Pumpkin Coconut Curry

Recipe Status: Delicious. Just trying to figure out how to make it less runny. Perhaps less broth. Also this doesn't specifically call for Curry powder. The spices that are in this are common spices in a Curry blend. If you have a favorite curry blend, feel free to substitute about 4 T of it for the turmeric, cumin and coriander. Also, I prefer it without the red pepper flakes, but that's just me.

*The Thai Carrots are PERFECT with this, by the way. ;)

1-1.5 pounds chicken breast halves, cut into small pieces

2 tsp poultry seasoning

2 T olive oil

4 pounds pumpkin, peeled, seeded and cubed

2 T butter

2 onions, chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 (1 inch) pieces fresh ginger root, finely chopped

2 T coriander

2 T cumin

1-2 pinches turmeric

1-2 tsp red pepper flakes (opt)

1 cup canned coconut milk

2 cups chicken broth

Salt to taste

Season the chicken pieces with the poultry seasoning and set aside. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet, or pot. Cook chicken until browned on the outside and cooked all the way through. Remove chicken and set aside.

Melt the butter in the pot over med-low heat. Saute the onion, garlic and ginger until the onion is transparent. Add coriander, cumin, turmeric and red pepper. Cook until spices are fragrant. Add pumpkin, chicken, coconut milk & broth. Season with salt to taste. Simmer for 15-20 minutes, until the pumpkin is soft. Do not over cook, the pumpkin will get mushy! Serve over Basmati rice.

Chicken Pumpkin Stew

Recipe Status: Every single one of my picky eaters loved this. High in fiber and vitamins too. WIN!

2 lbs chicken breast cut into small cubes

1/2 cup flour

1/2 tsp each: Salt & Pepper

2 tbsp olive oil

2 tbsp butter

1 large onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

4 carrots, sliced

2 celery ribs, sliced

4 cups chicken broth

1 bay leaf

1 tsp seasoning(s) of choice (thyme, rosemary, savory, etc.)

1 qt peeled, cubed pumpkin.

Place flour, salt & pepper in a gallon sized ziplock bag. Put the cubed meat in a few at a time and toss to coat. Cook chicken in oil/butter until browned on all sides. Add onion and garlic and cook for a few minutes more, until onions are transparent. Stir in broth, carrots, celery, seasonings & bay leaf. Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer for an hour-ish. Add the pumpkin cubes and simmer for another 20-30 minutes, until the carrots & pumpkin are tender. Discard bay leaf and enjoy!

*This can easily be converted to beef stew by using beef bullion and, obviously, stew meat. Next time, I think I'll add mushrooms as well. :)

Cranberry Pumpkin Muffins

Recipe Status: A gorgeous blend of sweet & tart, and also sweet & spicy. Not to mention incredibly moist. YUMMM!

2 1/4 cup flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1-2 tsp pumpkin pie spice, as preferred. (I like more.)

2 eggs

2 cups sugar (can use as low as 1 cup if desired.)

1/2 cup oil

1 16 oz. can pumpkin (not pumpkin pie mix.)

1-2 cups fresh cranberries, whole or chopped.

In large bowl, mix first 4 ingredients. Set aside. In separate bowl, mix eggs and sugar until blended. Mix in oil and pumpkin. Pour into dry ingredients and mix thoroughly. Fold in cranberries. Bake @ 375° for 20ish minutes.

Can be made into a bread loaf, but I have no idea how long to bake it for. I'll have to experiment!

The best ever Pumpkin Chili, hands down.

Recipe Status: A great low fat, high fiber chili that you'd never know it had pumpkin in it. It's great because the pumpkin is the base of the chili, so you don't get the acidity tomatoes give. But no worries, the salsa gives you enough of the tomato flavor. This usually wins at our chili cook-off's each year, but I think they gave someone else a chance this year... ;)

2 lbs ground turkey

1 large onion, chopped

2-3 garlic cloves, minced

1 package fajita seasoning

2 tbsp chili powder

1 tsp ea. Salt & Pepper

1 16 oz can pumpkin

1 cup salsa (medium tastes better)

1 small can diced green chilis

1 28 oz can black or dark red kidney beans, drained and rinsed

Brown turkey, onion & garlic until almost no longer pink. Add fajita seasoning, chili powder, salt and pepper. Mix well to blend the seasonings. Reduce heat to med-low. Stir in salsa, green chilis and pumpkin. Bring to a gentle boil, and stir in beans. Let simmer for a few hours to let flavors blend. I like to cook the meat and seasonings, then mix everything together in the crock pot and let it cook on low for the afternoon.

Serve with a glop of sour cream, cheese, diced green onions, olives etc. This also is quite tasty with baked potatoes and Indian fry bread. Happy harvest!

Pumpkin Harvest Cookies (Kerstin's Sweet Spicy Goodness)

Recipe status: These are the ultimate health nut harvest cookie. There is no sugar other than the natural sugar in the pumpkin (and the sugar from the morsels). It's almost like having one of those nature bars, or a very chewy granola bar. I will definitely be packing these on my hikes.

1 small can pumpkin

1 stick butter

1 tsp vanilla

1 egg

2 tsp pumpkin pie spice

(or 1/2 tsp each nutmeg, cinnamon, ginger & allspice)

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

1 cup wheat flour

1 cup flour

1 cup combination of any of the following: Chopped pecans, walnuts or cashews, sunflower or pumpkin seeds, golden raisins, craisins or raisins *

1 cup butterscotch or cinnamon morsels, carob or chocolate chips

Blend pumpkin and butter. Mix in egg & vanilla. Add dry ingredients until completely blended. Fold in remaining nuts, berries & morsels.

Drop by spoonfuls on a baking sheet about an inch apart. These hardly spread, so press them down a bit. Bake @ 375° for 12-15 minutes, depending on size. I've been told these freeze well. Not sure of these will last long enough to find out.

*In addition to the 1 cup, I also added a cup of uncooked 9 grain cereal (looks like oats) & a handful of shredded zucchini because I so desired. Had I had any flaked coconut left, I'd have added that also. Not the sweetened coconut, but the dried shaved coconut from the bulk bin at the health food store. That would have been amazing.

Marbled Pumpkin Cheesecake

Recipe Status: Amazed that my first attempt at a cheesecake was successful!
Song: Autumn - Stoa

Crust:
2 cups crushed gingersnap cookies (or mix of gingersnaps and graham crackers)
1/2 cup finely chopped pecans (opt)
1/2 cup butter, melted

Filling:
2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
3/4 cup sugar, divided
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 eggs
1 cup canned pumpkin
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp cloves

Preheat oven to 350.
Mix together the crushed gingersnap cookies, pecans, and butter. Press into the bottom, and about 1 inch up the sides of a 9 inch springform pan. Bake crust for 10 minutes. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, mix together the cream cheese, 1/2 cup sugar, and vanilla just until smooth. Mix in eggs one at a time, blending well after each. Set aside 3/4 cup of the mixture. Blend 1/4 cup sugar, pumpkin, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg into the remaining mixture. Spread the pumpkin flavored batter into the crust, then drop the plain batter by spoonfuls onto the top. Swirl with a knife to create a marbled effect.

Bake 55 minutes in the preheated oven, or until filling is set. Run a knife around the edge of the pan. Allow to cool before removing pan rim. Chill for at least 4 hours before serving.

*I checked the cheesecake at 45 minutes, and it was already set.
*If you don't like a lot of spice, just put half the amount of cinnamon & nutmeg in, and omit the cloves.
*I didn't quite like the pecans in the crust. However, I did LOVE the gingersnaps. I ended up mixing gingersnaps & graham crackers, because I wasn't sure how strong the cookies would be.