Pass MORE of the pumpkin please!

    This recipe I confess is apparently a repeat...I just searched my archive and saw it way back at the beginning. However, it is so very good that it is definitely deserving of another print, especially as it is so very fitting to the season. Without any further adieu, my most favorite and might I add ever popular pumpkin pie recipe. It is crustless (save on the carbs, heaven knows we all need that over the holidays!) and even the most determined self proclaimed pumpkin pie haters have been converted to the way of the crustless pumpkin pie...

     Mom’s Famous Crustless Pumpkin Pie


1 1/2 c. sugar
4 eggs
4 Tbsp butter softened
2 13 oz. can evaporated milk
1 tsp salt
1 c. Bisquick Baking Mix
2 15 oz. cans Pumpkin (or the equivalent of 4 c. fresh or 1 large 29 oz can )
2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
4 tsp. vanilla extract


Preheat oven to 350^, spray 4  9” pie plates evenly with a light coat of cooking spray. Beat all ingredients in a large bowl till smooth. Once pie plates are evenly filled, bake until golden brown and an inserted knife comes out clean, about 50 min - 1hr depending on your oven. Let set for 10 min or so. Serve with homemade whip cream or vanilla ice cream. 


P.S. This recipe can easily be cut in half for only 2 pies. We go through ‘em like crazy though, so I always make up the whole batch. Also makes a GREAT quick breakfast. You do the math, the ingredients are no more “sugary” etc than breakfast cereal, and kids LOVE it! Serve with milk instead of ice cream and your kids just may sing to you the favorite...Bill Cosby style... morning music of    “Mom is great, gives us...Pumpkin Pie!"

P.S.!

     Dr. G has an amazing pumpkin soup recipe that is not on her recipe website (the "You are what you eat" site) so I am going to add it because the asparagus makes it better than any pumpkin soup I have ever had!

     Hemp Pumpkin Soup


1 pumpkin peeled, deseeded and cut into 3-4 inch pieces
1 bunch of asparagus roughly chopped (save tips for a salad)
2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 3-4 inch pieces
3 carrots
1-2 onions depending on what you can stand (I reduced the amount, she used 6)
1 veggies stock cube
1 garlic clove minced
2 tbsp crushed coriander seed, coriander powder or fresh chopped coriander
2 tbsp hemp and pumpkin seeds


Bring a large pan with 1 liter water to boil, then add pumpkin, asparagus, sweet potato, carrot, onion and stock cube, and garlic (and coriander if not fresh). Bring back to boil, then lower heat and simmer for 10-15 minutes til veggies are tender when pierced with a knife. Remove from heat and add fresh coriander. Cool slightly and blend til desired consistency. Reheat gently if desired, and serve in warmed bowls with seeds to garnish. Also, if you only have a small pumpkin, some butternut squash and sweet potato substitute nicely!

Pumpkin is the Word of the Day

     So dinner last night was no less than amazing considering the lack of time or ingredients, thanks to Gary of course. I whipped up some kind of tortilla soup (one that comes with the recipe book, but because I didn't have all the ingredients I improvised) and it took like 2 minutes to make. We included some leftover beans and rice and the kids went wild over getting to eat tortilla chips for dinner; dippy style. Who knew?

     Back to the real exciting crux of this post however...pumpkin. It is on my top 10 list of top 10 favorite foods (Hey at least I condensed my favorites down to 10 top 10 lists ok?!) It is amazingly versatile, creating  everything from soup to pie and back again with muffins and cookies. This mornings triumph was a fantastically filling batch of Honey-Grain Pumpkin Muffins that did not last past breakfast. Of course I wasn't surprised though, as I may or may not have added mini chocolate chips to the top of a few of those decadent breakfast treats, in hope of a pre-pick-me-up for the day (at least for me!) Below I have included some recipes for you to try your hand at. Notice the pumpkin bean cookies. It may sound weird but when you are trying to skip on fat and need a quick treat, nothing beats a gooey pumpkin chocolate chip cookie fresh from the oven. My friend gave me the idea years ago when she told me you can substitute pureed beans for butter in most recipes. Well, I went on some crazy bean cooking kick, and while my white bean pie crusts were not much of a success, the pumpkin cookies have been off the charts and provided many a surprising smile for a couple of years now. Not that it would be a problem, but be sure to eat them all within the first day or two, as they are the most fresh and yummy right away!

     Honey-Grain Pumpkin Muffins

1/2 c.  buttermilk (other milk would probably work fine here, but buttermilk was best)

1 c. whole grain hot cereal (like Hodson's Mill Flax N Oat, just plain oats would probably work great here too only make sure the oats are blended a little more fine to create more of a flour)

1 c. unbleached all purpose flour

1/4 tsp salt

2 tsp baking powder

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice

1/2 c. honey

1/4 c. brown sugar, packed

1/3 c. canola oil

1 c. canned pumpkin

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

optional mini chocolate chips for the top

Preheat oven to 375^. Mix the first two ingredients and let sit for about 5 minutes. Then add remaining dry ingredients, mix well and add remaining wet ingredients mixing thoroughly. Fill muffin cups completely and sprinkle with optional choc. chips before baking for 20 min. Makes 12 very dense and filling yummy muffins.

     Pumpkin "Bean" Cookies

2 1/4 c. unbleached all purpose flour (or half white half whole wheat)

1 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 c. white beans (about 1 15 oz. can)

3/4 c. to 1 c. honey

1 15 oz. can pumpkin

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

1 c mini chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375^. Puree beans until NO chunks, add honey and cream well. Add pumpkin, vanilla, and eggs, mix well. Add flour, baking soda & powder and spice. Mix again, stir in choc. chips. Drop by rounded tablespoon on lightly sprayed cookie sheet and bake for about 10-15 min (check after 10, can be soft then let set out of oven if lightly browned)

     Crustless Pumpkin Pie 

(although this is typically a holiday treat, this recipe is such an easy favorite in our house, we do it all the time, including for snacks!)

1 1/2 c sugar

4 eggs

4 tbsp butter soft

2 13 oz cans evaporated milk

1 tsp salt

1 c. Bisquick baking mix 

2 15. oz can pumpkin (about 4 cups fresh, 1 29oz can works too)

2 tsp pumpkin pie spice

4 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 350^. Spray 2 large pie plates. Beat all the ingredients well, add to pans and bake til golden or knife comes out clean. Can even serve with just a glass of milk and it is pretty much amazing. 

     Mom's Jumbo Batch Pumpkin Cookies 

(another old time family favorite, the dough refrigerates easy for making some whenever you want. makes a HUGE batch, you can cut it in half for easier use too)

10 c. whole wheat flour

4 c. oats

3 c. butter

4 c. sugar and brown sugar (yes that is 4 c each!)

4 tsp vanilla

4 eggs

2 tsp pumpkin pie spice

2 tsp salt

1 29 oz can pumpkin 

2 bag chocolate chips

Hey, this may be big, but we lived in a house of 5 kids, and 2 growing boys. Make these ahead and freeze them, they even seemed to taste better! Mix all the ingredients, and bake at 350^ for about 15 min.

If All Else Fails...Breakfast Never Does

     I could tell you that when all else fails at our house, sometimes we do give in and head to Carl's Jr. for that oh so good double cheese super star beefy and meaty burger with criss cut fries and topped off with a "it always goes down smooth" chocolate hand scooped shake. But I won't. Not that it doesn't happen (or didn't last night after a semi rough day) but I want to  focus on the beauty of an entire food group; Breakfast. 
     I may have mentioned once or twice that cereal works when you are out of time, ideas, or concern. But let's talk for a minute about the pure joy that comes from hearing shrieks of delight over buttermilk pancakes on the weekend, or cold cereal for lunch after days of experimental dinners and only the occasional kid delight of popsicles or ice cream. Maybe I spoil them, but I have to hear that sound every so often to reinforce that I am not doing so bad, even if it is just for MY vain pleasure, something so easy could hardly be harmful to their little well being's. In fact, I would like to extend some suggestions to make an anytime breakfast as healthy as any fresh chopped cobb salad. 
     ALWAYS pair fruit with your grain (unless your on some kind of food combing diet, then eat the fruit by itself). The easiest way to get fruit into my kids is to have it with breakfast foods, they just expect it now and are quite willing to eat slices of fresh or canned goodness at any waffle or french toast gig. If you can't afford the nice stuff all the time, switch back and forth. This is where the canned fruit comes in handy (those 29oz cans of peaches for $1.25 go much farther in smoothies and yogurt than $1.25 per lb. of peaches at the store!) I try to keep pure maple syrup around, but when I can't always afford it we buy some "no high fructose corn syrup" store brand and use it til we can. Or try making your own, my mother has a quick recipe of 1-1-1 that works every time (1 c. granulated sugar, 1 c. brown sugar, 1 c. water, bring to a boil and add a few drops maple syrup flavoring and whala!) 
     Between pancakes, waffles, hot cereal (you know, oatmeal, creamy wheat, that stuff you probably vaguely remember since you were a kid...or since you fed it to your baby) eggs done at least 10 different ways and cold cereal, you have a quick and easy option for ANY time of day, or meal. Our kids practically expect breakfast for dinner once a week, and we love to get them into it by peeling potatoes for hashbrownns or fried potatoes (non of which have to be fried by the way, a tablespoon of olive oil with a little butter can go very far in terms of flavor and cooking). I often keep a gluten free pancake mix around just to break things up a bit and to try eating different grains (also something they are used to as we had them on a gluten free diet for a whole year, that's another story though!) Some of our favorite pancakes have been made with pumpkin, super easy to slip into almost any recipe, just try about 1/2-3/4 c. in your favorite pancake batter with a pinch of cinnamon. It has even worked with bisquick. Here is another great one from the Vegetarian Times, a magazine I would recommend for anyone interested in learning more about veggies. You don't have to be eating like a vegetarian to get many of the benefits, they have some great articles and food preparation suggestions. This one is super yum;

Pumpkin Pancakes with Honey-Raspberry Syrup

Vegetarian Times Issue: November 1, 2008   p.83

ingredient list

Serves 6

Honey-raspberry syrup
1 lb. frozen raspberries, divided (4 cups)
½ cup honey
Pumpkin Pancakes
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup whole-wheat flour
1½ tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. ground cinnamon
½ tsp. ground ginger
¼ tsp. salt
3 large eggs
¹⁄3 cup honey
1½ cups low-fat milk
1 cup pumpkin purée or canned pumpkin
½ tsp. vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS

1. To make Honey-Raspberry Syrup: Place 3 cups frozen raspberries and 1/2 cup water in saucepan. Bring to a boil, cover, and simmer 5 minutes, or until berries are soft. Mash in pan until smooth. Strain berry mixture through sieve into separate saucepan. (You should have 1 to 1 1/4 cups.) Stir in honey, and return mixture to a boil. Remove from heat, add remaining 1 cup frozen raspberries, and cover to steam and thaw whole raspberries. Set aside.
2. To make Pumpkin Pancakes: Whisk together flours, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, and salt in bowl.
3. Beat eggs and honey in separate bowl. Whisk in milk, pumpkin purée, and vanilla extract. Stir egg mixture into flour mixture with spatula or wooden spoon.
4. Coat nonstick skillet or griddle with cooking spray, and heat over medium-high heat. Ladle 2/3 cup batter onto skillet for each pancake. Cook 3 minutes, or until bubbles begin to form in center of pancakes. Flip, and cook 2 to 3 minutes more, or until pancakes are browned on both sides. Serve warm with Honey-Raspberry Syrup.




     A quick word about grain; add variety. If you like the hot cereal and toast option, there are several gluten free or multi-grain ones by companies like Bob's Red Mill that are fabulous. Just add a little of whatever milk you have around, fresh or frozen (well partially defrosted in that case!) berries, a mild sweetner like agave, honey or maple syrup and eat with a little toast, a fresh smoothie or fruit salad. My kids go bananas for this stuff, as it is considered a "dippy" food around here with the toast and all. Cold cereal is the same, go for minimum sugar and maximum grain variety, even Corn or Rice Chex can go a long way. Add the same kind of side favorites as with your hot cereal.
     Lastly, eggs pretty much rock my socks. They are always easy to do, you can go for the cage-free if you have a little exra money, pair with some homemade banana muffins or prepare them as a frittata or omelet. One great little purchase over Christmas was a cast iron skillet. After sauteing some potatoes, green onion, spinach, and cherry tomatoes, we threw in some scrambled egg, let the stove cook it for a few minutes and the oven finish it for another yummy and easy dinner. Just add multi-grain toast and fresh squeezed orange juice, and your on your way! V8 or homemade vegetable juice is another great side option with egg dinners, and yup my kids drink that up too!


Elizabeth's Frittata


1 large potato washed and diced
1 small bunch cherry tomatoes halved or small tomato diced
1-2 stalks green onion diced
1 large handful spinach roughly chopped (more if desired!)
Any other vegg you might like (chopped mushrooms etc)
6-8 eggs beaten with a Tbsp or so of water
1-2 oz. shredded cheddar cheese (stir into egg mixture)
Optional;  Add any meat you might like (or you can skip for a meatless dish, saving money too!)
Fresh basil, fresh cracked pepper, sea salt


Preheat your oven to 400^. Use a pan that is oven safe. Prepare your meat (we've used a little bacon or sausage links chopped up here before) saute the potatoes in a little olive oil and butter for about 4-6 minutes til golden. Add tomato, onion, spinach and possible other ingredients and saute for another 2 minutes or so til spinach is wilted. Add the beaten egg mixture and move around in the pan a little to begin cooking process and incorporate ingredients. You can also skip this part if you want food to stay at the bottom of the frittata. Then carefully move to a 400^ oven and cook for about 15 min (check often, til eggs are set in the middle) Remove with an oven mitt as pan will be hot and let set for another few minutes, adding torn fresh basil, fresh cracked pepper, and a pinch of sea salt to the top. You can even a side salad and really double the value of your "meat" free meal!