Monthly Archives: October 2013

Roasting Pie Pumpkins for Puree

Roasting Pie Pumpkin Pumpkins

My wonderful neighbors provided us with some homegrown beautiful pie pumpkins. I have been waiting for the prefect time to roast them to make pumpkin puree for my passion and love of baking. Pumpkin is a great way to decrease fat in baked goods without sacrificing moisture in recipes. Pumpkin is also good in savory dishes as well. I love adding the puree to pasta dishes and soups as well.

Ingredients:

3 Pie Pumpkins 60 to 62 ounces each

Dash of cinnamon (optimal)

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350.

Wash and rinse the pumpkins. Cut the pumpkins in half.

Remove the seeds and stringing part of the pumpkin. Do not discard the seeds, save for roasting in the oven for a perfect snack later. FYI 3 pie pumpkins will yield 2 cups of seeds.

Sprinkle halves with cinnamon.

Line a half sheet pan with parchment paper and face the pumpkins cut side down.

Place in the oven for 90 minutes on 350 degrees .

In the meantime wash & rinse with cold water the seeds. Lay out the seeds on wax paper to dry (optimal for 1-2 days).

Remove pumpkins from oven and let cool.

Turn pumpkins over and scoop out the “meat” of the pumpkin.

It should be pretty easy to remove the “meat” from the pumpkins.

3 pie pumpkins will yield about 12 cups of pumpkin puree

Place in the food processor to puree. Freeze or use right away. I like to place the pumpkin about 1 to 2 cups in freezable zip type plastic packages.

If you would like try my pumpkin butter recipe you will not be disappointed.

Pumpkin Spice Cookies with Cinnamon Chips

I love pumpkin! So does my husband…. these cookies are a combo of our favorite chocolate chip cookie with a few things substituted to make it seasonal and delectable. The purée and pudding mix makes the cookies very moist.

Ingredients:
1.5 sticks butter or margarine (room temperature) aka 3/4 cup
1/4 cup pumpkin purée
2/3 cup brown sugar (not packed)
2/3 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs (room temperature)
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
2¼ cups AP flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1 small box pumpkin instant pudding ( you can use sugar free)
1 cup of mini cinnamon chips

Directions
Preheat oven to 350.

1. Beat sugars, butter, and pumpkin purée until light and fluffy in stand mixer.

2. Add vanilla, and one egg at a time. Incorporate but don’t over mix.

3. In a separate bowl sift dry ingredients together ( except for the pudding mix).

4. Gradually on low add in flour mixture.

5. Mix on low/medium until no signs of flour. Add in pudding dry instant pack and mix until incorporated.

6. Fold in cinnamon chips.

7. Line baking sheet with parchment paper and use number 60 scoop for perfectly portioned cookies.

8. Bake for 13 minutes on 350.

9. Let rest on pan for a minute and remove cool on wire rack.

Yields 55 cookies when using # 60 scoop

Enjoy!

Roasted Everything Pumpkin Seeds

I just got my FN magazine a few weeks ago. Which I love btw!! I always read it cover to cover. There was a recipe for “everything” blend spice mix. This morning I was roasting the pumpkins for the purée and remembered growing up always making roasted pumpkin seeds at out neighbors house! Which led me to try the everything mix with pumpkin seeds.

Ingredients:
1 TB sesame seeds
1 TB poppy seeds
1 TB minced dried garlic
1 TB of dried minced onion
1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp caraway seeds ( which FN left out)
2 cups of pumpkin seeds dried out (3 pumpkin pie pumpkins worth of seeds)

Mix together first 6 ingredients and place in a container. You will only need 5 tsps for this recipe.
Plus
1/4 tsp salt
1.5 TB of canola oil
2 TB egg substitute or egg whites whisked

Preheat oven to 350.

Place parchment paper down on a half sheet pan.

Place seeds, salt, 5 tsp if everything mix into small bowl.

In a separate small bowl whisk the egg whites. Pour egg whites along with oil into the seed mixture.

Mix with spatula. Pour mixture onto the sheet pan. Spread evenly.

Roast in oven for 32 to 36 minutes or until golden brown. Stir every 10 minutes.

Enjoy !

Philly Cheese Steak Pizza

I find sport in trying to use up leftovers. My husband loves Philly cheese steak sandwiches. He sautéed up shaved ribeye the other night for sandwiches and we ended up having leftovers instead of having the sandwiches again I decided we should make a pizza with the shavings. The pizza turned out pretty tasty so I thought I share.

Ingredients:

-One frozen pizza dough (thawed out) or fresh if you have time try my homemade recipehttp://www.apinchofluv.com/wordpress/category/pizza/

-4 TB of prepared reduced fat Alfredo sauce

-1 Cup of leftover sautéed shaved meat and onions from Philly cheese steak (salt, garlic, and pepper)

– 1 tsp of Italian seasoning (everyone knows my favorite is pasta sprinkle)

-2 large roasted red pepper in vinegar drained and blotted dry (sliced into fours)

-1.5 cups of Cheese (Colby Jack w/ Jalapeño) is what we used from Amish Country

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 500 degrees.

2. Roll out dough to fit a deep dish pizza stone and spring with italian seasoning.

3. Pre bake crust for 5 minutes.

4. Spread the alfredo sauce evenly on the dough. Top with shaved leftover meat and onions, make sure to spread evening. Once you have the meat mixture spread add the peppers on top arrange in star like fashion. Finish pizza off with the shredded cheese.

5. Bake for 16 to 17 minutes at 500 degrees. If you can resist like the pizza rest for a few minutes and enjoy

Pumpkin Butter

I just love fall! One of my favorite things about it is pumpkin dishes and baked goods. This recipe uses fresh pumpkin that was first roasted in the oven for 90 minutes on 350 degrees face down. For full details check out roasted pumpkin puree.

Ingredients :
10 cups of roasted pumpkin purée
1 cup brown sugar
3 cinnamon sticks
1 TB of pumpkin pie spice
1/4 cup Apple cider

Directions:

1. Place the pumpkin purée in a slow cooker. Add remaining ingredients in your crock pot.

2.Place the slow cooker on low. Stir pumpkin mixture every hour and cook for 3 to 4 hours.

3. Remove cinnamon sticks and purée with emulsion blender or place in a food processor and pulse until well blended and no signs of stringy pumpkin remain.

4. Enjoy on crackers or my sister’s favorite with cottage cheese .

Yields 8 cups of apple butter! Enjoy

Vegan Apple Crumble Tart

For the love of apples and the fall. This is a quick and easy tart you can put together in a pinch. I am trying to use my large bountiful supply of my grandfathers homegrown apples. I have already made several baked goods, applesauce, apple butter, and not to mention eating one raw everyday. I needed a quick recipe for a work meeting. I always try and bake a goodie for our quarterly meetings. I have a strong belief “if you bake something delicious they will come”. So far it seems to work!

Ingredients:

1/2 Whole Wheat Flour

1/2 Cup AP Flour

1 Cup of Quick Oats

1/4 Tsp of baking soda

1/2 Cup of Canola Oil

2/3 cup of brown sugar (not packed)

Apple Filling:

2 Cups of shredded Apples (at least two large apples shredded (not peeled that is where all the “good stuff” is))

2 TB of sugar

2 tsp of cinnamon (Vietnamese is my favorite )

1 tsp ground cloves

1/8 tsp nutmeg

1/8 tsp mace

1 TB of apple cider

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and place parchment paper inside of tart pan (or a 9 by 9 pan) and spray with cooking spray to coat the pan.

2. Place filling ingredients in microwave safe bowl and microwave in one minute intervals string after each minute (your house will smell amazing). Set aside.

3. Place all the dry ingredients for topping in a medium bowl mix with whisk until combine.

4. Take a heaping cup of the crumb mixture and press it into the bottom of the tart pan.

5. Once the bottom is pressed evenly add the apple topping on to the crust and spread evenly with spatula .

6. Once the filling is spread evenly sprinkle the remainder of the crumb topping on dish.

7. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until crumble topping is golden brown. Let completely cool on wire rack before cutting into.

Enjoy!

Chicken Pot Pie

The best thing about roasting chicken is the leftovers. I am always trying to be more resourceful and my husband usually only likes leftovers one time. But I strongly dislikes wasting food, and that is why I try and come up with recipes that use leftovers but in a new way.

Honestly the only reason I made the roasted chicken recipe was because I wanted to make a pot pie. My husband and I went to see Ina Garten last week and she inspired me to make a roasted chicken dish, she had mentioned it is one of her favorites to make this time of the year.

The recipe I used was from from Bon Apetit Magazine

http://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/oven-roasted-chicken-thighs-with-carrots-and-yukon-gold-potatoes

But I am sure any leftover chicken roast recipe will do.

Filling Ingredients:

1 Leftover Chicken Thigh (bone removed and chicken pieces chopped uniformly

1 Cup of left over roasted potatoes and carrots

1/2 cup of sautéed onion

1 10 oz Can of reduced fat cream of mushroom soup (or cream of chicken or celery )

1 Tsp dried Sage

Salt and Pepper to taste

Crust Ingredients:

2/3 Cup of Shortening butter flavored

4-6 TB of ice cold water

2 Cups of AP flour

1 Tsp Salt

1 egg beaten for egg wash (for on top of crust)

Directions for crust:

Preheat oven to 375

1. Mix flour and salt with whisk. Cut in shorting into flour and salt with either a pastry cutter or using your bare hands. I like to use my bare hands until particles are pea sized. Sprinkle water using a TB at a time mixing with a fork or bare hands until flour is moist and pastry cleans side of bowl. Be careful not to over mix.

2. Divide dough into two balls. Roll out one of the dough balls onto a lightly floured surface (enough to fit pie dish). Once the pie dough is fitted into dish add pie weights or dried beans on top of dough and pre bake the bottom crust for at least 5-7 minutes.

3. While baking crust, sauté chopped onions in 1 tsp of butter in a nonstick pan. Once onions are transparent add chopped leftover roasted carrots, potatoes, and soup. Season with salt, pepper, and sage.

4. Remove pie from oven and remove pie weights or beans and add in filling mixture. Set aside.

5. Roll out using rolling pin the second dough ball onto a lightly floured clean area on your counter. Roll the dough out just enough to fit over the pie crust and filling. Pinch sides to seal and make 6 to 8 slits with sharp knife on the top of the pie so the steam can seep out and prevent a soggy crust.

6. Brush egg wash on top of pastry crust.

7. Bake pie for 40-50 minutes or until crust is beautifully golden brown.

Yields 8 to 10 Servings!

Apple Coffee Cake with Almond Meal

I went to visit my grandma and grandpa this past weekend and they surprised me with sereval bushels of apples.

Which has led me to explore many different recipes utilizing apples!
This one here is prefect for breakfast!

Ingredients;

1/4 cup canola oil
3/4 cup brown sugar (lightly packed)
1 egg (preferably local)
1/2 cup almond meal (aka almond flour)
1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup fat reduced sour cream or plain greek yogurt
1 tsp pure vanilla (Mexican)
1 cup peeled, cored and chopped apples

Crumble topping
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup of whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp cinnamon
2 TB butter (unsalted)

Glaze

1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 TB Apple cider

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray with cooking spray a 6 cup capacity glass baking dish (mines a 8″ by 6.5″)

1. In a medium bowl sift together flour, almond meal, spices, baking soda and salt.

Set aside.

2. Mix oil, sugar, and vanilla.

Add egg.

And mix to incorporate.

2. Start to add the dry ingredients into the wet.

Once sour cream is incorporated into mix it should look like image below.

3. Fold in chopped apples.

4. Place batter into prepared baking dish.

Set aside while you prepare the crumble topping.

5. Place all crumble topping ingredients into a small bowl.

Break apart ingredients with bare hands until mixture resembles crumbs. Sprinkle onto top of batter in glass dish.

Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until toothpick comes out of center clean.

In a small bowl mix apple cider, vanilla, and brown sugar.

Pour evenly over warm cake.

Serve warm!

Yields 6 servings.

Apple Streusel Whole Wheat Muffins

My husband and I went to Amish Country in Ohio this past weekend and there was an abundance of apples!

Which inspired me to make a coffee cake type of apple muffin this morning.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1 TB flaxseed milled
1/4 cup sugar
3/4 tsp Vietnamese ground cinnamon
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
1 farmers egg
3 TB canola oil
1/2 cup skim milk
1 cup of Apple, peeled, & shredded (about 1.5 medium apples)

Topping:
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 TB whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/3 chopped pecans
2 TB of soften butter (unsalted)

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees and line 12 muffin tins with either silicon or paper liners and spray with cooking spray to prevent sticking.

2. In a medium bowl combine flour, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking powder, salt, and flaxseed.

Mix to incorporate all ingredients well.

3. In a separate medium bowl combine oil, egg, and milk.

Whisk to incorporate.

4. Add dry mixture to wet.

Mix until just moistened (be careful not to over mix).

5. Shred 1 to 2 apples to yield one cup of shredded apple.

6. Fold apples gently into batter.

7. Spoon half the batter evenly into 12 muffin tins.

Set aside

8. In a small bowl place streusel topping ingredients.

Use your hands to incorporate crumble topping mixture.

9. Set aside 3-4 TB of topping.

10. Place one TB of remaining topping in each muffin tin on top of the wet batter.

11. Spoon evenly the remaining batter on the top of the streusel topping in tins.

12. Bake in oven for 20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out of center clean.

13. Let cool in tin for 3 to 5 minutes on wire rack.

14. Remove from tin and allow to cool on wire rack.

15. Enjoy

Whole Wheat Pumpkin Pancakes

At our house we love pumpkin! We put it in everything during the fall. I made these pancakes for dinner. You can finish them off with pecans, maple syrup, cinnamon, or greek vanilla yogurt !

Yields 6 hearty pancakes

Ingredients:

1 farm fresh egg
1 TB canola oil
1 tsp Mexican vanilla extract
2/3 cup puréed pumpkin
3/4 cup low fat buttermilk
1/8 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 and 1/8 cup of AP Flour
1 TB of milled flaxseed
1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda

Directions :

1. Add pumpkin, milk, eggs, oil, vanilla, and brown sugar into medium bowl and whisk to combine.

3. Mix but don’t over mix

4. Mix all dry ingredients together in a small bowl.

5. Slowly add dry ingredients into wet batter

6. Heat griddle on medium to medium high heat. Measure scant 1/2 cup size pancakes onto pan.

7. Watch for the pancakes to brown up on the side and flip

8. Enjoy 😉

A Pinch of Luv

from scratch baking and cooking blog

Monthly Archives: October 2013

Roasting Pie Pumpkins for Puree

Pumpkin Spice Cookies with Cinnamon Chips

Roasted Everything Pumpkin Seeds

Philly Cheese Steak Pizza

Pumpkin Butter

Vegan Apple Crumble Tart

Chicken Pot Pie

Apple Coffee Cake with Almond Meal

Apple Streusel Whole Wheat Muffins

Whole Wheat Pumpkin Pancakes