chili and the pigeon peas and cook for one more minute.

Add a pinch of salt and the bell pepper strips and stir well. Add the rice and mix together. Cover and let cook for 2 minutes. Sprinkle the spices over everything and give it a good toss. Cook stirring occasionally another 5 minutes. Remove the chili.

Stir in the sweet corn and roasted peppers and stir until heated all the way through. Serve with a small mound of diced avocado and tomatoes on each portion and a drizzle of Garlic Cilantro Balsamic on each.

* If you want it spicier, leave in the seeds. For less spice, take them out.  For no spice, leave it out entirely and use all Garlic Oil.

Roasted Rosemary Potaotes

I threw these potatoes together to go along with some pork chops the other day. Unfortunately, they got eaten before pictures were taken. I did remember to grab a shot of the potatoes. Yay!

These were nice and easy. The perfect weeknight side. Although, they were so good, I may make a mass of these with a cool dipping sauce and maybe some melted cheese for an appetizer. Or, just as dinner. That works for me.

Switch up the olive oils how you like it. I was making Rosemary Pork Chops, so the Rosemary Olive Oil was perfect for these.

Roasted Rosemary Potatoes

2 lbs small potatoes
Marsala Rosemary Sea Salt, good sprinkle
2 tbsp Rosemary Olive Oil

Preheat the oven to 400°.

Dice the potatoes and toss with the olive oil to coat. Spread out in a single layer on a baking sheet and give it all a sprinkle of Marsala Rosemary Sea Salt.

Roast for 30 minutes to an hour. The longer you cook them, the crispier they will get.

Thai Coconut Soup

The kitchen is done. Okay, I still need to put on some knobs and put things away...and someday I'll decide on a backsplash... But yeah! Kitchen done.

Lets cook baby.

My favorite soup is Amy's Thai Coconut, Tom Kha Phak. But it's a bit expensive and it's the one they run out of first. Every. Single. Time. And there is no sharing. It's a small can.

So...my grocery store had a sale on mushrooms and this just happened. Omg, I may never have to buy Amy's again. But I probably will.

Thai Coconut Soup

1 lb cubed butternut squash
      or sweet potatoes
3 pints assorted sliced mushrooms, I used white, and baby bella.
1 cup sliced carrots
8 oz spinach
1 large onion
1 tbsp minced garlic
1 can coconut milk
3 tbsp tahini
3 tbsp Persian Lime Olive Oil
1 tbsp Toasted Sesame Oil with Garlic Ginger
black pepper
red pepper flake

Slice the onion into thin pieces. In a large pan with high sides toss the Persian Lime Olive Oil with the onions on medium heat.

If using frozen squash/potatoes and carrots, add them now. If you are using fresh, Add them to a pan with an inch or two of water and a pinch of salt. Put a lid on it and let boil for about 6-10 minutes, or until fork tender.

Over medium heat, sweat the onions and the garlic for a few minutes. Add the mushrooms and break them up with a spoon. Saute for about 10 minutes. Stir occasionally until they are reduced to about half their volume. Add the spinach, Sesame Oil and tahini; stir to coat. Cook for 2-3 minutes.

Add the rest of the veggies if you haven't already and the can of coconut milk. Add the black pepper and red pepper flake. I put in almost a teaspoon of black pepper and just a few shakes of red pepper flake.

Let simmer for up to 10 minutes. And serve.

And a peek at the kitchen!

Apple Cranberry Crumble

Hello happy olive oil users! Happy Columbus Day!

We are pleased to announce that this past month's First Friday was a great success. And we are looking forward to next month's event very much. I hope that everyone who attended had a good time and that even more people come next month. Looks like the Next one will happen on the 7th of November. Hope to see you there!

So, onto your coupon.

I also have a recipe for you! I borrowed my sister in law's kitchen and made a little mess. This is very lightly sweetened, so it's great for a lighter dessert, or a really healthy breakfast too. Feel free to substitute another fruit Balsamic for the Cranberry if you don't have it. I recommend the Red Apple, Black Walnut, Honey Date or maybe even the Chocolate...

Apple Cranberry Crumble

6 medium apples

1 1/2 cups dried cranberries

2 cups granola

1 cup hot water

3 tbsp Cranberry Balsamic

Flaky sea salt

2 tbsp Blood Orange Olive Oil, plus a little for the pan.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Dice the apples and mix in a large bowl with the cranberries and the granola. Toss with the olive oil.

Use the little bit of extra olive oil to grease a 9 or 10in glass or deep sided pie pan. Spread the crumble mix inside. Stir the Balsamic and hot water together and pour evenly over the crumble.

Bake for about 20-30 minutes. Stir it around about halfway through to keep it moist.

Top with whipped cream if you like, or maple syrup is really good too (for breakfasts)!

Cranberry Chickpea Salad

We just started carrying a new product. Soom brand Tahini and Chocolate Tahini. It's the best Tahini I've ever had. So many ideas for it. So I used it to tossed this quick chickpea salad together for lunch the other day. Everything I found was pre-diced, so it was easy enough to assemble even without countertops. Still waiting on that. Soon, I'll have a kitchen soon.

I'm tired of take out. I need to make food again.

Cranberry Chickpea Salad

2 cans chickpeas
1/2 cup diced carrots
1/2 cup diced green pepper
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup shelled edamame
4 tbsp chopped parsley
3 tbsp Cranberry Balsamic
1/2 cup Soom Tahini
Salt and pepper to taste

Rinse and drain the chickpeas. Stir everything together in a big bowl and enjoy your meal!

The tahini makes it so creamy. I am starting to see lots of ideas for this!

Labor Day 2014

Happy Labor Day everyone! Hope your summer went wonderfully! We have some great NEW things to tell you about. Some really fantastic aged Parmesan came in a little bit ago. Sometimes we have samples, so be on the lookout. We also got in some seasoned olives and ready to eat Farro dishes that are perfect for lunch or a great side.

For Oils, we got in an Australian oil that is spicy and sharp and bitter in all the best ways. A smoky good Cumin Olive Oil came in as well, I have made a couple things with this already and it's so good! For balsamics, we just got a Plain White Balsamic. And a lovely Lavender Balsamic as well. Don't ask me what to do with that yet, I'm still working on it! (But I think that it would go nicely over a salad with fresh herbs!)

New Hope has started up a First Fridays event! So on the 5th, we will be open from 7-9pm, offering some treats and in store specials. Keep a lookout on our Facebook page for upcoming First Friday events. We anticipate a guest chef in our future! So bring friends!

Recipe below the coupon!

So I'm sorry I've been an absent blogger. I'm moving and cooking in a construction zone is challenging. I did manage to whip up something small with the New Cumin Olive Oil. Just a rice and mushroom dish. I used it to fill some burritos last week!

Cheesy Cumin Tortilla Filler

4 cups chopped kale or spinach
3 cups brown rice, cooked
2 pints chopped mushrooms
3 ounces colby jack cheese
4 tbsp Cumin Olive Oil
Jalapeno Sea Salt
smoked paprika
black pepper

Heat 2 tbsp Cumin Olive Oil in a large saute pan to medium high heat. Add in the mushrooms and stir a little. Sprinkle with a pinch of the sea salt and let cook for 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally until they are reduced in volume.

Add the kale or spinach and toss to coat. Let wilt down and keep stirring. Add in the cooked rice and the cheese.

It's time for the other 2 tbsp of oil. Stir in to prevent sticking. Sprinkle with the black pepper, paprika and more salt to taste.

Use this to fill tortillas or as a side dish. Also makes a good vegetarian entree!

Walnut Oil Pesto Pasta

I made this chunky pesto last week with our very new Roasted Walnut Oil. It's a light flavored oil with a great mouth feel. Somehow both rich and delicate. I know pine nuts are classic for pesto, but if I'm using walnut oil, I just have to use walnuts instead.

Walnut Oil Pesto Pasta

Pesto
3 cups packed baby spinach
1/3 cup walnuts
1/2 cup Roasted Walnut Oil
1/4 cup onion pate
1/2 cup Parmesan Cheese, grated
salt and pepper to taste

Pasta
2 fresh tomatoes, diced
     or 5-6 plum tomatoes, diced
1 lb small shell shaped pasta, cooked, rinsed and cooled

Add the walnuts and spinach to the bowl of a food processor and pulse a few times. Next, put in the onion pate and the cheese and pulse. Scrape down the sides with a rubber spatula.

Add the oil in a slow stream while the food processor is running. Stop to scrape the sides often.

Stir the fresh pesto with the cooked pasta and toss with the tomatoes. Enjoy.

Solid Potato Salad

This song is a real earworm. For some reason it just sticks. Like glue. So all the time, I'm singing about potato salad. Singing about potatoes is probably a bit odd. It's a good thing that most people already think I'm a bit strange.

Solid (Roasted) Potato Salad

2 lbs potatoes, medium dice
3 tbsp Sun Dried Tomato Parmesan & Garlic Olive Oil
Garlic Sea Salt
1/4 red onion, small dice
2-4 stalks celery, small dice
1 tbsp mustard
2 tbsp White Honey Ginger Balsamic
     or White Jalapeno Lime Balsamic
3 tbsp Mayonnaise
1 small bunch cilantro, 1/4 cup chopped

Preheat the oven to 400°. Toss the potatoes with the oil and salt until well coated and spread out in a single layer on a baking sheet. Roast for 30-40 minutes. Set aside to cool.

Whisk the balsamic, mayonnaise and mustard together. When the potatoes are cool enough, toss with the dressing and stir in the celery, onion and cilantro. Top with a sprinkle of the Garlic Salt if desired.

Your song.

Ella Mae Morse: Solid Potato Salad

Coconut Curry and a Coupon

I had some small potatoes leftover from the Mint and Lemon Potatoes I made a bit ago. They are potatoes, so they stay good for a long time, but I felt the urge to use them up.

Coconut Curry

1 can coconut milk
1 tbsp Chipotle Olive Oil
1 onion, diced
1 cup peas
1/2 pint grape tomatoes, quartered
2 cups diced potato
1/4 cup thick coconut flake, chopped
1 tbsp curry powder
a pinch of allspice
1 tsp black pepper
Spicy Curry Sea Salt to taste
thin toasted coconut for garnish

Add the olive oil to a large shallow pan and heat to medium. Cook the diced onion until it starts to caramelize, 2-4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the potato and the coconut milk and stir. Be sure to scrape up anything that has stuck to the pan. Stir in the coconut flake and let simmer for 6-10 minutes. If your potato pieces are small, it shouldn't take very long.

Add the spices, the peas and the tomato, stirring until it is all mixed. Simmer until the peas are tender, 2-5 minutes.

Serve with a sprinkle of toasted coconut.

Red Beans and Rice

While red beans and rice is a very traditionally creole/New Orleans type of food, beans and rice are found all over the world in combination. I needed a side to go along with some tacos, so I added a little tex-mex flavor to a basically creole recipe. I think it worked out beautifully. And I'm having the leftovers for lunch today. Yay!

Day old rice is important here. Nice fresh fluffy rice soaks up more oil and sauce, making the final product stickier and tending towards the soggy side. If you don't have day old rice, make some fresh, spread it out on a large platter and stick it in the fridge to cool and dry out a bit.

Red Beans and Rice

1 can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 16oz can diced tomatoes
2 cups day old white or brown rice
2 tbsp Garlic Olive Oil
2 tbsp Persian Lime Olive Oil
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp cumin
1 tsp sea salt
a pinch of cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
     or 1 tsp fresh grated ginger
1/2 medium onion, finely diced

Heat the Garlic Olive Oil to medium in a large saute pan. Add the onion and cook, stirring often until the onion is translucent. Four to five minutes. Add in the rice, salt, spices and the tomatoes.

Stir well. Cook, stirring often for another 3-5 minutes. If the rice starts to stick, add in the Persian Lime Oil. Add in the kidney beans and the rest of the oil. Stir to combine and cover. Let cook 1-2 minutes more, or until everything is heated through.

Skordalia

For the potato cakes recipe, I made quite a lot of mashed potatoes. I really did. Bunches and bunches. I really like mashed potatoes, but this was going a bit far...

I made a bunch of potato cakes. We ate those. I served them with my last chicken post. We ate that. But I still had about 4 cups of mashed potatoes left over. What was I supposed to do with that?!

Ah. The internet. Thank you internet.

Skordalia. A Greek dip made with loads of garlic, and mostly, potatoes. Oh, and a TON of olive oil. What could be more perfect? Oh, if you don't have Garlic Olive Oil, I would suggest using Greek Olive Oil, like our Salonika, and 3-4 extra garlic cloves. Or more. This is a garlic dip after all. One recipe I saw called for 16 cloves. That may be too much. Use your own best judgement there.

As I already had the mashed potatoes, I didn't have to go through the trouble of cooking more, but here is the full recipe, because, unlike me, you do not have an insane amount of mashed potatoes in your fridge. Unless you do, then we can be best friends.

Skordalia

1 lb russet potatoes
2-6 cloves garlic
3/4 cup Garlic Olive Oil
Salt and pepper
1-2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
crushed and toasted walnuts or almonds, optional
fresh herbs to toss in, not traditional, but awesome

Boil the potatoes in their skins in salted water until they are cooked through. You should be able to slide a knife or fork into them with no resistance.

Mash them really finely. They should be very smooth.

Crush the garlic and salt together and mix into the potatoes. Beat in the olive oil and the lemon juice. The mixture should be as thin, or a little thinner than hummus. Taste for salt and pepper.

Add the herbs and stir through if you are using them. And sprinkle with nuts, if you are using those. (I did not)

Serve with chips, veggies, a spoon...

Roasted Red Pepper Hummus

It has been quite a week. My power has been out for 3 days now, so it is a bit hard to cook on my electric stove-top (they promise power by tonight!). I grabbed a few things yesterday and my food processor and came to the store to use our power. Hope that everyone else is making out better than me!

Roasted Red Pepper Hummus

1 15oz can chickpeas, drained
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/3 cup tahini
2 tbsp lemon juice
1/2 cup roasted red peppers
3 tbsp Garlic Olive Oil

Put the chickpeas, garlic, tahini and lemon juice in the food processor and pulse until smooth. Add the roasted red peppers and mix slowly, adding the olive oil in a steady stream until everything is incorporated and well blended.

If your power is still out, grab a tub of prepared hummus, a jar of roasted red peppers and some Garlic Olive Oil. Mince the peppers and stir well with the hummus and a drizzle of the olive oil.

Creamy Mushroom Soup

So this is what I have been eating all week. The risotto on it's own was very nice. This soup is even better. Could be because I have a cold. Maybe not. Maybe it's the Porcini mushrooms. Either way. This is so good.

If you don't have a couple cups of risotto leftover to make this with, feel free to use a couple cups of rice. Just be sure to up your mushrooms by about a pint. I think carrots would be nice with this as well, or chunks of squash...Hm, I may have another soup idea on my hands.

Creamy Mushroom Soup

2-3 cups Wheat-berry Risotto
1 jar Porcini Cream*
2 quarts vegetable stock
Salt and Pepper
1 tbsp Vanilla Olive Oil
1 tbsp fresh minced garlic
1 pinch nutmeg
6 or 7 dried porcini mushrooms
1 or 2 pints more mushrooms, diced

In a large stock pot, heat the olive oil to medium heat and add in the garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally until the garlic is fragrant, about 1-2 minutes.

Add the stock to the pan and raise the heat to medium high. Break up the dried porcini mushrooms and put them in the broth. Cook, at just below a simmer until the mushrooms soften, 5 minutes.

Add the leftover risotto, the garlic, the rest of the mushrooms and the pinch of nutmeg. Let this simmer away for about 10 minutes.

Now it is time for the porcini cream. Add in the whole jar. You will not be sorry. (If you don't have any, a can of cream of mushroom will do, but not be near as tasty) Stir around to incorporate.

Simmer for 10-20 minutes. It's hard to overcook soup. Taste for salt. Sprinkle some of that in. Add in a big pinch of black pepper, because it's good for you.

Eat the soup and feel better.

*Porcini mushroom cream available in the store.

Wheatberry Risotto

Sorry for my absence this week. I got more than leftovers from our little family on Thanksgiving. ::Sniff Sniff::

But the upshot is that even though this recipe is late, I took all the leftovers of it from last week and turned it into something I really needed this week. Soup. That will come tomorrow.

Risotto is typically made with rice. But you can use pretty much any kind of grain you want to. Wheat-berries take a little bit longer to cook than regular rice and they retain this kind of al dente bite even after they are done that I really love. They also have this great nutty flavor that I have amped up with some walnuts. But you could leave those out if you want. Feel free to change up the herbs. If you only have dried, use only a teaspoon at most of each.

As this was part of my vegan offerings for Thanksgiving, it is lacking the cheese that is so customary for risotto. I didn't miss it. But go ahead and add it in if the mood takes you. It ususally uses a half cup of Parmesan cheese.

Wheat-berry Risotto with Mushrooms

1/4 cup Garlic Olive Oil
1 cup hard wheat-berries
1/2 onion, diced
2 pints mushrooms, rough chopped
1 1/2 boxes of low-sodium vegetable stock (quart size)
3/4 cup fresh chopped parsley
1 tbsp fresh thyme
1 tbsp fresh rosemary, chopped
1/4 cup walnuts, finely chopped (optional)
pinch of salt
sprinkle of Porcini Sea Salt, to finish each plate

The stock should be warm when you add it. Either warm it in a pan on the stove or microwave it a little bit before you need it.

In a large pan with high sides, add the olive oil and turn the heat to medium. Put in all the onions and saute for about 5 minutes, until they start to soften. Add in the mushrooms and a pinch of salt. Cook about 2-3 minutes, until the mushrooms begin to release some of their juices.

Stir in the wheat-berries and about 1/2 cup of the stock. Stir and cook until the pan is almost dry. Then work in 1 cup increments until the wheat-berries soften up. It should take about an hour, but you don't have to stir this constantly like a regular rice risotto. Walking away from it for a few minutes is okay.

It is ready when the wheat-berries are soft, but still a little al dente. Add in all the herbs and the walnuts and cook for another 5 minutes.

Serve with a sprinkle of Porcini Sea Salt on top.

Cranberry Rolls Update

So these rolls were supposed to be fluffy and light. I got thick and dense. What happened?!

I rushed around too much and forgot to put in the applesauce. Completely forgot! And not only that, I forgot to put in the cranberries too. Clearly I think I needed more sleep.

Not to mention that I used a 1/4 cup measuring scoop to measure out the sugar. (except it was actually a 1/3 cup scoop) So they turned out a bunch sweeter than they should have been.

You would think that for all that, they would have turned out terrible. You would be wrong.

Somehow I managed to turn a messed up recipe and turn bad rolls into scones!

So, the new recipe is here.

Sweet Rosemary Scones with Cranberry Butter

1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
4 cup flour
2/3 cup sugar
1 tbsp baking powder
3/4 tsp baking soda
1 tsp fine salt
3 tbsp fresh minced rosemary
10 tbsp COLD Rosemary Olive Oil
3/4 cup favorite non-dairy milk, unsweetened

Combine the vinegar and the milk together in a small bowl and set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk all the dry ingredients together. Using a fork, cut in the cold olive oil until the dough is a crumbly texture.

Make a well in the center and pour in the milk. Stir until just combined. Flour a surface and turn out the dough. Lightly flour the top and fold the dough over itself 4-5 times. Pat it down to about 1/2 inch thick and cut it into any shape you like. I used a biscuit cutter, but scones can be any shape you want them to be.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Grease a baking sheet and bake for 16-18 minutes.

Cranberry Butter

1/4 cup butter, softened
1/3 cup cranberry sauce
   

Mix the butter together with the cranberry sauce and refrigerate until it hardens.

I used some extra cranberry sauce from my Cranberry Fool. It was delicious.

Asparagus and Tomato with Mushroom Sauce

I promise, I am working on the Thanksgiving recipes! Promise!

It is a light Thanksgiving for my kitchen this year. My sister in law just redid her whole dining room and kitchen, so we are going to take advantage of that this year and go to her place. But my husband has a few days off while I work, so I'm prepping some things so he doesn't feel left out of the left-over-palooza that is coming.

You could serve this with rice or pasta. Or you can just eat it. Just eat it. It's good for you. All veggies. You could even make a double batch and use it as a side for Thanksgiving. Ha! I might just do that. I need something to bring to work with me.

Asparagus and Tomato with Mushroom Sauce

1 lb asparagus

1 pint cherry tomatoes

1/4 cup Cream of Porcini 

Himalayan Pink Salt

2 Tbsp Garlic Olive Oil

Heat the olive oil in a large saute pan to medium. Trim the asparagus of it's woody ends and slice on the diagonal into bite-sized pieces. Halve the cherry tomatoes.

Add the asparagus to the pan and saute, stirring often for 3-5 minutes. Add the tomatoes and a sprinkle of the salt. Cook for about 2-3 minutes more. The tomato juices should be running around the pan and everything should start smelling amazing.

Now it is time for the Cream of Porcini. Add it in a tablespoon at a time stirring until you have it all incorporated. 

Spicy Pumpkin Pockets

I bought some pie crust on sale this week and thought that it would be great to make a pumpkin pie. A pocket pie!

Pocket pies, or hand pies are probably my favorite species of pie. You can fill them with anything and they are portable. And there is a great ratio of filling to crust.

I think that the Rosemary Olive Oil would be great with this as well.

Spicy Pumpkin Pockets

1/2 pkg refrigerated pie crust
2-4 turkey slices, optional
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
1 tsp cumin
salt and pepper
1 tbsp Chipotle Olive Oil + 1 tbsp for brushing
1 tsp minced garlic
2 slices provolone cheese
pinch ground sage
pinch nutmeg

Bring the sleeve of pie crust to room temperature and unroll it. If there are any breaks, dip your finger in warm water and gently smooth it over the break to join the broken places back together. Slice in half and set aside.

Combine the spices in a large bowl with the pumpkin puree. Stir until combined and taste for salt. Add the olive oil and stir.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line a baking pan with parchment paper or spray it with non-stick spray. Place the dough onto the dish. Layer 1/4 cup of the mixture and some turkey slices on one side of each of the dough half-rounds. Gently wet the very edge of the pastry and fold it in half, pinching or pressing to close. Brush the tops with the remaining olive oil.

Bake for 15-25 minutes. The filling doesn't need to be cooked, just the crust. Keep a watch on it so it doesn't get too brown.

Harvest Cake

You can't ever really have too many apples in the house right? It's not that I have too many, it's that they are so pretty, and smell so good that they jump in my shopping cart. I can stop buying them any time I want! I just have a bit more than I can eat right now. That's why there is cake. You can give someone a cake. Or just share one.

Baked apples are awesome. Raw apples are awesome. But apples in cake is sticky sweet SUPER-awesome! Get some ice cream to serve with this and the whole thing will be gone in ten minutes!

Harvest Cake

3 med apples, finely diced
1/4 cup diced dates
1/4 cup walnuts
1/4 cup flaked coconut
2 tbsp Persian Lime Olive Oil
2 cups hot water

Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to just under boiling and simmer for 10-15 minutes stirring often. Apples should be very soft and the water should be almost gone.

1 box Spice Cake Mix
2 tbsp Persian Lime Olive Oil
1/4 cup apple cider or milk

Bake at 350 degrees. 25-30 minutes.

This is a very sticky cake. If you wanted to make it more fluffy, you could add the eggs that the box mix calls for. But I like this to be dense. The only thing I forgot was the ice cream.

Warm this up to serve with vanilla ice cream and you will never look back!

Pumpkin Peanut Butter Chili

A little while ago, I made Pumpkin Hummus. It was very good. But I did have some leftovers, and while my grandfather visited last week, he thought that it was soup and heated it up and ate it. He said it was very good soup.

So pumpkin and beans and a little bit of sweetness in a soup... I can do that. This reminds me very much of African Groundnut Stew. Except with no chicken and a lot of beans! 

Pumpkin Peanut Butter Chili

2 cans black beans

1 can red kidney beans

1 medium onion, diced

1 cup prepared TVP*

12 oz pureed pumpkin, not pumpkin pie filling

1 cup peanut butter or other nut butter

1/4 cup agave syrup

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp ginger

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1 tsp cayenne pepper

1 tsp paprika, smoked

Salt and pepper, to taste

1 tsp cumin

2 cups vegetable broth

1 6oz can tomato paste

1 12oz can of crushed or pureed tomatoes

4 tbsp Chipotle Olive Oil

1 tsp minced garlic

Rinse and drain the beans and put them aside in a large bowl.

Put the TVP, garlic, onion and the olive oil in a large stock pot and heat to medium high. Saute around for 5-7 minutes. The garlic should be nice and fragrant, but the TVP should not be burning.

Add the vegetable stock and the ground spices. Bring it to a low simmer and stir until all the spices dissolve, or at least distribute well. Taste test for flavor and spiciness. Add a bit more cayenne if you want, and a bit more black pepper than you think you need.

Stir in the tomato paste slowly. When it has dissolved around, do the same with the pumpkin and the peanut butter. You want it to be pretty smooth at this point except for the TVP and onions floating around.

Now add the beans and tomatoes. Cover and bring to a high simmer. Cook for 10-15 minutes, stirring frequently.

Stir in the agave syrup in the last minute or two of cooking. Serve with pumpkin seeds, fried onion bits or really anything you want.

*TVP, or Textured Vegetable Protein is generally a soy based filler food. You find it in so many commercial products, including a lot of store brand chili's! But it is a good substitute for ground meat in recipes. It has lots of protein and takes on the flavor of whatever you are cooking it with. You can usually find it in the organic or natural aisles of your supermarket. Or you can just add another can of beans.

This is a vegan meal, but you could always play with that a bit. Instead of TVP, next time I am going to add some blended garbanzo beans. It worked for the hummus/soup, it will work for this. You can use ground meat if you want and meat broth instead of veggie broth. And if you don't have agave, honey is fine.

Pumpkin Hummus

Oh pumpkin. I have so much love for pumpkin. If you don't, you may want to skip the next week or so of posts!

Pumpkin Hummus

2 cloves garlic

3 tbsp Meyer Lemon Olive Oil

1 can Garbanzo Beans

1/2 can Pure Pumpkin Puree

1/4 cup Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

1 tbsp Citrus Habanero Olive Oil

1 tbsp Greek Honey

1 tsp Cayenne Pepper, plus more for garnish

1 tsp Salt

2 tbsp Tahini

Put the garlic, salt, tahini and the beans into a food processor and blend until smooth. Add the pumpkin and cayenne pepper. Process slowly, adding in the olive oil by the tablespoon until you get to your desired consistency. Fold in the pumpkin seeds. Save a couple for the top.

Top with a little more pumpkin seeds a sprinkle of cayenne and the honey.