Quick Bites: Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread

In case you've been living in a ditch for the past couple of weeks, pumpkin season is upon us, and there's no escaping it. From pumpkin lattes, to pumpkin ice cream and pumpkin Hershey's kisses, pumpkin is everywhere and it's taking over the world. Not that I'm complaining, I'm more than willing to succumb to the pumpkin world domination.

So today I bring you a super quick, super simple, and even more delicious recipe for pumpkin chocolate chip bread. A couple years ago, my brother Michael and I went to breakfast at this diner where he ordered pumpkin chocolate chip pancakes. This was before the pumpkin craze was really the phenomenon it is today, so we thought the combination of pumpkin and pancakes was totally brilliant. Now that Michael is all grown up as a freshman in college (sigh), I attempted to recreate that diner breakfast in bread form. Though I'm not able to share this bread with Michael right now, the comforting aromas of pumpkin and chocolate keep us feeling close regardless of the physical distance.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread adapted from Big Girls Small Kitchen
makes 1 loaf

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
2 eggs
1 cup turbinado sugar (raw cane sugar)
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup vegetable or canola oil
1 can pumpkin purée (not pumpkin pie filling)
1 cup chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a loaf pan with cooking spray.
2. In a medium bowl, mix the flour, cinnamon, salt, baking power, and baking soda.
3. In another bowl, beat the eggs. Add sugar, vanilla extract,  and oil until combined.
4. Fold the egg mixture into the dry ingredients. Stir in pumpkin purée until combined. Fold in chocolate chips until evenly distributed.
5. Pour the batter into loaf pan and bake for 1 hour, or until cooked through and tender in the center.

Before...

...After! Mmm...

Thrifty Kitchen

My family likes to make fun of Ga-ga (our grandma, NOT to be confused with Lady Gaga!) for her inability to let anything go to waste. She freezes milk, which she later defrosts in the microwave. You'll find a half-eaten sandwich and half a glass of wine in the fridge, because you never know when that afternoon craving for a snack and some vino will strike! She even asks to take home the extra free bread at restaurants, which she'll then freeze and find some use for in the future.

As much as we like to kid about her Depression-era tendencies, I've actually come to appreciate her thrift in the kitchen now that I'm living on a Depression-era budget. While I'm not freezing my milk or asking for the scraps at restaurants (yet) I do try to be as resourceful as possible when it comes to cooking and food shopping. Now that the cost of food is coming out of my wallet and not from a dining hall or from home, it kills me to throw out spoiled veggies or leftovers knowing that it's my money going straight to the trash.

So when I prepared a batch of pumpkin seed-cilantro pesto earlier this week, I had to put my thrifting skills to work and find ways to get the most out of my pesto without it going to waste by the weekend. The recipe is from the latest issue of Bon Appetit in which it is served atop pan-seared salmon. After three nights in a row of salmon with pumpkin seed-cilantro pesto it was time to switch it up. But what to do with the extra pesto? Well, I happened to have a few brussels sprouts in the fridge, some chicken in the freezer, and pasta in the pantry. So rather than use the pesto as a condiment, why not use it as a sauce for a pasta dish?

My pasta creation turned out to be a great success. The pesto nicely accompanied the nutty whole wheat pasta and hearty brussels sprouts. You'd never know that this dinner was pulled together with the scraps from my fridge and pantry. Being thrifty in the kitchen can push you to get more creative; and you'll be pleasantly surprised by the results (as will your wallet). I think this is a meal Ga-ga would be proud of :)

Pan-Seared Salmon with Pumpkin Seed-Cilantro Pesto, adapted from Bon Appetit
makes 3 servings plus extra pesto for the following recipe
Ingredients:
2 1/2 tsp plus 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, divided
1/2 cup shelled pumpkin seeds (pepitas)
1/2 cup cilantro leaves and stems
1 garlic clove, coarsely chopped
1 tbs fresh lime juice (about 2 limes)
1/4 cup water
Kosher salt and black pepper
3 salmon filets

1. Heat 1 1/2 tsp oil in nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the pumpkin seeds and saute until they begin to brown and pop (about 2 minutes). Transfer seeds to paper towels to drain and let cool. Reserve oil in the skillet.
2. Pulse the pumpkin seeds, cilantro and garlic in a food processor until coarsely chopped. With the machine still running, gradually add the lime juice, 1/4 cup oil and water. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
3. Add remaining teaspoon of oil of the skillet over medium heat. Season salmon filets with salt and pepper. Add salmon to the skillet and cook until just opaque in the center, about 3-4 minutes each side. Serve salmon with pesto.

Pasta with Brussels Sprouts, Chicken & Pesto
serves 1
Ingredients:
1 cup brussels sprouts, quartered
Olive oil
Kosher salt & pepper
1 boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into small pieces
1/2 cup dried whole wheat penne (or whatever pasta desired)
1/2 cup reserved pasta water (if needed)
Leftover pesto from above
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese, for garnish

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Place brussels sprouts on baking sheet. Toss with a glug of olive oil, and a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Roast until the sprouts are tender and begin to brown, about 20 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, bring a small pot of water to a boil. Season the boiling water with salt and add the pasta. Cook until al dente, about 8-9 minutes.
3. Heat about a teaspoon of olive oil in another skillet over medium heat. Add the chicken and season with salt and pepper. Toss until all sides begin to brown.
4. Remove the skillet from the heat. Add the cooked brussels sprouts and pasta to the pan. Toss with the remaining pesto. Thin out the sauce with some reserved pasta water if needed. Top with freshly grated Parmesan cheese and serve hot.

A Belieber in Pumpkin

I'm going to let you in on a little secret. I'm having a love affair...

With pumpkin! I've had a pumpkin fetish ever since the pumpkin spice latte was introduced at Starbucks years ago. I do think the pumpkin craze is a bit much now, a little too mainstream. But I'd like to think I was one of the original pumpkin enthusiasts, before it became so in vogue.

But so what if pumpkin is more of a "rom-com" than an edgy, indie flick. I've always preferred my movies cheesy and my music poppy. Maybe pumpkin is the Justin Bieber of food right now, but that's not going to stop my obsession (with pumpkin I mean, although I do have quite the case of Bieber Fever). Knock it all you want, but it's darn good, and you can't deny that you don't love it too (again, I'm talking about pumpkin here, but also applies to the Biebs).

We all love pumpkin for its sweet, nutty flavor; but the reason it's such a beloved ingredient is for what it represents: family traditions, holidays, gathering together with loved ones. Surprisingly pumpkin pie was never a staple at our Thanksgiving table, but the symbol of what it represents makes me nostalgic for holidays past as a kid.

While I love your standard pumpkin dishes - pumpkin pie, pumpkin bread - I'm interested in using it in new and expected ways. So when I came across this recipe from Serious Eats for pumpkin turkey chili, I just had to try it. Pumpkin and chili, how much more autumn and hearty can you get? It seemed like the perfect combination...and trust me, it was! The pumpkin flavor was very subtle, but added a nice warmth and spice to the chili. It was the perfect one-pot meal to make on a lazy Sunday afternoon. This pumpkin turkey chili gave a more hipster edge to an otherwise Bieber-esque ingredient.

Pumpkin Turkey Chili
Makes 5-6  servings


Ingredients:
1 tbs vegetable oil
1 cup chopped onion
1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
1/2 yellow bell pepper, chopped
1 can (4 oz) chopped green chiles
1 garlic clove, minced
1 lb ground turkey
1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes
1 can (14.5 oz) red kidney beans
1 can (14.5 oz) pumpkin puree
1 1/2 tbs chili powder
1/2 tbs cumin
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
Cayenne pepper to taste (about 3-4 shakes)
1/4 fresh cilantro, chopped
Shredded cheddar cheese

1. Heat oil in large pot over medium heat.
2. Saute onion, pepper, green chiles and garlic until tender - about 10 minutes.
3. Make room in the center of the pot. Add the turkey and brown, breaking up with the back of a spoon.
4. Stir in tomatoes, beans and pumpkin. Add chili powder, cumin, cayenne, salt and pepper.
5. Reduce heat and simmer at least 20 minutes. Stir in fresh cilantro. Serve with shredded cheddar cheese.

The perfect workweek lunch - healthy, hearty and delicious!

A Passion for Pumpkin

Has anyone else noticed the recent pumpkin craze in America? Granted it is now officially fall, but I have never seen so many different pumpkin flavored things. It seems like every cafe, bakery and coffee shop now has pumpkin spice lattés, pumpkin muffins, pumpkin soup, pumpkin cupcakes, the list goes on. Not that I'm complaining. I have always been a fan of pumpkin in my food, and I'm happy that the rest of America seems to be catching on too.

Earlier this week, I found a link to several pumpkin recipes from Saveur magazine. These aren't your typical pumpkin pie recipes. The pumpkin pancakes and pumpkin couscous look particularly yummy and interesting. This article inspired me to cook with pumpkin in an unexpected way. After some online research, I found a couple different recipes for pumpkin pasta and decided to incorporate ingredients from a few to create my own recipe. And so I came up with...Spicy Pumpkin Sausage Pasta.

It was very easy to make, but had quite a complex flavor profile, with a mix of sweet and spicy. My Spicy Pumpkin Sausage Pasta was the perfect comforting, hearty Friday night meal.

(Note: this recipe only makes about 2 servings)

2 tsp. olive oil

2 links chicken sausage, cut into chunks

1 garlic clove, minced

1 shallot, minced

1/2 cup pumpkin purée

1/2 chicken stock

2 tbsp. milk

7-10 dashes hot sauces (depending on how spicy you like it)

cinnamon

nutmeg

salt

pepper

1/3 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

1 tbsp. fresh chopped sage

2/3 cup whole wheat penne

1. Bring pot of water to a boil. Add pasta. Cook 7-8 minutes, until al dente. Drain the pasta, reserving some of the pasta water.

2. Meanwhile, heat olive oil in sauté pan over medium heat. Add sausage, stir around to brown on all sides. Remove sausage with slotted spoon and place on a plate with paper towels.

3. Add the shallot and garlic to the pan. Cook a few minutes until fragrant.

4. Add the chicken stock and pumpkin purée. Stir in milk.

5. Add a couple dashes of hot sauce at a time, until you've reached desired level of spiciness. Season with a dash of cinnamon, nutmeg, salt and pepper.

6. Add the sausage back into the pan. Allow to cook for a few minutes to heat through and absorb flavors.

7. Pour the cooked pasta, Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, and sage to the sauce mixture. Stir to combine, and add reserved pasta water as needed to thin out the sauce.

8. Garnish with more cheese and sage. Enjoy!