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Real Food - Real Life

Pumpkin Leather

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The whole idea of making fruit leather out of pumpkin sounds crazy, but it tastes like pumpkin pie without the trouble of making a pie. This recipe is based off one I found in the University of Georgia’s So Easy to Preserve book.

Here are a couple tips for dehydrating and making fruit leather:

  • If you don’t have a dehydrator, you can use a low oven as a substitute. This is a good alternative if you aren’t ready to invest in a dehydrator.
  • If you are ready for a dehydrator, they range from $35 for the round Nesco brand that you find at places like Farm & Fleet. Middle of the road dehydrators cost about $125, such as the L’Equip Filter Pro that I carry and use. High end dehydrators include the 9 tray Exclaiburs that cost around $250. Things to look for include temperature control, timing, number of trays that can be stacked, air flow, and noise. My first dehydrator was the Nesco brand, and I found it to be very noisy and I didn’t like that I couldn’t set the temperature. I’m happy with the Filter Pro that I have now. I haven’t upgraded to an Exclaibur because I don’t have the space for it and also because I honestly don’t use a dehydrator that often.
  • When making fruit leather, I like to spread the puree about 1/8 inch thick on a parchment that I’ve laid in the dehydrator tray. Someday, I plan to cut some silicon sheets to fit as a replacement for the parchment, but in the meantime, parchment makes it easy to pull the finished leather off.
  • For more tips, check out the University of Georgias’ fact sheet. This is taken from So Easy to Preserve.

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Pumpkin Leather
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Pumpkin leather ends up tasting like pumpkin pie. It's a little weird, but also kind of a fun treat!
Ingredients
  • 2 cups of pureed pumpkin (either cooked homemade or from a can)
  • ¼ cup of applesauce
  • ¼ cup of honey
  • ½ t cinnamon
  • ⅛ t ground cloves (or less, to taste)
  • ⅛ t ground nutmeg
Instructions
  1. Combine all the ingredients. Spread onto parchment or fruit leather trays in your dehydrator. Dehydrate at 140 degrees for about 10-12 hours until the top is dry to the touch (not sticky). Add time as necessary. This will make about four 4 by 6 inch fruit leathers.

 

Peanut Butter & Pumpkin Dog Treats

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peanut butter pumpkin dog treatsWhy shouldn’t the furry members of our family eat as well as the rest of us? We recently added a new dog to our family and we did the standard purchasing of new toys and treats for him. But as I was looking at the fancy, locally made dog treats, I realized that I could make these myself and for a lot cheaper. Plus, no preservatives or anything funny going on here. The pumpkin and peanut butter are healthy for your dog and he’s going to love them.

These are actually pretty easy to make. Don’t be intimidated by rolling them out and using cookie cutters to make cute shapes. They roll out lots easier than people cookies, because they don’t have any fat in them. BUT, if you just can’t do the rolling out, you can roll the dough into a log and slice them to make round cookies. You can also make balls and smoosh them with the palm of your hand. There are lots of options here.

Because of the lack of preservatives, these will only keep on the counter for about 3-5 days. I store mine in a baggie in the freezer and pull them out as we need them.

The recipe is also pretty flexible – only 5 ingredients. You can eliminate the chia seeds or sub them out for flax seeds. You can also sub out the wheat flour, depending on your dog’s needs. My fancy grain-free treats from the store use chickpea and oat flours.

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Peanut Butter & Pumpkin Dog Treats
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Your dog will love this super easy recipe for doggie treats.
Ingredients
  • ¼ cup of creamy peanut butter
  • 1 cup of pumpkin puree
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 T chia seeds
  • 3 cups of whole wheat flour
Instructions
  1. In a stand mixer, combine the peanut butter and pumpkin puree. Scrape down bowl sides.
  2. Add eggs and beat.
  3. Add chia seeds and 2½ cups of flour. Mix until combined. Add remaining flour by ¼ cups until the mixture is good for rolling out (forms a nice ball that is not too sticky and doesn't crumble apart).
  4. Roll dough out to ¼ inch thick, cut with cookie cutter of choice.
  5. Bake in 350 degree oven for 20-30 minutes until slightly browned and as crispy as you (or fido) like.

 

Butternut Squash Risotto with Balsamic Vinegar

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If you haven’t made risotto in the pressure cooker, then you are missing out. Risotto is fairly labor intensive if you do it on the stovetop – involves a lot of time and stirring. I’m not opposed to labor in the kitchen, but recipes that tie me down to a spot are the ones that I’m most likely to blow. But risotto is a whole different world in the pressure cooker. You basically add everything to the cooker, bring to high pressure for six minutes and it’s done. If you have an electric pressure cooker with a risotto setting, then it’s even easier – push a button and all the work is done for you. I love this recipe for butternut squash risotto – it is very simple, traditional, and delicious.

This recipe for butternut squash risotto with balsamic vinegar is one of my very favorite risottos. It is great on it’s own, but it also makes a great base recipe to take in different directions. If I want to add protein to the risotto, I prepare my chicken, sausage or pancetta (my favorite) ahead of time and add in to the finished risotto at the end. This is a great way to use up leftovers.

In spring when the asparagus is tender, I love to add some thin spears at the end with the cheese and butter. Close the lid for three minutes after the pressure is off and the asparagus will be crisp tender when you open up to serve.

You can also mess around with the cheese – parmesan and asiago are always safe bets, but you can play around with blue cheese or even swiss.

This recipe is even easier if you have pureed squash or pumpkin in your freezer. But, if you don’t have a freezer full of squash like I do, I include directions for pressure cooking your butternut squash. Still pretty darn easy. And it’s always a good trick to be able to cook a squash in minutes.

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Butternut Squash Risotto with Balsamic
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Serves: 4
 
I'm keeping the garnish really simple for this risotto. Use a high quality balsamic vinegar and you won't go wrong. You want one that is thick to the point that it pours like a syrup. It makes all the difference when you aren't hiding it behind other ingredients.
Ingredients
  • 1 small butternut squash - or 1 cup of butternut squash puree
  • 4 cups of chicken stock, low sodium
  • 2 T extra virgin olive oil - garlic flavored is awesome, if you have it
  • 3 shallots, chopped
  • 2 cloves of garlic (not necessary if using garlic flavored EVOO)
  • 1 T chopped fresh sage
  • 2 cups Arborio rice
  • ¼ c dry white wine
  • 1 T unsalted butter
  • salt and black pepper, to taste
  • ½ cup grated Asiago cheese, divided
  • For garnish:
  • high quality balsamic vinegar
Instructions
  1. If using a whole butternut squash, cut the squash in half and clean out the seeds. Place in pressure cooker (on a rack, if you have one) with 1½ cups of water (or the minimum amount of water necessary to bring your cooker to pressure) and bring to high pressure for 6 minutes. Release pressure naturally and poke the squash with a fork through the skin - if the fork pushes through with no resistance, the squash is done. Scoop squash out of skin and puree in a blender or using a stick blender until it is smooth. Reserve 1 cup of puree for this recipe and freeze remaining puree for future use - it will also keep in the fridge about 5 days.
  2. Heat olive oil in the bottom of a stovetop pressure cooker over medium heat - or in an electric cooker set to brown or sauté. Add shallots and sautée until soft, about 3 minutes. Add garlic cloves (if using) and chopped sage and sauté another 30 seconds until fragrant. Add Arborio rice and stir until rice grains are coated in oil and the tips start to turn transparent - about 3 minutes.
  3. Add the wine and stir until the wine has been absorbed. Add chicken broth and squash and stir. Close and lock lid of pressure cooker. Set pressure cooker to high and cook for 6 minutes on high. If your electric pressure cooker has a risotto setting - use it. Release pressure using a quick release method. Open lid, add butter salt and pepper to taste and ¼ cup of cheese, stir and replace lid for 3 minutes. The risotto will seem a bit wet - don't worry. Remove lid after 3 minutes, stir again and check your consistency. The rice should be creamy and al dente.
  4. Serve in bowls and drizzle with balsamic vinegar and top with remaining cheese.

 

Homemade Pumpkin Puree

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Homemade Pumpkin Puree

Sugar PumpkinSo don’t let the title of this post fool you. I usually make my “pumpkin” puree from a combination of sugar pie pumpkin, butternut squash, hubbard squash, or kubocha squash – pretty much any squash that the farmer’s at the market tell me will work. Why do I do this? Partially because of availability and quantity – some of these squashes (like the hubbard) are HUGE and will make a ton of puree. Some of these squashes are also lots cheaper than pie pumpkins. But it also helps to mix up the flavors and textures. A butternut is lots sweeter than pumpkin, but it is very wet. The hubbard is also really sweet, but it is comparatively dry. So when I mix a bunch of them together, I end up with an amazingly sweet puree that is not too wet or too dry. Do you ever want to eat pumpkin puree out of can? Me neither, but when I make homemade puree, I often find myself licking the spoon and the bowl – it’s so good. And isn’t that really what we want to be baking and cooking with?

  • Cut squash in half and clean out seeds.
  • Save those seeds! Sort them from the flesh. I like to soak mine in cold water for 1-12 hours. I guess this helps to get the sprouting process started which can help increase nutrition and digestibility – whether or not that’s true, I think they taste better soaked. Drain, rinse, toss with olive oil and salt. Roast in a 350 degree oven for 15 minutes until toasted. You can mix up your seasonings also – try cumin, chili powder, cinnamon and a little sugar or even a curry seasoning.
  • Back to the squash – I’m going to give you two methods to cook it. In my opinion, they both end up tasting the same. Pressure cooking saves time and energy, but may not work if you are trying to do a huge batch.
    • To roast in oven – Place squash, cut side down on rimmed baking pan. Add ½ cup of water and roast in 400 degree oven for 45-60 minutes until it is pierced easily with fork and starts to slump. Cool until it can be handled.
    • To pressure cook – add 1 cup of water to pressure cooker. Cut squash into pieces and place into pressure cooker. Lock lid and bring to high pressure. Cook for 6 minutes. Release pressure naturally.
  • Once squash is cool enough to handle, use a spoon to scrape out the flesh into a big bowl. I usually taste a little bit of each squash to make sure it tastes sweet. You can also taste the raw squash, if you are into raw squash. If it doesn’t taste good (and you’ll know it), then toss it. I know that hurts, but it’s better now than later when you’ve made an awesome lasagna with not so great squash puree.
  • In small batches, puree the flesh in a food processor or blender until smooth.
  • You can use the puree immediately, refrigerate for up to 5 days, or freeze. I usually freeze in 2 cup portions (same amount as a small can of pumpkin). Bags of frozen pumpkin puree can be thawed overnight in the fridge, or more quickly by submerging the bag in hot water for 15-30 minutes.

Use this puree in pumpkin muffins, pumpkin bundt cake, butternut squash lasagna, pumpkin chili, pumpkin butter, and butternut squash soup.  Yes, I know I should post my recipes for all of these great things. I’ll get to it. And then I’ll have a blog of entirely pumpkin things. Not the worst thing in the world, I know. If you have any great ideas for using pumpkin puree, please leave a comment below. I’d love to hear your ideas.

 

Pumpkin Chili

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Sugar Pumpkin

I originally found this recipe for pumpkin chili when I was looking for recipes to share for a pumpkin class. The original recipe came from Thug Kitchen and was pretty fabulous. I’ve upped the tomatoes and vegetables and adjusted it a little to make it my own, which is what you should do with any good chili recipe.

To make your own pumpkin puree, find yourself a sugar pumpkin. Don’t use a regular carving pumpkin – they won’t taste as sweet and you’ll be wasting your time. Wash the pumpkin, cut it in half, and remove the seeds and strings. To cook the pumpkin, you can either roast the halves, cut side down, in a roasting pan with a cup of water. It’ll take about 30-40 minutes at 400 degrees. Alternatively, you can pressure cook the halves for about 6 minutes on high pressure – remember to 1/2 a cup of water or your cooker’s minimum liquid amount. The pumpkin is done with you can easily stick a fork in through the skin. Once the pumpkin is cooked, let it cool, scrape out the flesh and puree it in your blender or food processor until smooth.

These dried beans were harvested from our garden

These dried beans were harvested from our garden

You can use any type of beans in this recipe. The recipe is written for using canned beans or soaked dried beans. If you use dried beans, you have the option for cooking them before adding them to the soup or pressure cooking them as part of the soup. Cooking them before adding, let’s you mix and match your beans in the soup. Save the cooking liquid for the beans and use it in the soup instead of broth or water. I’ve used combinations of black, cannellini, and kidney beans.

If you choose to pressure cook the beans with the soup, either use one type of bean, or pick beans that are about the same size so they cook the at the same rate. Black beans can cook as quickly as 3 minutes under pressure, but cannellini or kidney can take 6 minutes. Adjust the pressure cooking time to the beans that you are using.

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Pumpkin Chili
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Serves: 8
 
This is a great fall recipe. It uses pureed pumpkin, tomatoes, beans, and comes together quickly.
Ingredients
  • 2 T olive oil
  • 1 medium onion, chopped finely - about a cup
  • 1 cup of chopped carrots, about 2-3 carrots
  • 1 cup of chopped sweet pepper
  • 1½ T chili powder
  • 1 t ground cumin
  • 4 cloves of garlic, chopped
  • 1 jalapeno, chopped
  • 2 T Braggs Amino Acids or soy sauce
  • 1, 28 oz jars of crushed tomatoes
  • 2 cups of pumpkin puree
  • 4 cups (or 2, 15 ounce cans of beans) - black, cannellini, or whatever you like (if you are dried beans, instead of canned), see special note in instructions for pressure cooked method
  • 4 cups of bean broth, vegetable stock or water
Instructions
  1. Heat the olive oil in a large stockpot over medium heat. Sauté the onion, carrots, and peppers until soft - it's okay if they brown a little - about 5 minutes.
  2. Add chili powder, cumin, garlic, jalapeno, and amino acids. Sauté for 30 seconds.
  3. Add tomatoes, pumpkin, broth and beans and bring to a simmer. Allow to simmer on the stove for about 30 minutes before serving.
  4. * pressure cooker method - use soaked, dried beans. In step three, add remaining ingredients and pressure cook on high for 6 minutes for a medium size bean (see above notes for more info on cooking times). Done.

 

Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Muffins

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I’ve been meaning to post this recipe for chocolate chip pumpkin muffins for a long time. I originally started with a recipe from Cooking Light and have marked it up over the years to make it my own. I’m constantly amazed by how healthy cooking often focuses on eliminating fat, but it doesn’t always focus much on the sugar content. This is slowly changing, but my original recipe from 2006 had over half of the sugar that I call for in my recipe.

And with regards to the flour – I know you’ve heard it before, but I’m going to say it again. If you are using store bought flour instead of freshly milled flour, your results will turn out totally different from mine. The freshly milled flour works very similar to white flour – it may have a little more texture, but it will still create a fluffy beautiful muffin. My experience with store bought whole wheat flour is it results in a dense, dried out muffin. So if you are stuck with store bought flour, then you may want to mix in some white flour to get a better muffin. The difference with whole wheat is the taste. It really does taste better than white flour – I know it’s hard to believe that flour can taste good, but it’s true in my world.

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Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Muffins
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Serves: 18
 
Ingredients
  • 1½ cups whole wheat flour (6.7 ounces)
  • 1 t baking powder
  • 1 t baking soda
  • 1 t cinnamon
  • ¼ t cloves
  • ¼ t nutmeg
  • ¼ t salt
  • 1 cup chocolate chips
  • ½ cup b[packed brown sugar
  • 1 cup pureed pumpkin (canned or homemade)
  • ⅓ cup buttermilk, sour milk, whey, or milk kiefer
  • 3 T coconut oil or butter, melted
  • 1 T molasses
  • 1 t vanilla extract
  • 1 large egg
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 400
  2. Combine dry ingredients - flour through salt - in a medium bowl. Whisk together. Add chocolate chips and make a well in the center of the bowl.
  3. Combine remaining ingredients and combine with a whisk.
  4. Add the egg and sugar mixture to the flour and stir with a wooden spoon or dough whisk until just combined.
  5. Scoop batter into muffin tins - should make about 18 muffins.
  6. Bake for 18 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
  7. Remove the muffins immediately and cool on a wire rack.

 

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