Roasted Pumpkin Seed Butter

Happy Fourth of July. I've sort of been a slacker lately because I've needed to focus on other things right now. For example, we were without power from last Friday night until Monday night after a freaky summer storm took out most of the area's power including traffic lights. Driving without traffic lights is scary. Ninety percent of the drivers treat it like a 4-way stop and patiently wait their turns, but the other ten percent go barreling through like they're the only ones on the road and have the rest of us practically paralyzed with fear they're going to hit us. We need round-abouts like they have in Europe. There are many people without power still in the sweltering heat, so I'm grateful we have it.

Making this pumpkin seed butter couldn't be easier. Roast the seeds, process in the food processor, add a pinch of salt and you're done. But according to the Hub, who is a big peanut butter fan, it just doesn't taste good enough to replace his brand name junk. And, according to the list of ingredients, here's why: it doesn't contain sugar, palm oil or molasses. If you (unlike the Hub) have already banned such things from your peanut butter, you many like this. In fairness, Robin wasn't a big fan either when she was visiting. It has the exact same texture as natural peanut butter.

 

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.