Pumpkin and Chili Pepper Soup

The pumpkin list just keeps rolling. I have now ventured into the soup realm. This is a simple yet delicious and hearty soup that is sure to be filling without being too heavy. It's also really basic, so you can add to it whatever you'd like! I recommend experimenting with spices and other veggies.


Ingredients:
-4 cups of water
-2 cups pumpkin puree
-1 can kidney beans
-1 large chopped bell pepper (orange, yellow, or red)
-1 small onion chopped
-1 can diced tomatoes (I used Trader Joe's fire roasted)
-3 chopped and semi-seeded poblano chili peppers (2 small red, one larger green...put some seeds in soup)

Directions:
-Combine in pot and boil
-Simmer for 35-40 minutes

Notes:
You can serve this with barley, rice, bulgur, etc. in it to make it thicker. It tastes great like this, but again, it's a basic recipe that can be tweaked to your delight! I also recommend sprinkling Parmesan cheese over the top. :-)

Pumpkin Gnocchi with Brown Sugar Sauce

I am Italian. I love pumpkin. I am now an Italian pumpkin lover. :-). Every year, my Dad's side of the family gets together for a homemade pasta festival. We make everything from scratch and the results are delicious! This year, I got to make the gnocchi. Thus, ever since mid-October, I have had gnocchi on the brain and figured I could change things up a little by making my own variation of it. This turned out wonderfully! I hope you enjoy!

Ingredients:
-1-2 cups pumpkin puree
-4-8 cups white flour
-1 egg
-dash of cinnamon
-dash of nutmeg

-1-2 tbs butter
-1-2 tbs brown sugar

-Grated parmesan cheese


Recipe:
-Bring medium/large pot of water to a boil and proceed with next step while water heats.
-Combine all ingredients in a bowl until it reaches a non-sticky consistency.
-(If it's too gooey, you need more flour.)
-Cover counter surface with flour.
-Taking the dough chunks at a time, roll it out into snake-like formations on the counter.
-Chop dough snake into quarter-half dollar size pieces (roll in more flour if necessary).
-Make a fork indent in each one.
-Toss in boiling water until pieces float then remove them and place them in a baking dish.

-Place butter in baking dish and stir until butter is melted.
-Place brown sugar in baking dish and stir until it has dissolved through the dish.
-Sprinkle cheese on top.
-Bake in oven for 10-20 minutes.

Notes:
This makes a lot of gnocchi. You can feel free to lessen the amount of puree you use, making less overall. This also tastes great with a tomato sauce. The brown sugar sauce gives it an almost desert appeal while the tomato sauce brings it back to Italy. Gnocchi is surprisingly easy and a whole lot of fun! Enjoy!

Pumpkin Fudge

The parade of pumpkin recipes continues with pumpkin fudge. You can actually taste the pumpkin in this! The consistency didn't turn out quite fudge-like, but rather a softer candy. It's super sweet and super delicious. The recipe is definitely more complicated than some of my others, but not too bad. Here is the original link: http://www.pumpkinrecipes.org/pumpkin-fudge.html .

Ingredients:
-2 cups white sugar
-1/2 cup pumpkin puree
-1/2 cup evaporated milk
-1/4 tsp cornstarch
-1/4 tsp pumpkin pie spice
-1/4 cup butter
-1/2 tsp vanilla
-1 cup nuts (optional...I did not use)

Recipe:
-Butter a dish (for final fudge product)
-In a saucepan, combine sugar, pumpkin, milk, cornstarch, spice.
-Bring mixture to a boil then reduce to a simmer.
-Simmer until it forms a gooey consistency.
-Take off heat and and add butter and vanilla until smooth.
-Spoon into buttered dish and let cool.

Notes:
-I made this with fat free evaporated milk and that probably contributed to the consistency.
-Original recipe called for you to simmer until dropping a bit of the mixture into cold water would make it form a little ball. Whatever that means...

I had never made fudge before and I'm pretty proud of my first foray into the fudge world. More to come!

Pumpkin Gingerbread

Ah yes, Fall. Autumn. Cool breezes and the desire for warm comfort foods. Halloween is over, Thanksgiving is on its way with Christmas right on the turkey's heels. Sounds to me like we need a tasty fall/holiday treat. Enter Pumpkin Gingerbread. This cakey treat is loaded with the delicious flavors of pumpkin, ginger, nutmeg, and cinnamon. Original recipe can be found here: http://www.pumpkinrecipes.org/pumpkin-gingerbread.html . I did more or less the exact same thing, with the exception of doubling the ginger. I also used homemade pumpkin puree which I think lightens it and makes it more authentically flavored.

Ingredients:
-12 tablespoons of butter
-2.5 cups all purpose white flour (haven't tried it with wheat yet...)
-2 tsp baking powder
-1 tbs ginger
-1 tsp cinnamon
-1 tsp nutmeg
-1/2 tsp salt
-2 cups of pumpkin puree (1 can)
-1 cup white sugar
-1 cup dark brown sugar
-3 eggs

Process:
-Preheat oven to 375
-In one bowl, whisk together flour, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, baking powder, salt
-In another bowl, combine melted butter, pumpkin, eggs, white sugar, brown sugar
-Combine mixtures
-Pour into muffin tins or loaf pans or a larger loaf pan
-Bake for 40-50 minutes (knife/toothpick comes out clean)

Comments:
This was really easy to make and tastes so delicious. The picture posted really doesn't do this justice. Pumpkin Gingerbread is a fabulous breakfast or snack. Pour a cup of coffee, relax, and enjoy!

I will try to make a healthier version of this in the future. Essentially, that would entail using unsweetened applesauce instead of butter and wheat flour instead of white. If you happen to try it like this- let me know! I'd love to try it myself!