Category Archives: Pumpkin

Pumpkin Spice Trail Mix

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I love making gifts for the holidays, lately I have been on the kick of making trail mix. Trail mix is so versatile. This one is a new favorite, especially if you like pumpkin. I also incorporated some of my grandpa’s homegrown dehydrated apples for a new texture and natural sweetness.

This recipes yields 12 cups.

 

Ingredients:

  • 10 oz bag of white chocolate baking chips
  • 2 cups of dehydrated apples slices
  • 1 cups of roasted lightly salted sunflower seeds
  • 1 cup of roasted pepitas seeds
  • 2 cups of pumpkin flavored cheerios
  • 1 1/3 cup of cinnamon baking chips
  • 2 cups of craisins

Directions:

Place all the ingredients into a large bowl and toss until well incorporated. Portion out in individual mason jars. I placed them in individual pint size jars. You could also portion out in individual snack size sealable bags.

Pumpkin Spice Chia Overnight Oats


Now that it is October I feel like I can pumpkin it up. I started the day with this delicious treat. 

Ingredients 

1/2 cup of pumpkin purée

3 tablespoons oats old fashioned

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 

1/4 teaspoon ground pumpkin pie spice

1/2 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk 

1 1/2 cups water

2 teaspoons Chia seeds

1 teaspoon sliced almonds 

2 packets truvia or your favorite non-calorie sweetener

1/2 -1 tablespoons vanilla protein powder 

Directions:

Place everything in a 32 ounce mason jar. Secure with lid. Shake it up. Let the oats rest overnight in the refrigerator. Shake well before serving. 

The oats will thicken up slightly however if you want a Thicker consistency reduce the amount of water. 
Hot oatmeal alternative: 

Place all the ingredients listed above in a microwavable glass bowl. Give a good stir & microwave on high for six minutes. Be careful all the contents will be very hot.  Stir the oats place back in the microwave and microwave again for another six minutes. Enjoy!

Mashup Nut Butter Bars

Recipe yields 3 dozen bars

It’s been too hot for the oven in Pittsburgh these last few weeks in July. Yet I have not turned on the air conditioning in the house. In turn, I know I have been taking it easy with the baking. These bars are super easy. Plus soft but crunchy with a blend of two different nut/seed butters.  Plus an extra bonus of a wide variety of seeds and nuts to pack in the protein. 

Ingredients:

3 1/4 cup of Cheerios (I used the pumpkin flavored ones)

2 3/4 cup of Brown rice cereal

1/4 cup of sliced almonds

1 cup sunflower seeds

1/4 cup of peptia seeds

1/4 cup milled flaxseed

1/4 cup of quinoa, uncooked 

1/4 cup dried mixed fruit ( I used a variety of blueberry and cranberry)

1 1/2 cup of local honey

1 Cup Smooth Cashew Butter

1 Cup Smooth Sunflower Butter

 

  1. Line a 1/2 sheet pan with parchment paper, make sure to place the parchment over the sides to make for easy removal of the bars. Set aside.
  2. Mix the first 7 ingredients together in a large mixing bowl. Set aside.
  3. In the meantime mix together the nut/seed butters and honey in a medium microwavable safe bowl. Microwave in 30 second and stir. Continue to microwave and stir in 30 second intervals until smooth and creamy. The mixture should appear melted. 
  4. Add the melted nut butter mixture over top of the dry ingredients and incorporate thoroughly with a rubber spatula. 
  5. Pour the batter evenly into the prepared half sheet pan. A nice trick to this is to spray your spatula with nonstick cooking spray. Another pearl of wisdom, you can also use wax paper to push the bars down into the pan to make the even. 
  6. Place bars in the refrigerator covered and allow the bars to set overnight. 
  7. After the bars have hardened overnight in the refrigerator cut in to three dozen bars.  For optimal results and extended shelflife, store the bars in an airtight container  in refrigerator.  

 

 

Pumpkin Spice Beignets

We rarely use a frier but there are some days when you crave a memory and the only way to take you to that special taste is recreating it at home. My husband’s aunt and uncle brought us Cafe Du Monde Beignet mix for Christmas last year. I was cleaning out the cabinet and came across the box and decided to make some beignets for breakfast for old time sake. I still can remember when we went to Cafe Du Monde for the first time. I can remember breathing in the powdered sugar. 

The coffee is so delicious there. The special ingredient in Cafe Du Monde coffee is chickory. I add their chickory to every pot of coffee we brew. This batch of beignets goes really well with a hot cup of chickory infused Joe! 

I can never leave well enough alone and I thought I’d add some fall flavor to this classic mix. We have pumpkin in abuncance and thought this would do the trick to add some fall flare. 

Servings 12 (24 beignets)

Ingredients:

2 cups of dry cafe du monde beignet mix

1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice 

3/4 cup buttermilk

4 Tablespoons pumpkin purée 

Canola oil for frying

Cinnamon & sugar blend (optional) [ usually 1/4 cup granulated sugar and 1 Tablespoon of cinnamon]

Directions: 

1. Start the oil for beignets and prepare the temperature to 370 degrees by either a electric fryer or using a candy thermometer in a deep skillet. If using a skillet place 1-2 inches deep of oil. 

2. While the oil heats. Place the beignet mix and pumpkin spice in a medium bowl and whisk. Add in the buttermilk and puréed pumpkin using a silicone spatula fold ingredients together. 

3. Prepare a lightly floured surface and roll the dough out to an 1/8 thickeness and evenly cut the dough into 24 pieces. 

4. In 1 to 2 inches of prepared oil, fry the beignets for 8-10 seconds until puffy and golden brown. Make sure to bast continuously. Once beignets are to desired color and pillow shape. Remove from frier and place on wire rack with paper towels below rack and allow excess oil to drip off. Allow to cool slightly. 

5. In the meantime; in a paper brown bag place the cinnamon and sugar blend. Give the bag a good few shakes.   Add a few donuts at a time and shake to coat the beignets. 

6.  Remove the Beignets from the brown bag & Enjoy ! 

Double Pumpkin Spice Chip Cookies

Fall is pumpkin madness as far as I am concerned so I am going to take advantage of the season and the bountiful harvest of the pie pumpkins! This is a spin off my hubbies favorite chocolate chip cookie. 

This recipe yields: 74 cookies

Ingredients:

1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter (room temperature)

1/4 cup puréed pumpkin 

¾ cup brown sugar

¾ cup granulated sugar

2 eggs (room temperature)

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

2 1/2 cups Whole wheat pastry flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp kosher  salt

1 small box pumpkin pie instant pudding ( you can use sugar free)

1 (10 ounce) bag pumpkin spice baking chips

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Parchment paper line 2 half sheet pans & set aside.

3. In a small bowl thoroughly mix together flour, salt, and baking soda. Set aside. 

4. In a stand mixer with paddle attachment beat butter until light and fluffy. Add in both sugars, vanilla, pudding mix, and pumpkin continue to beat with paddle attachment. Slowly add in eggs one at a time. 

5. Add in flour blend to the liquid batter. Slowly incorporate. Be cautious not to over mix. Fold in pumpkin chips. 

6. Portion out cookies using a # 60 scoop and place 15 to a pan. Bake for 12-13 minutes. Allow to cool for 1-2 minutes on pan and then move to a wire rack to cool. 

Pumpkin Pecan French Toast


We had a sleepover last night with my nephew, sister-in-law & her boyfriend. I wanted to make a fall breakfast and this cannot be anymore fallish with puréed pumpkin and pumpkin pie spice!

The original recipe called for 8 eggs and I swapped out those for liquid egg whites to cut some of the fat.

This recipe yields 12 servings 

Prep time: 15 minutes

Cook time: 30-35 minutes

Ingredients:

1 pound of whole wheat bread (dried)

1 1/2 cups of liquid egg whites

1 Tablesppon of pumpkin pie spice

2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

2 cups of pumpkin purée

1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon of pure maple syrup

Topping:

2 tablespoon of raw sugar

1 tablespoon whole wheat pastry flour

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

1/4 cup chopped finely pecans

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Cooking spray 9 by 13 baking dish & set aside.

3. Cube up bread into 1 inch pieces & scatter in greased 9 by 13 pan. Set aside.

4. In a large bowl whisk egg whites,vanilla,spice, pumpkin purée, and maple syrup. Pour over bread and mix to coat well. Set aside.

5. In a small bowl mix butter, sugar, pecans,and flour. Sprinkle evenly over bread.

6. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes. Remove from oven and cool on wire rack until ready to serve.

7. If your guests would like they can  always add Extra Maple Syrup.

Enjoy!

 

Nutrition Label:

nutrition-facts-label-for-pumpkin-french-toast

 

Fall Harvest Spiced Muffins


Fall will be here before we know it (11 days but who is counting). Some of the tree leaves are starting to turn yellow and red hues. My husband and I went running last weekend on one of our favorite trails and there were already some leaves hitting the limestone path. Fall in Western Pennsylvania is very beautiful and we are lucky to have all the seasons.

We were able to stop at my grandfather’s orchard last weekend. He always likes to show his apple trees, peach trees, and thriving garden. This is a picture of him and I below. I am trying to hold all the goods in just one hand. But the reality of it is we left with a cooler full of produce, several bags of kale, peaches, apples, and an 8.175 pound head of cabbage.

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My grandpa’s apple trees have so many apples, he has to place posts under the branches to prevent the apples and branches from hitting the ground. He gave us some of his apples. I was able to incorporate them in the recipe today, along with my neighbor’s roasted pumpkin I freeze canned last year.

In the fall I make everything pumpkin and apple. I love the smell of these fruits baked in fall combined with cinnamon.

Prep Time: 15 Minutes    Cook Time: 21 minutes

This recipe yields: 21 muffins using a size # 16 scoop

Prep Work &Tools need for the job:

  • Number Size 16 scoop
  • Muffin Tin Liners
  • Muffin Cups
  • Cooking Spray
  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees
  • Line standard muffin tin with paper liners

 

Ingredients:

1 cup of pureed pumpkin

1/4 cup of canola oil

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

2 eggs

1 2/3 cup sugar

2 Tablespoons of ground Flaxseed

1 teaspoon of apple pie spice

1 teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice

2 1/2 cup of whole wheat pastry flour

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon of baking soda

2 cups of chopped apples, peeled

Directions:

  1. In a large bowl, combine the first six ingredients. Set aside.

2. In a small bowl combine flour, baking soda, spices, & salt. Stir dry ingredients into wet ingredients just until moistened. Fold in apples. Cooking spray the lined muffin cups and use a # 16 scoop to fill the tins.

3. Bake the muffins at 350° for 19-21 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. I rotated my muffins halfway through for even baking. Remove from pan after 5 minutes have elapsed and allow to cool on wire rack.

Enjoy the muffins on their own or slathered with apple or pumpkin butter.

Pumpkin Oat Bars

We had a special birthday in the office the other day and one of her favorite things to eat is pumpkin flavored treats . Luckily I still have a stock pile of puréed pumpkin in our freezer from our generous neighbors . I love using pumpkin purée in baked goods.

Sometimes I like to add it as a mystery ingredient for moisture and other times I like it to be the star of the show . Puréed pumpkin is a very moist and packed nutrients. It is a perfect substitute to swap out some unnecessary fat with oil or butter in a baked good. Pumpkin is high in vitamin A and bonus only 30 calories per 1 cup cubed. 

Ingredients:

1 cup pure puréed pumpkin

1/2 cup steel cut oats

1 1/2 cup old fashioned oats

1/2 cup puffed wheat cereal

1 cup raw sugar

1 oz chocolate hazelnut spread

1/2 cup peanut butter 

1/2 cups dried craisins
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9 by 9 baking dish with foil. Spray with cooking spray. Set aside.
2. Thoroughly mix together in a large bowl the first 7 ingredients and then fold in the dried cranberries. 
3. Pour batter into prepared baking dish. Spread the batter evenly into the baking dish. 
4. Bake for 25 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. 
5. Allow to cool, cut into 16 bars, and enjoy!

Pumpkin Pie Spice French Toast made with Homemade Italian Bread

 

Yesterday we worked on making homemade bread for a few hours. One of the many benefits of making fresh homemade bread is using the leftovers. Today I made one of my husband’s favorites French Toast Recipes.

My sister also loves French Toast as well. Growing up that is all she would eat for breakfast when we would have sleepovers at my grandma and grandpas. So I deocate this recipe to my sister Jenna Lynn and my husband Josh.
This recipe yields 5 slices of toast.  

Ingredients: 

2 tb puréed pumpkin 

1/4 cup egg substitute 

1 tsp pumpkin pie spice

1/2 cup skim milk or unsweetened vanilla almond milk

1 Tablespoon of raw sugar 

1 tsp pure vanilla extract 

5 slices of freshly made day old bread

1/2 tablespoon unsalted butter or cooking spray

Optional ingredients powdered sugar & pure maple syrup (as pictured) 

Directions:

1. In a medium deep bowl mix first six ingredients and whisk them together well.

2. Place nonstick sauté pan on stove on medium heat. Add pad of butter Or cooking spray. 

3. Soak slice of bread on both sides in the wet ingredient mixture. Place on sauté pan and cook for 2 minutes then flip and cook for an additional 2-4 minutes or until browned on both sides. Repeat with additional slices. 

4. Enjoy with either pure local maple syrup or powdered sugar. Or if you are feeling really  advantageous you could use both like my husband. 

Vegan Pumpkin Spice Coffee Creamer

  

My husband loves pumpkin spice coffee creamer! Now we can have it all year round! This is a very simple recipe and way more delicious than store bought. 

Ingredients:

2 cups of soy creamer or soy milk

3 Tbsp puréed pumpkin 

3 three inch cinnamon sticks

1 tsp ground pumpkin spice 

1 tsp pure vanilla

3 tbsp of pure maple syrup 

Directions:

1. Place the soy creamer, puréed pumpkin, maple syrup, cinnamon sticks, and ground pumpkin spice in a 2 qt sauce pan. Place on medium high heat and bring to a boil. 

2. Once boiling remove from heat and cover and allow to rest for 5 minutes. Add vanilla and stir.

3. Pour into a heat safe container and store in refrigerator. Shake well before using.

Enjoy!