Author: laughingmoondesigns@yahoo.com

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Pumpkin Pudding

 

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Since this is the season for everything cinnamon and pumpkin this is a super easy and low fat pudding. It is best eaten warm (I think). I ate some right out of the saucepan…. You can use whole milk for a full fat pudding and add more brown sugar if you want more sweetness. Super easy! It is also a great way to use up leftover canned pumpkin! This recipe was inspired by Health.com. 

Ingredients

  • 2 cups 2% reduced-fat milk  (or evaporated or whole milk)
  • 3/4 cup dark brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup cornstarch
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 cup canned pumpkin
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon ginger
  • 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla

Preparation

Whisk milk, sugar, and cornstarch in a large saucepan; bring to a boil. Boil 3 minutes, whisking constantly. Beat eggs with a whisk in a large bowl. Gradually add half the hot milk mixture to the beaten eggs. Return milk-egg mixture to pan. Cook over medium heat 3 minutes, or until thick, whisking constantly. Remove from heat; stir in pumpkin, salt, and pumpkin-pie spice. Spoon evenly into 4  dishes. Let cool, and chill for about 30 minutes, or until pudding is set.

Japanese-Style Beef Stew
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Japanese-Style Beef Stew

This is just wonderful. My husband had 3 helpings. The flavors are American stew with an asian twist. The spicy ginger and sweetness of the squash are perfect together. Ultimate comfort food! This was inspired by the New York Times recipe but with my own variations. It is easy to overcook the squash so after adding it watch to make sure it does not get too overcooked and mushy.

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INGREDIENTS

  • 2 – 2 1/2 pounds boneless chuck in 1-inch to 1 1/2-inch chunks
  • 3-4 tablespoon olive oil, divided
  • 1/2 cup flour
  • 1 tbsp smoked paprika
  • 1 large sweet onion, thinly sliced
  • 2 cups beef stock
  • 1/2 cup soy sauce
  • 1/2 cup mirin (honey or sugar can be used – adjust to taste)
  • 10 nickel-size slices of ginger
  •  Sea salt and black pepper to taste
  • tsp cinamon (optional)
  • 1 large peeled butternut cut in 1-inch chunks (sweet potatoes would also work)

PREPARATION

  1. In a large bowl combine flour, salt, pepper and paprika. Add meat in batches to coat.
  2. In a large stock pot heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil (you may need more or less depending on how much beef) . Over medium-high heat, sear meat until nicely browned, about 5 minutes. Transfer chunks to a medium-size bowl. I did this in 2 batches.
  3. Add mirin and soy sauce to the skillet, and cook over high heat, stirring and scraping until all the solids are integrated into the liquid, add beef stock.
  4. Add beef back into the pot. Cover, and cook on top of stove, maintaining a steady simmer. Stir after 30 minutes. Then check meat every 15 minutes.
  5. While beef is simmering, heat 1 Tablespoon of olive oil and add onions. Cook slowly over medium heat until golden brown and caramelized. Remove from heat.
  6. When meat is tender, about 45 minutes, stir in squash and onions. Continue to cook until squash is tender but not mushy, about 15 to 20 minutes. Serve over rice.

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Happy Halloween

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I love to make Halloween cards (and every other type of card) more than getting the candy these days. Except for maybe Reese’s Peanut Butter cups. Those were always my favorites when Trick or Treating. I grew up in New England and it was always a worry about having to wear a jacket over your costume to avoid freezing.  Mom would have us ready and dad would walk us around the block when he got home from work. I remember waiting by the window for the car to come up the drive. Usually after Gilligan’s Island and before Star Trek…. It was always dark by that time, but there were a bunch of us all over the street. Big kids, little kids with parents. Some ghosts with holes cut into old sheets but most of us wearing those horrible plastic masks that were hard to see through, and hard to breathe in – it was the 1960’s. Your face would get all sweaty and you would have to take it off between houses to see in the dark. The smell of wood smoke in the air, laughter in the dark from the kids on the street, my dad a shadow in the dark as he waited for me to ring the bell and yell “Trick or Treat”. Life was good.

 

Three Cheese Stuffed Butternut Squash
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Three Cheese Stuffed Butternut Squash

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This makes a great side dish or vegetarian main meal. Autumn comfort food. I served it with Grilled chicken and asparagus. You can easily double the recipe. I think it would make a great side on Thanksgiving. This was inspired by a recipe from Rachel Ray.

IMG_3359.jpgIngredients

1 butternut squash, halved lengthwise and seeded
Olive oil, for brushing
1 Tablespoon Olive Oil for onion
Salt and pepper
Freshly grated nutmeg
1 onion, thinly sliced
3/4 cups fresh ricotta cheese
3 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves (dried will also work)
1 tablespoon grated orange zest (optional)
1/2 cup shredded sharp white cheddar cheese
1/2 cup freshly shredded or grated parmesan cheese
1/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Brush the squash with Olive Oil and season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Roast the squash until just tender, 35 to 40 minutes. Leave the oven on.

While the squash is roasting heat the tablespoon of olive oil in the pan and add the onions. Cook until caramelized and golden brown

When the squash is cool enough to handle, carefully scrape out the flesh into a bowl, leaving just enough flesh to keep the shells intact. Add the onions, ricotta, thyme, lemon zest, and cheeses into bowl with the squash flesh and mix well. Fill the squash shells and top with the shredded parmesan cheese. Bake until browned and bubbling, 15 to 20 minutes.

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Roasted Cauliflower and Potato Soup
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Roasted Cauliflower and Potato Soup

The weather has been warm but it SMELLS like fall out there, that dusty leaf smell, pumpkins are everywhere (and in everything). So… time to start making soups and stews. This is velvety smooth and tastes decadent but it is low-fat, gluten-free, and and be made dairy-free and vegetarian!

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Ingredients

  • 3 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
  • 1 sweet onion, sliced thin
  • salt and pepper
  • 6 cups cauliflower florets (1 medium-sized head cauliflower)
  • 5 cups chicken stock (or gluten-free chicken broth or vegetable broth)
  • 2 cups diced Yukon Gold potatoes (about 3 medium-sized potatoes)
  • Squeeze fresh lemon juice

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees then line a baking sheet with foil and spray with nonstick spray. Add cauliflower florets then toss with 1 Tablespoon oil, salt, and pepper. Roast for 20-30 minutes or until lightly caramelized then set aside.
  2. Meanwhile, heat remaining 2 Tablespoons oil in a large soup pot over medium heat then add the sliced onions, season with salt and pepper, and then saute until lightly caramelized, 10 minutes.
  3. Add chicken broth and turn heat up to bring to a boil. Add potatoes, cover and reduce heat, and then simmer until potatoes are tender, 8-10 minutes. Add the cauliflower and simmer for about 10 minutes. Transfer the soup to a blender and then blend until very smooth. Pour back into the soup pot. Bring soup back up to a bubble. Stir in a little lemon juice (start with a little, you can always add more.) Taste then add salt and pepper, and then serve with a salad and some crusty bread.
Roasted Cauliflower & Mushrooms
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Roasted Cauliflower & Mushrooms

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This is a great side dish, or vegetarian meal for fall. I used baby Bella and Shiitake, but any variety of mushrooms would be wonderful.

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Ingredients

1 head of cauliflower, chopped into florets
16 oz mushrooms (button, wild, any of the smaller variety), cut into thick slices
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbs. thyme, chopped
salt & pepper to taste
3-4 slices of rustic bread, thickly sliced and torn into chunks
5 oz shredded gruyere cheese

Directions

Heat oven to 450 degrees. Place cauliflower in a large mixing bowl and toss with olive oil to coat. Place on unlined baking sheet. Roast cauliflower for about 15 minutes.

Place mushrooms on an unlined baking sheet and roast for 10 minutes.

Remove cauliflower and mushrooms from oven. Combine into one baking sheet.
Add bread chunks and sprinkle with cheese. Roast for another 10 minutes.

NOTE: You could also substitute Parmesan for the Gruyere.

 

Roasted Butternut Squash, Caramelized Onion & Apple Soup
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Roasted Butternut Squash, Caramelized Onion & Apple Soup

It has been a while since I posted anything. Life got busy. I did not stop cooking, just did not have time to blog. But I am back. Fall makes me want to cook up stews and soups (and all things Squash and pumpkin). This is easy, filled with flavor and freezes well. Perfect for a cool fall night.

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Soup Ingredients

1 large butternut squash, peeled and cut into chunks (about 2 pounds)
4 Tbs Olive oil, divided
Sea Salt to taste
32 oz vegetable or chicken stock
2 large Onions, sliced thin
1 Tbs of Pumpkin Spice White balsamic Vinegar (optional)
2 large apples (I used honeycrisp), peeled, cored and cut into chunck
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp roasted ground ginger
1/4 cup plain greek yogurt (or half & half)
toasted pumpkin seeds (optional)

Directions

Preheat oven to 400. Place the squash chunks in a bowl, drizzle with the 2 tablespoons of olive oil (more if needed) and toss until coated. Place the chunks on a baking sheet and sprinkle with sea salt. Roast for about 15-20 minutes until fork tender.

While the squash is roasting caramelize the onions. Heat oil in a large pan and add onions. Cook slowly over medium heat, stirring often. When onions are a golden brown add the pumpkin Spice balsamic vinegar. I get this at the Olive Oil store and it is wonderful.

In a large stockpot add the roasted squash, onions, apples, stock, spices and yogurt. Simmer until apples are tender. Add the yogurt and use an immersion blender and blend until smooth (you can also use a regular blender).

Serve hot with toasted pumpkin seeds.

Toasted Pumpkin Seeds

1/2 cup roasted pumpkin seeds
1 Tbs butter
1 Tbsp brown sugar

Melt butter in a small frying pan. Add pumpkin seeds and brown sugar. Cook until brown sugar has melted and is starting to caramelize. Remove from heat and place on tin foil to cool. When the mixture has hardened crack into pieces.

 

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Zucchini Soup
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Zucchini Soup

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This was a recipe adapted from Skinnytaste. My husband loved it. I served it hot as a side dish with a roast beef flatbread but it could easily be a meal or served with a salad..

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Ingredients

  • 1 large onion, sliced thin
  • 1 tablespoon of olive oil
  • 3 medium zucchini, skin on cut in quarters
  • 32 oz vegetable broth
  • 2 tbsp goat cheese (or greek yogurt)
  • kosher salt and black pepper to taste
  • fresh thyme

Directions

Heat olive oil and cook onions slowly over medium heat until golden. Combine broth and zucchini in a large pot over medium heat and bring to a boil. Lower heat, cover, and simmer until tender, about 20 minutes. Remove from heat and purée with an immersion blender, add the goat cheese (or yogurt), onions and purée again until smooth. You do not have to caramelize the onions it makes the soup a little brown, but i love the taste.

Sprinkle with fresh thyme. Serve hot.

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Mahogany Chicken Wings
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Mahogany Chicken Wings

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I grew up in Connecticut and came back for visits to my parents several times a year. One of my favorite places to go was a wonderful Garden shop called Lexington Gardens. 20 some odd years ago on one of those visits I bought this a cookbook that i still love and use today. Pacific Flavors by Hugh Carpenter. I have made these wings many times over the years and have adjusted things here and there. The original recipe called for plum sauce and I can no longer find it in the store so I doubled the Hoisin sauce. I double the recipe and figure on about 3-4 wings per person. I served as a main meal with pasta salad.

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Ingredients

4 pounds of chicken wings

Marinade:
3/4 cup plum sauce
1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1/4 cup dry sherry
1/4 cup Mirin
1/4 cup honey

Directions

Cut the tips off the wings

Combine the marinade ingredients. Place wings in a large pan and pour marinade over the wings to coat. Cover and refrigerate for 12 – 24 hours.

Preheat oven to 375. Place a wire rack in a large roasting pan and coat with cooking spray.

Drain the marinade from the chicken and reserve. Put the marinade in a small pan, bring to a boil and simmer. Arrange the wings on the rack and roast for 30 minutes. I have done this without a rack and it works fine but the wings don’t get as crispy (but still tasty). After 30 minutes baste with the marinade, turn them and baste again.

Roast for another 30 minutes until tender and golden.

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Chilled Carrot Soup
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Chilled Carrot Soup

This makes a nice first course on a hot summer evening. I served this with roasted corn on the cobb, Kale salad and grilled Tuna Burgers. I used the large carrots that they sell for juicing. I did not peel them. You could make this slightly sweet by using the orange juice (in my recipe) or spicy by adding some Sriracha sauce. I think this would also be wonderful with some caramelized onions. This was adapted from Runner’s World recipe. I used the Vitamix to get this super creamy.

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INGREDIENTS

8 large carrots, cut into chunks
1 orange bell pepper, seeded and cut into chunks
1 Tablespoon Olive oil
salt
1 cup vegetable broth
1 can light coconut milk
1/4 cup orange juice
1-inch piece peeled fresh ginger
1 Tbsp. honey
Juice of 1 lime
2 teaspoons. curry powder (optional)

DIRECTIONS

Pre heat oven to 400 degrees. Toss the  carrots,  orange bell pepper,  1 Tbsp. olive oil.
Roast  for 30 minutes. Let cool, then in a Food Processor or blender, blend with 1 cup vegetable broth, 1 can light coconut milk, orange juice, ginger, 1 Tbsp. honey, lime juice,
curry powder, and a couple pinches salt until smooth. Chill for at least 2 hours

Makes 4 servings.