Thai Pumpkin Laksa with Roasted Chickpeas

And the pumpkin craze continues. (On a related note, if you haven't seen Alton Brown's Good Eat's pumpkin episode it is definitely worth watching)

This soup really brings out the pumpkin flavor in a unique way. (And let's be honest, I'm a sucker for broccoli and soy sauce in any form)

"Young Blood" The Naked and Famous

Taken from Half-Baked Harvest

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced or grated
• 1 inch fresh ginger, grated
• 1 red fresno pepper, seeds removed + chopped (may use a jalapeno if needed)
• 2 green onions, chopped
• 3 1/2 cups chicken or vegetable broth
• 1 small pumpkin, peeled + cut into cubes (about 3 cups)
• 1 rounded tablespoon creamy peanut butter
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon fish sauce
• 1 (13 ounce) can unsweetened coconut milk
• 1 large bunch broccolini, stems trimmed
• 1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
• 1/4 cup fresh mint, chopped
• 8 ounces rice noodles
• arils from 1 pomegranate
• For the Roasted Chickpeas
• 2 (15 ounce) cans chickpeas, drained + rinsed
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon brown sugar
• salt + pepper, to taste

Directions

Heat a large soup pot over medium heat and add the sesame oil. Once hot, add the garlic, ginger, fresno pepper and green onions. Cook 30 seconds to 1 minute or until soft + fragrant.

Slowly stir in the chicken or vegetable both and then add the cubed pumpkin. Bring the soup to a boil and simmer 15-20 minutes or until the pumpkin is fork tender. Add around half to 3/4 of the soup to a blender or food processor and blend until completely smooth. Return the soup to the pot.

Add the peanut butter, soy sauce, fish sauce and coconut milk, stirring to combine. Add the broccoli and cook until tender, about 8-10 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook the rice noodles according to package directions.

Once the broccoli is tender, remove it from the heat and stir in the cilantro + mint. Ladle the soup into bowls and add a big handful of rice noodles. Top with crunchy chickpeas (recipe below) and pomegranate arils. 

For the Roasted Chickpeas

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Spread the chickpeas out on a towel and dry them completely. Add the chickpeas to a baking sheet and toss with the olive oil, cinnamon, brown sugar, salt + pepper. Toss well to evenly coat. Roast for 20 minutes and then stir the chickpeas around and roast another 20 minutes or until the chickpeas are browned and crunchy. Remove from the oven and serve warm atop the soup. 

Pumpkin Gnocchi with Creamy Avocado Spinach Pesto

Last weekend, temperatures here took a dive from the slightly chilly to the waking up with a frost warning. A dive that was accompanied by pumpkin cravings. Lots of pumpkin cravings. 

Cravings only to be satisfied by pumpkin gnocchi, right?

Also, I've been eyeing this pesto for awhile. Had the recipe open on my computer for month. Eyed it when I'm feeling unhealthy and pushing it aside for later.

I'm glad I didn't try it sooner because the pairing of this with the pumpkin gnocchi is so good and turns this very spring thing in an honorary fall meal.

Rusted Root - "Send Me On My Way"

Adapted from The Iron You and The Skinny Fork

Ingredients for Pesto

1 avocado, halved and pitted
3 cups baby spinach
2 tbsps almonds (or your favorite pesto nut) 
2 garlic cloves
Juice of 1 lime
½ tsp fine grain sea salt
Red pepper flakes, optional but tasty ;)

2 tbsps olive oil

Ingredients for Gnocchi

1 C. 100% Pure Pumpkin Puree (Not pie filling!)
1 1/2 C. Whole Wheat White Flour
1 Large Egg
1/8 Tsp. Nutmeg
Salt & Pepper to Taste

Directions for Pesto

Add the flesh of the avocado, spinach, almonds, garlic, lime juice, sea salt, and red pepper flakes (if using) to a food processor. Process for 2-3 minutes, stopping to scrape down sides as needed, or until smooth and creamy.
If it’s too thick add more water, one tablespoon at a time. 
Take a taste and adjust seasoning. Add olive oil and set aside.

Directions for Gnocchi

Combine ingredients in a large bowl. Dough should be slightly sticky. Add more flour if needed. Divide dough into four sections. Roll on a lightly floured surface until 1/2" thick. Cut into 1" pieces. Boil a pot of water and add gnocchi. Cook until they start to rise to the surface (about 5 or so minutes). Drain and let cool slightly.

Butterbeer Cupcakes with Treacle Frosting

I'm a huge Harry Potter fan, like to the point when it annoys me when people don't know really minute details of the wizarding world and don't have their house sorting exactly figured out.

 Do people really exist that don't know their Hogwarts house?

I'm not a huge butterscotch person, but I had to try these! And I'm glad I did. They are the epitome of fall in a cupcake, and are like biting into instant comfort (like butterbeer should be).

This one I'm not copying over (though I have to say go with the pumpkin beer instead of cream soda if you can! It's so good!) 

Check them out at Half-Baked Harvest!

And to listen to while baking, to get you in the Harry Potter mood:

"Hedwig's Theme"

and once you've listened to that twenty times (or more) google "wrock" and laugh at the clever lyrics.

Pumpkin Roll

 

I can never get rolls to roll up properly (as you can probably tell from Muscadine Yule Log)

 

But this just rolled up like a charm! And the frosting and cake were delicious (moist and sweet).

 

"This Town" OAR

I love the song, but the music video is so perfect.

Ingredient

CAKE

• 1/4 cup powdered sugar (to sprinkle on towel)
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3 large eggs
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 2/3 cup pumpkin
• 1 cup walnuts, chopped (optional)

FILLING

• 1 pkg. (8 oz.) cream cheese, at room temperature
• 1 cup powdered sugar, sifted
• 6 tablespoons butter or margarine, softened
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Powdered sugar (optional for decoration)

Directions 

Cake:
Preheat oven to 375° F. Grease 15 x 10-inch jelly-roll pan; line with wax paper. Grease and flour paper. Sprinkle a thin, cotton kitchen towel with powdered sugar.

Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves and salt in small bowl. Beat eggs and granulated sugar in large mixer bowl until thick. Beat in pumpkin. Stir in flour mixture. Spread evenly into prepared pan. Sprinkle with nuts.

Bake for 13 to 15 minutes or until top of cake springs back when touched. (If using a dark-colored pan, begin checking for doneness at 11 minutes.) Immediately loosen and turn cake onto prepared towel. Carefully peel off paper. Roll up cake and towel together, starting with narrow end. Cool on wire rack.  

Filling:
Beat cream cheese, 1 cup powdered sugar, butter and vanilla extract in small mixer bowl until smooth. Carefully unroll cake. Spread cream cheese mixture over cake. Reroll cake. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least one hour. Sprinkle with powdered sugar before serving, if desired.

Peek-a-Boo Pumpkin Pound Cake

 

Alright, this is what it's supposed to look like:

 

This is what happened to me:

 It still tastes pretty good.

I added not shredded pumpkin but the full liquidy innards.

So for this, I'll simply provide links:

The Oringinal from She-Knows

Pumpkin Bread

Pound Cake

 

"Breakfast at Tiffany's" Deep Blue Something

Pumpkin Muffins

 Pumpkin muffins are in many ways, the best part of fall.

That and pumpkin pie, leaves, Halloween, Thanksgiving, cooler weather, my birthday, etc.

 

The liners bled onto the pan, so my muffin pans now have little rabbits on them.

  "The Freshman" Verve Pipe

Ingredients:

• Softened unsalted butter, for the pan
• 3 2/3 cups pastry flour, sifted
• 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, chilled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 1 1/3 cups superfine sugar
• 4 large eggs, at room temperature, beaten
• One 15-ounce can solid-pack pumpkin
• 1 cup seedless golden or dark raisins
• 1/4 cup hulled unsalted sunflower seeds

Directions:

  Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 400˚F. Brush the insides of 12 to 14 muffin cups with softened butter, then brush the top of the pan. 

  Sift the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and salt together into a medium bowl. Beat the butter in the bowl of a heavy-duty stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment on high speed until creamy, about I minute. Gradually beat in the sugar and continue beating, scraping the sides of the bowl often with a silicone spatula, until the mixture is very light in color and texture, about 5 minutes. Gradually beat in the eggs. Reduce the mixture speed to low. Beat in the pumpkin; the mixture may look curdled. In thirds, beat in the flour mixture, scraping down the sides of the bowl often, and mix until smooth. Add the raisins. Increase the speed to high and beat until the batter has a slight sheen, about 15 seconds, no longer. 

Using a 2 1/2 inch-diameter ice-cream scoop, portion the batter, rounded side up, into the prepared cups. Sprinkle the tops with the sunflower seeds.

 Bake for 10 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 375°F and continue baking until the tops of the muffins are golden brown and a wire cake tester inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean, about 15 minutes more.

 Cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Remove the muffins from the pan and cool completely.