Pumpkin Seed-Coated Lentil Patties

I loved these lentil patties, the Hub not so much. The recipe apparently originates in the cookbook Vive Le Vegan! by Dreena Burton but is given on several blogs. I served them as a side dish at dinner, but ate the rest as snacks. The instructions are given in thermomixer, which appears to be a machine that both cooks and processes food. I just used a regular stove and food processor, but my final product looks similiar to those on the blogs. The dipping sauce adds a lot to the flavor.

Pumpkin Oatmeal Bars

These bars from the Bob's Red Mill website are not without some issues. And all of them stem from that fact that they don't give dimensions on the pan you are to use. There is no picture with the recipe to even hint at how thick they should be. It says to not overcook them, but I think I did, making them impossible to cut. I liked the flavor, but gave up on them after a few gum shredding bites. I actually think a quarter sheet or straight edge 9 by 13 inch pan would work best.

Fat-Free Pumpkin and Raisin Biscuits

These biscuits from the blog Fat-Free Vegan Kitchen are ok. They have no fat and no white flour, so as the author states "aren't going to be light and fluffy," but if you have low expectations, you'll probably like them. The pumpkin keeps them moist and the raisins add some sweetness. I made a half batch and both the Hub and I liked them straight out of the oven, but let the leftovers sit until I threw them out. The author shows hers with a sweet glaze, which I didn't add.

Haitian Pumpkin Soup

This soup/stew came from the Whole Foods Market webpage with this interesting heading: Haitian households celebrate their country's Independence Day with bowls of this comforting soup. The national holiday falls on New Year's Day, when Haitians walk from house to house to pay friends and family the first visits of the New Year. Although this is a vegetarian version, add small cubes of browned beef stew meat along with the pumpkin, if you like. Simply remove and then return them to the pot just as you do the hot peppers. This recipe was inspired by Norzina, a lumber and charcoal vendor.

Even though I only added about a teaspoon of dried minced jalapeno and then removed most of it later, it was too hot for the Hub and I. The Hub also decided he wasn't a fan of turnips either. Andrew liked it when he came to visit for the weekend. 

Pumpkin and Chorizo Tostadas

Both the Hub and I loved these tostadas with their smoky chipotle chili and cinnamon roasted pumpkin and chorizo (ours was actually fake meatless chorizo) on refried black beans. We aren't usually big corn tortilla fans, but these are perfect with this recipe. My only complaint would be (as it is for all tostadas), they are kinda hard to eat. Are you supposed to pick the whole thing up with your hands balancing the toppings? Or eat the toppings with a fork and then munch on the shell? Either way, give these a try, our vegetarian version or the real thing.

Caribbean-Style Rice and Beans with Pumpkin

I added diced pumpkin to this Whole Foods recipe for Caribbean-style rice and beans. I also used a yellow pepper instead of a red, so it's hard to see which is which. The Hub and I liked it, but didn't love it and I doubt I would make it again.

Apple Pumpkin Delight

I found this recipe on the blog The Fatfree Vegan Kitchen. Her idea was to make the inside of an apple pie using half apples and half pumpkin. She used Granny Smith apples, which is a traditional apple pie apple, and lots of sugar. I tried using sweeter apples and less added sugar. Hers looked like the inside of an apple pie, mine looked like some baked pumpkin and apple slices. Oh well, we ate it, but I doubt I would make it again.

Pumpkin Apricot Daybreak Cookie

This recipe came from the now defunct magazine Today's Health and Wellness by way of the Bob's Red Mill website. I had really high hopes for this recipe, and could already picture myself enjoying cookies every day for breakfast. But alas, it was not to be. These cookies are barely edible. Whole wheat flour, oat bran cereal and pumpkin are heavy ingredients and I knew it would take more than 1/8 teaspoon of baking powder to get them to rise. Mine came in at 85 calories each, so for three mornings I chewed and chewed and chewed my way through three cookies until they were gone. I feel the recipe needs more than a little tweaking to get it right. Even the pricy apricots could have been replaced with cheap raisins. Oh well, I'll keep looking for a great tasting and healthy breakfast cookie recipe.

Coconut-Lime Fish Curry with Pumpkin

I'm back from France, where I had a wonderful 11 days with my girlfriends. In Paris I had a bowl of pumpkin/chestnut soup which was fabulous although I suspect it was probably butternut squash because it was fresh and I just don't know where they would get pumpkin this time of year. But they are pretty truthful about these things too, so maybe it was. They are much more "local" than we are about food. Even in the grocery stores the signs list the item, country of origin and the price. In Provence, I added to my pumpkin decoration collection with a cement pumpkin and a faux antique pumpkin sign. Both clearly marked Made in France.

I added two cups of diced pumpkin to this recipe from the website Katy She Cooks. Both the Hub and I loved the curry, which we ate over brown rice. I used lite coconut milk although she warns against it and used flounder fillets from Costco as my "mild white fish." We liked the recipe because it's not something we eat all the time, it scores high on our eating plan for nutrition and calories and never once tasted "fishy" for those who don't like fish.