Pumpkins

During our last trip to the farmer's market, we bought 2 small sugar pumpkins to roast and freeze. Not only it's very easy to make your own pumpkin puree, it's also healthier than the canned variety since these are locally grown pumpkins and there is no BPA to worry about. Do-it-yourself pumpkin puree would also make a great baby food if you have children. 

The cost of making your own vs. canned is essentially the same. We paid $5.00 for 2 small pumpkins which yielded 8 cups of roasted pumpkin. 1 can of pumpkin puree contains 1.5 cups. So, 2 small pumpkins equaled to approximately 5 cans - i.e. the cost is about the same. However, you can save a lot by making your own Pumpkin Butter - we saw a small jar of Pumpkin Butter going for $8.00 at the farmer's market when you can make your own only for a couple of bucks. 

How to make your own Pumpkin Puree:

• Use sugar pumpkin only (or any other cooking variety). DO NOT use the Jack-O-Lantern pumpkins as they are flavorless and watery - these should only be used for decorating.
• Wash the pumpkins
• Cut them in half and clean out the guts and fibers - save seeds for roasting
• Place face down in a baking pan with a little water
• Bake at 350° for 45 minutes
• Cool, take the skin off and cut into chunks
• Scoop into cheesecloth-lined colander and let drain for few hours
• Puree in food processor in batches
• Place in Ziploc bags in 1-2 cup portions and freeze.
• Use it in any recipe that calls for pureed pumpkin - pies, breads, muffins, waffles, pancakes, etc.

How to make Pumpkin Butter: 
1½ cups of pumpkin puree
honey to taste
¼ tsp ground ginger
¼ tsp ground cloves
¼ tsp ground nutmeg
½ tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp ground allspice
¼ cup water or apple juice/cider
In a large saucepan, combine all ingredients. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to low. Let mixture simmer for approximately 30 minutes to an hour or until it thickens. Stir frequently. Chill and refrigerate in a glass jar.

How to roast Pumpkin Seeds:
Rinse the seeds and pat dry. Add a little bit of olive oil and sea salt and bake at 400° for 10-20 minutes. Let them cool and enjoy!

If you never made your own pumpkin puree before, try it. Also, check out these pumpkin posts from Money Saving Mom, or The Simple Mom, or Healthy Food For Living, or Mommy's Kitchen. Now that you have all that pumpkin, visit 100 pumpkin recipes.

20% off Organic Eden Pasta from Eden Foods

Eden Foods is running a promotion of 20% OFF Eden Pasta. EDEN Pastas include 60% and 100% whole grain varieties, fun shapes and colors, organic vegetables and herbs. All are made with the finest organic ingredients for better nourishment, flavor, and value.

Simply enter the coupon code "GARDEN" when prompted during checkout to receive 20% OFF any Eden Organic Pasta Company pasta. Offer expires October 31, 2010.

Also, check out Eden Pasta for some delicious pasta recipes such as Spinach Ribbon Mushroom Stroganoff below:

SPINACH RIBBON MUSHROOM STROGANOFF:

1/2 cup Sliced Shiitake Mushrooms
1/2 cup Maitake Mushrooms
1 pound organic extra firm tofu, drained
2 1/2 TBSP Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 TBSP Brown Rice Vinegar
2 cups Edensoy® Unsweetened
1 tsp Sea Salt
1 package Eden Organic Spinach Ribbons
1 cup onion, diced
1 pound button mushrooms, sliced
2 TBSP green onions or parsley, chopped

Soak shiitake and maitake mushrooms ten minutes in 2 cups hot water. Remove mushrooms from soaking liquid, reserve liquid and slice. Bring soaking liquid to a boil, add mushroom slices, reduce flame to medium-low and cook 20 minutes until mushrooms are soft. Drain and set aside. Place tofu, olive oil, brown rice vinegar, salt and Edensoy in a blender. Blend until smooth. Cook pasta according to directions, rinse and drain. Wash button mushrooms, discard stems and slice tops. In a skillet sauté onions and all mushrooms until soft. Lower the heat, add tofu mixture and heat thoroughly. Serve sauce over pasta. Garnish with green onions or parsley.

Spinach-Mushroom Lasagna

1 jar 26 oz marinara sauce
Lasagna noodles
20 oz frozen spinach (or use canned spinach)
1 lb mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
1.5 tsp dried basil
8 oz reduced-fat cream cheese (do NOT use fat-free)
1/4 cup vegetable broth (or water)
3.75 cups shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Soak noodles in hot water until soft for about 10 minutes. Squeeze dry the thawed spinach in a colander. Set aside. Heat some olive oil in a skillet and saute mushrooms until well browned, 5-7 minutes. Add spinach, stir and remove from heat. Stir in basil, cream cheese and 1/4 cup broth or water. Smear 1/4 cup marinara sauce over the bottom of the baking dish, then make layers in the following order:
- lasagna noodles
- 3/4 cup marinara sauce
- some vegetable filling
- 3/4 cup mozzarella cheese
- 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese
Top it off with the last noodles, 3/4 cup mozzarella and 1/4 cup Parmesan. Cover with foil loosely. Bake at 400 on the lower-middle rack until bubbly, about 40-45 minutes. Uncover and turn oven to broil leaving the pan on the same rack. Broil for 4-5 minutes. Remove from oven and let it sit for 10 minutes. Cut in squares and serve.

To make your own marinara sauce for this recipe: saute 3 minced garlic cloves over medium heat in 2 tablespoons of olive oil until garlic starts to sizzle. Add one 28 oz. can crushed tomatoes and 1/4 cup water or vegetable stock. The sauce should be neither thin nor gloppy. Bring to a simmer, reduce heat and simmer, partially covered for about 10 minutes (this will make 3 cups of sauce).

Mediterranean Pizza

1 pizza crust
1 cup pesto sauce
1 cup artichoke heart
1 cup sun-dried tomato
1 cup wilted spinach leaves
1/2 cup kalamata olive or black olive
1 cup prosciutto
4 ounces feta cheese
4 ounces mozzarella cheese-provolone cheese mix
olive oil

Preheat oven to 350. Brush pizza shell with olive oil. Spread pesto sauce thoroughly over the surface of the shell, leaving the edge as a crust. Top with olives, sun-dried tomatoes, artichoke hearts, wilted spinach leaves, meat and cover with cheeses. Place pizza directly on oven rack for 10 minutes, or until cheese is melted from centre to edge. Allow to cool for 5 minutes before slicing.

Pesto Pasta Salad

4 cups uncooked spiral pasta
1 cup fresh basil pesto
2 Tbsp chopped green olives
1/4 cup pine nuts
1 cup fresh or frozen peas, defrosted
12 oz. cherry tomatoes, halved
several fresh basil leaves, coarsely chopped
1 Tbsp olive oil
Salt and pepper

Cook pasta al dente. Mix in fresh basil pesto, green olives, and pine nuts. Gently mix in cherry tomatoes, peas, fresh basil leaves and olive oil. Salt and pepper to taste. Chill or serve at room temperature.

Chicken Pesto Pasta

Cook pasta and reserve ½ cup of the cooking water. Toss cooked pasta with pesto, shredded chicken and halved cherry tomatoes. Add the reserved cooking water as needed to get the pesto to mix in smoothly. Serve with freshly grated Parmesan.

Chicken Tortilla Soup

3 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
1 clove minced garlic
1.5 cup chicken broth
2 cans 14 oz. stewed tomatoes, pureed
1 can black beans, rinsed
1 cup salsa
1 tablespoon cumin
½ cup chopped fresh cilantro

Add all ingredients to the slow-cooker. Cook on high for 6 hours. During the last 30 minutes, add cilantro. If you don't have the slow-cooker, you can cook it on the stove, but make sure to simmer the soup for hours. It taster even better the next day. Can be frozen in individual containers to be reheated at a later date. Serve with cheese and tortilla chips.

~~~ Pulled Pork Sandwiches ~~~

3 lb boneless pork roast
salt to taste (omit if watching sodium intake)
2/3 cup cider vinegar
1 1/2 cups barbecue sauce (we use Sweet Baby Rays Hickory & Brown Sugar Barbecue Sauce)
6 hamburger buns
2 cups prepared coleslaw

Trim excess fat from pork roast. Sprinkle with salt. Place in slow cooker and pour vinegar over roast. Cover and cook on low until roast is fork-tender and pulls apart easily, 8-10 hours. Remove roast from cooker and shred meat into small pieces. Discard cooking liquid. Return pork to slow cooker and stir in barbecue sauce. Continue to cook until warmed through, about 30 minutes.

Spoon coleslaw onto bottom half of hamburger buns. Layer with pork, then top with the other half of the bun.

• 578 calories
• You can swap in 3 lbs of boneless, skinless breast or even pork chops in place of the roast.
• Serve with sides such as corn on the cob or steamed green beans.
• LEFTOVER IDEAS - any leftover pork (before you add the barbecue sauce) can be wrapped in foil and refrigerated. Use the leftovers to make hash for a weekend treat to serve alongside scrambled eggs and toast.
• FREEZER IDEAS - if you still have more pork left (before you add the sauce), cool the meat, wrap tightly and freeze. When ready to eat, defrost, add barbecue sauce and heat for 30 minutes, and serve. A truly 30-minute meal.

~~~ Baked Amish Oatmeal ~~~

1/3 cup butter
2 large eggs
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp vanilla + 1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
1 - 1.5 cup milk
3 cups oatmeal (I use steel-cut oats)

Melt butter and let it cool. Grease your baking dish. Beat eggs, add brown sugar, baking powder, vanilla, cinnamon, and salt. Mix well until there are no lumps. Whisk in butter and milk, then add oatmeal/oats. Stir well, and refrigerate overnight. In the morning, bake uncovered at 350F for 35-45 min. Serve hot with warm milk poured over.

~~~ Potato Salad ~~~

1 cup low-fat mayo
2 tablespoons vinegar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
1 cup thinly sliced celery
½ cup chopped onion
2 hard-boiled eggs (optional)
2 lbs potatoes (5-6 medium potatoes) cut in ¾ in. chunks

Mix all the ingredients. The salad tastes better if it is refrigerated overnight.

For more great salad recipes, visit Life As Mom.