Spiced Pumpkin Waffles

If you are making Thanksgiving dinner tomorrow, I am certain you have all of the ingredients needed to make these right now. You can mix these waffles up in less than 5 minutes. Then it’s just up to your waffle maker to finish the job. The batter could also be used for pancakes as well. I like these waffles because they are perfect for a fast and easy Thanksgiving breakfast and should help tide everyone over until the main event.

I am not a really big fan of pumpkin things, but I actually really liked these. The pumpkin flavor was present, but not overwhelming and really good with the spices. I served these with maple syrup (which I’m normally not a fan of either) and they were perfect together. Absolutely perfect. I would also imagine that these would be quite good with apple butter. I have a mini waffle maker and I got 18 mini waffles out of this recipe. There were waffles for days on end. Depending on the type of waffle iron you have, your waffle mileage may vary.

Spiced Pumpkin Waffles
From Food.com.

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (I used Better Batter)
• 3 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 pinch salt
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 1 cup canned pumpkin puree
• 1 2/3 cups milk

1. Mix together flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and salt in large bowl.
2. In a second bowl, add eggs, sugar, pumpkin, milk, and butter; beat well.
3. Gently fold in the flour mixture.
4. Cook according to your waffle iron directions until the waffles are a nice deep, golden brown.

Smoky Pumpkin Hummus

Lauren, this one’s for you. My dear friend Lauren is my chief consultant on all things related to both hummus and pumpkin. Due to the fact that this recipe combines the two, she was obviously the first person I consulted. I ran this recipe by her a couple weeks ago and I’m finally getting around to sharing it.

I loooooooove hummus. I really don’t make it enough. I actually don’t buy it that much either, because the ready made stuff is just so disappointing when compared to homemade (unless it’s the caramelized onion or jalapeno hummus from Tesco, that stuff is totally amazing). I tend to like roasted garlic or caramelized onion hummus, both of which require roasting or caramelizing and can kinda put a damper on wanting to make them. This recipe remedies all of that. It’s one of the simplest hummuses I’ve ever made and one of the tastiest too.

This hummus would be great as a sandwich spread (keep it in mind for any leftover turkey you might stumble upon in the next couple months) and it would be the perfect less-indulgent-yet-oh-so-tasty option to accompany any football watching you might be doing over the next few weeks. Serve it up with some baked pita chips or tortilla chips and some veggies and you are set.

Smoky Pumpkin Hummus (from GoodHealthGourmet on Chowhound)

• 1-15 ounce can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 cup pumpkin puree (I used a whole 15 ounce can of puree)
• 2 tablespoons tahini
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 large clove garlic, smashed
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin, toasted
• ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
• ½ teaspoon low-sodium wheat-free tamari (or soy sauce if gluten isn’t an issue)
• ¼ to ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper (to taste)
• ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon toasted pepitas (pumpkin seeds)

1. Place all the ingredients except for the pepitas in a food processor. Secure lid and blend until smooth. Add in tahini by the teaspoon if mixture is too thick. Taste for seasoning, and add additional spices and/or an extra dash of tamari or cayenne if desired.
2. Serve and enjoy!

Pumpkin Pie Bars

We had 3 days of sub-70 degree temperatures here in Southern California, which means it’s kinda, sorta officially autumn.  Time to bust out the scarves, jackets and boots and other autumnal things that are still completely inappropriate in this climate. I decided to go all out and just dive into the deep end of fall. I feel like the deep end of fall is most accurately embodied by pumpkin in it’s various forms. I dabbled around in the shallow end of pumpkin, with some gnocchi and lattes, a couple weeks ago, but brace yourself.

If you like pumpkin pie or even vaguely think that pumpkin scented candles are sort nice, you definitely need to go ahead and make this. The bourbon and chocolate chips are totally optional, but I think they are totally necessary. Just do it. This is a perfect dessert for any halloween or fall cocktail parties you have coming up. It would also be great for a casual Thanksgiving get together. So just go ahead and make it now. Everyone will love you.

Pumpkin Pie Bars (from Joy the Baker)

• 1-1/3 cups flour (I used Bob’s Red Mill GF All-purpose mix)
• 3/4 cup  granulated sugar, divided
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 3/4 cup  (1-1/2 sticks) cold butter
• 1 cup old-fashioned or quick-cooking oats, uncooked (used Bob’s Red Mill GF Oats)
• 1/2 cup  chopped walnuts
• 1 package (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened
• 3   eggs
• 1 can (15 oz.) pumpkin
• 1 Tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 teaspoons bourbon (optional)
• a handful of butterscotch or chocolate chips for sprinkling on top (optional)

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Line 13×9-inch pan with foil, with ends of foil extending over sides; grease foil.
2. Mix flour, 1/4 cup granulated sugar and brown sugar in medium bowl; cut in butter with pastry blender or 2 knives until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in oats and nuts.
3. Reserve 1 cup oat mixture; press remaining onto bottom of prepared pan. Bake 15 minutes. Beat cream cheese, remaining sugar, eggs, vanilla, bourbon, pumpkin and spice with mixer until well blended. Pour over crust; sprinkle with reserved crumb mixture and a handful of butterscotch or chocolate chips (if desired).
4. Bake 25 min.; cool 10 min. Use foil to transfer dessert from pan to wire rack; cool completely.

Pumpkin Pie Spice

When I was living overseas, there was no such thing as pumpkin pie spice. Pumpkin just isn’t put in pie form in other parts of the world. But I was quite happy to learn that it was super easy to make your own pumpkin pie spice. I’ve never used the ready mixed version, I’ve always made my own and word on the street is that it’s pretty good.

Pumpkin Pie Spice

• 3 tablespoons ground cinnamon
• 2 teaspoons ground ginger
• 2 teaspoons nutmeg
• 1 ½ teaspoons ground allspice

Combine all the spices in a small container with a lid. Shake together to combine. Shake it some more. Store in small jar or spice container.

Thirsty Thursday: Homemade Pumpkin Spice Latte

So, I’ve never had a Pumpkin Spice Latte, which apparently means my life is not complete. There are several reasons for this, mainly I don’t like pumpkin or sweet coffee drinks or Starbucks (Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf is better. That’s just a fact.) and pumpkin flavored things are just not that popular in the various parts of the world I have found myself over the last few autumns.

I set about righting this apparent problem by making my own pumpkin spice latte at home. I made my own pumpkin pie spice.  I followed this recipe from The Kitchn. All the comments, even the title of the article claimed it tasted just like Starbucks. Seemed like a pretty safe bet.

I have to admit I was definitely less than impressed. It just tasted like cinnamon-y milk with a vague coffee aftertaste. No pumpkin and despite the 2 tablespoons of sugar and 2 tablespoons of vanilla, no real sweetness either. The end result was just kinda meh. Maybe if pumpkin lattes are more your ‘thing’, you might enjoy this a little more than I did, but I was a bit let down.

Pumpkin Spice Latte

• 2 cups milk
• 2 tablespoons canned pumpkin
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 2 tablespoons vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
• 1-2 shots espresso (about 1/4 cup of espresso or 1/2 cup of strong brewed coffee)

In a saucepan combine milk, pumpkin and sugar and cook on medium heat, stirring, until steaming. Remove from heat, stir in vanilla and spice, transfer to a blender and process for 15 seconds until foamy. If you don’t have a blender, don’t worry about it – just whisk the mixture really well with a wire whisk.

Pour into a large mug or two mugs. Add the espresso on top.

Optional: Top with whipped cream and sprinkle pumpkin pie spice, nutmeg, or cinnamon on top.

Gluten Free Pumpkin Gnocchi with Sage-Brown Butter Sauce

Pumpkin is pretty gross looking. The look and smell definitely do not appeal. I’ve actually only had pumpkin once before. It was also gnocchi form. It was pretty delicious. Since pumpkin seems to be absolutely every where this time of year, I decided to give it a whirl. This recipe was also absolutely delicious.

I must say that homemade gnocchi was not as difficult to make as I thought it would be. Not that it’s a meal to make every night, but it definitely seems a lot more daunting than it really is. The most time consuming part of the whole thing, was waiting for water to boil.

The recipe for the gnocchi will generously serve 4 people or 2 with plenty of leftovers for a whole other meal.

Now I just need to figure out how to use up the rest of this pumpkin…

Gluten Free Pumpkin Gnocchi with Sage-Brown Butter Sauce

• 1 pound/450g of potatoes (around 3 medium russet potatoes)
• 1/3 cup/75g pumpkin puree
• 3/4 cup/160g flour (I used Bob’s Red Mill GF All Purpose Mix)
• 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 egg
• Butter
• 5-6 sprigs of fresh sage

1. Bring small pot of salted water to a boil. While water is heating, peel potatoes, cut into pieces and add to boiling water. When cooked, drain from pot and allow to cool slightly. When cooled, press potatoes through ricer or mash until smooth in a large bowl.
2. Add pumpkin puree, flour, nutmeg, salt and egg to bowl. Mix together until sticky, but clean to the touchy (ie, doesn’t stick to you).
3. Divide dough into four. On a clean, well floured surface take one section of dough and roll out into long skinny ‘snake’ about one inch thick. Cut dough into 1-inch pieces. Repeat with remaining dough.
4. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. When boiling, add in gnocchi (you might have to work in batches). Gnocchi will rise to the surface and allow to boil for 2-3 minutes. When done remove from water with a slotted spoon and allow to drain.
5. In a large pan melt butter over medium-high heat. When melted, add gnocchi (you might have to work in batches or use multiple pans) and allow to crisp. Flip to crisp on other side. When done, add another pat of butter, melt and allow to start to brown/caramelize and chopped sage. Cook sage until crispy.
6. Put gnocchi on plates, top with sage-butter sauce and top with grated parmesan and freshly ground pepper.
7. Serve and enjoy!