Halloween and Pumpkin Seeds

growing up my favorite part of halloween was when my mom oven roasted the fresh pumpkin seeds my father piled into a messy heap - stringy pumpkin goo left in tact - as he gutted the enlarged orange squash in preparation of carving. she would sift through the seeds with her hands, dump them on a baking sheet, (generously) add salt and through them in the oven, lingering pumpkin strings and all. this last part is crucial. when you leave bits of flesh on the seeds they toast up and add an extra layer of crunch and flavor. ahhh! i can't get enough of them.

so when josh brought home a pumpkin last night, immediately my brain went to roasted seeds - and the fun of carving of-course. so we carved the little guy up, sat him atop the balcony ledge, lit him up and enjoyed the gloomy overcast NYC skyline.

and yes - that is the empire in the background (orange, black and white to be festive).

OVEN ROASTED PUMPKIN SEEDS

1 1/2c fresh pumpkin seeds

1-2 tbs olive oil

1 1/2 tsp kosher salt

*preheat oven to 350F, line baking pan with parchment

*toss seeds with oil and salt

*spread evenly on prepared pan, cook for 30-35 minutes stirring occasionally

Pumpkin White Chocolate & Pecans Cookies

so come sunday josh and i were reminiscing about how fabulous our thanksgiving dinner was last year - and how we can't wait to be at the end of November (and over with this NYC moving/working hell). and what says thanksgiving more than the disgustedly delicious low country sweet potato casserole!? yeah you know what i'm talking about - with the mini marshmallows and pecans on top. oh my!

so being the visually obsessive person i am; i went ahead and used pantry "leftovers" and concocted this cookie that looks like the infamous dish. i have to say it may not be a casserole, but it definitely screams autumn. the cookie itself is like a mix between a muffin and a cookie - maybe muffin top-ish? well anyways they are delish (josh ate 5 yesterday) and dare i say actually healthier for you than the marshmallow coated, buttered casserole it was modeled after. enjoy your autumn days!

PUMPKIN WHITE CHOCOLATE & PECAN COOKIES

1 1/2c + 2 tbs AP flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/4 tsp clove

1/4 tsp salt

3oz butter, softened

1/2c sugar

1/2c brown sugar, lightly packed

2/3c pumpkin puree

1 egg

1/2 tsp vanilla

1/2c chopped white chocolate

1/2c toasted chopped pecans

*preheat oven to 350F

*sift together the flour, baking powder, soda, spices and salt

*in separate bowl cream together butter and sugar to light and fluffy

*beat in egg and vanilla to combine

*beat in pumpkin to combine

*add flour mix, beat to just combine

*fold in chocolate and pecans

*drop by heaping tbs full onto sheet, flatten a bit

*cook for 10-12 minutes

Pumpkin Apple Nut Loaf

so i'm back - kinda sorta.

got hitched, got swine flu (seriously), attended two after the fact receptions and have the apt packed up and ready to move on out. so like any home purchase - it takes longer than you think. i sadly packed away my kitchen so there hasn't been much baking lately. but i couldn't take another weekend void of fun treats so i trekked downstairs to duane read and got myself a few disposable baking pans in various shapes and sizes - then got to baking.

lesson here: disposable baking pan are worthless. yeah worthless. basically you have to increase cooking time by 50%, don't ask me why. seems to me the pans; basically made from thick foil would cook faster. just untrue. everything comes out all doughy and weird. like i said increase cook time by 50%.

fortunately, after "fixing" the cooking time for my pan's shortcomings, this loaf came out great! below is the correct cooking time if you are using real pans. i am trying to clean out the pantry and i have a ton of canned pumpkin from thanksgiving last year as well as mini packs of pecans my mom mailed me a while back that were getting rancid. throw it all in and happy autumn!

PUMPKIN APPLE NUT LOAF

Topping:

1 1/2 tsp flour

2 tbs brown sugar

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp oil

Loaf:

1 1/2c flour

1/2 tsp (scant) salt

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1/2 tsp clove

1/4 tsp allspice

1/4 tsp ginger

1c canned pumpkin

1/4c + 2 tbs canola oil

1c sugar

2 eggs

2 egg whites

1 apple, peeled and finely chopped

1/2c chopped pecans or walnuts

* preheat oven to 350F, grease 2lb loaf pan

*mix together all topping ingredients and set aside

*sift together flour, salt, soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, allspice, and ginger

*in separate bowl whisk together the pumpkin, oil, eggs and sugar

*add wet to dry ingredients and stir just to combine

*fold in apples and nuts

*pour batter into prepared pan and sprinkle with topping

*cook for 50 mins - 1 hour until toothpick comes out clean

Cashew Pumpkin Pudding (Gluten/ Sugar Free)

lately i've been dipping back into my vegan/raw living foods days. surely to my friend's regret. but i promise you all that i still eat everything else - seriously - EVERYTHING. so i stumbled onto the greatest food blog ever (or least for this week): elanaspantry. i found this recipe for a pumpkin pudding and for multiple reasons, one of which being that i have about 6 cans of pumpkin in "pantry"/coat closet/folding chair storage/everything that will unreasonably fit. they were left over from when i made a trip home about a year ago and there was a sale on pumpkin so my mom and i stocked up. thus i now have a few servings of delish pumpkin and cashew pudding sitting in my frig. yum! oh and by the way just a warning: don't be too shocked by the price of agar - its like $200 a pound - but you will only need a fraction of that unless you just decide to go crazy. that's your call.

CASHEW PUMPKIN PUDDING

(via elanaspantry)

1/2c raw cashews

1 tbs agar flakes

pinch sea salt

1 1/4c boiling water

1 1/2c roasted pumpkin, pureed

1/4c agave

1 tbs vanilla

1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp nutmeg

pinch clove

1/4 tsp lemon zest

*process cashews, agar and salt on high to a powder

*add in boiling water, mix on high

*add pumpkin, agave, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, clove and zest. blend to smooth

*pour into your favorite containers and chill of about 30 minutes to an hour