Category Archives: Food Blog

Harvest Pumpkin Hummus with Harissa

18 Replies

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The hardest part of this recipe is to remember to soak the chickpeas the night before.

Then the next morning throw them in the slow cooker with fresh cold water. Turn on to high and let it do its thing for 4 hours. Cool in the water then drain and use.

You are going to have too many chickpeas from this recipes. So just freeze them in a ziplock bag and use them for curries, stews and salads. They are great to have on hand and much better than store bought. Cooking them in a crock pot gives you the perfect chickpea, they stay  whole and round with a tiny bite on the outside and soft on the inside, not mushy like the canned ones.

Harissa is a middle eastern paste made of roast chili peppers and some spices and herbs. Available at most super markets and otherwise online, which is where I get most of my special ingredients.

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Serves 6 – 8  as an appetizer

Ingredients;

  • 3 Cups cooked Chickpeas from 1 lb. bag of dried chickpeas, soaked overnight and cooked, see above. Reserve 1/4 Cup of the cooking liquid.
  • 1 C. fresh or frozen pumpkin cubes, cooked and drained
  • 1 whole head of roast garlic, peeled
  • 1/4 C. lemon juice
  • 1/4 C. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  • 2 tsp. Ground Cumin
  • 1/2 tsp. Coriander
  • 3 tsp. Onion powder
  • 1 – 2  tsp. Harissa
  • 1  tsp. Pink Himalayan Salt
  • 1/4 C. Tahini
  • 2 tbsp. Peanut Butter
  • 1 tbsp. Nutritional Yeast (optional)

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Instructions;

To roast garlic, preheat oven to 425° F / 220° C. Wrap in aluminum foil and roast for about 45 min to 1 hour until tender. Peel the cloves.

In the food processor, blend everything together until creamy starting with 1 tsp of the Harissa. Add more after you have tasted it. It’s very hot stuff.

Serve Hummus  with crackers, vegetables and pita.  Store in the fridge for up to 4-5 days in a sealed container.

Toppings:

Roast pumpkin Seeds,  for recipe see Spiced Pumpkin Soup with a twist…

tiny tomatoes

Olive oil

Herbs

sliced Jalapeño

crispy fried onions

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Dukkah Parmesan crusted whole Salmon Fillet…

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This is such an easy recipe!  No fancy equipment, no massive amounts of dirty dishes afterwards, just a baking tray, some foil and you’re good to go. Ah, and there’s the Dukkah of course…

Let me tell you a little something about Dukkah. Don’t you love that word?

Dukkah is a middle eastern condiment. The word Dukkah (pronounced DOO-kah) actually means “to pound”. Herbs and nuts are pound together to form a crumbly substance that is neither a paste nor a powder. It’s mostly eaten as an appetizer. Flatbread is torn into pieces, dipped in olive oil and then dipped in Dukkah. I don’t pound my Dukkah but pulse it in the food processor until rough crumbs.

There are many variations of Dukkah and the composition varies from family to family in the middle east though there are common ingredients, such as sesame , coriander, cumin, salt and pepper. But you can add anything you like really like  Nigella or  za’atar. And instead of hazelnuts you can use any nut or seed, maybe pine nuts or pistachios. It depends what you’re paring it with so go with the flow. You are going to have some left over Dukkah, just store in an airtight container. It will keep for weeks. Why not try it as an appetizer with olive oil and bread? 

Serves 4 – 6

Dukkah Ingredients;

  • 1 cups Hazelnuts
  • 1 cup Sesame Seed
  • 2 tablespoons ground Coriander
  • 2 tablespoons ground Cumin
  • 1 tsp. Garlic Powder
  • 2 tsp. Onion Powder
  • 1 tsp.  Himalayan Salt
  • 2 tsp. Black Pepper, Ground

Method;

Toast the hazelnut over medium heat for about five minutes keeping a close watch on them because they burn very quickly. Keep tossing them around. Add the sesame seeds and toast for an other two minutes until you hear a popping sound. Turn off the heat and add the remaining ingredients. Keep tossing a few times more to mix well. Let cool completely. Put the mixture in a food processor and pulse until medium crumbs. Store in a mason jar.

Ingredients Salmon Fillet and baby potatoes;

  • 2 lbs Salmon fillet, skin removed20161024_122440
  • 3 tbsp. Dukkah
  • 1/2 C. freshly grated Parmesan cheese
  • 1 tbsp. Light Olive Oil

Baby potatoes;

  • 1 lb. peeled and pre cooked baby potatoes
  • 1 tbsp. Light Olive Oil
  • 1 tsp. smoked paprika,
  • 1 garlic clove peeled and crushed
  • salt and pepper

Cucumber – Pomegranate Salad;

  • 1 Cucumber, organic preferably
  • 1 tbsp. Light Olive Oil
  • 2 tsp. Apple Cider Vinegar
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • 1/3 C. Pomegranate seeds, fresh or frozen
  • 1 –  tbsp. Fresh Dill sprigs

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Method;

Preheat the oven to 430° F

Get out a baking tray and line with parchment paper. Now get a piece of  aluminum foil large enough for the whole fillet to sit on. Lay it out on the tray diagonally and cover with an other piece of parchment paper. Spray with some cooking oil and place the fillet on top with the dark side down (where the skin was).

Brush the Salmon fillet with the olive oil.

In a small bowl mix the Dukkah with the Parmesan cheese. Cover the entire surface of the fillet with the mixture and press it on with your fingers.

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To prepare the baby potatoes, toss all the ingredients in a bowl and spread out along the sides of the salmon fillet.

Place in the middle of the oven and bake for  20 minutes. Serve immediately with the cucumber salad.

To make the salad, peel the cucumber leaving on some of the green for color. Slice thin with a mandolin. Place in a bowl and toss with the remaining ingredients.

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Not quite what you were looking for? How about Home smoked Salmon

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Spiced Pumpkin Soup with a twist…

12 Replies

 

Spiced Pumpkin Soup with a twist...This soup recipe will become one of your favorites, it's quick and easy to make. Smooth and comfort food at it's best.I thecookingspoon.org

…and with XXL Cheese Croutons and crunchy pumpkin seed topping!

I’ve been making this soup for at least ten years and it’s very very comforting and has a velvet like texture. When it’s raining outside this is the kind of soup you look forward to.

I was about to make it for lunch when I realized I didn’t have a enough onions. Yikes, that ment I had to go outside again and it was pouring with rain.

Thank goodness the supermarket is just across the street so I put on my raincoat and made a run for it! I came back a little soaked but hey, this soup’s worth it.

The soup only takes about 15 minutes to prepare at the most, plus 30 minutes of simmering.  During the simmering you can make the crunchy seed topping and prepare the croutons. It really is a meal in itself, but you could serve it as a first course too, just serve small portions since it is quite filling.

I’ve added a super delicious crunchy topping of spicey pumpkin seeds and some XXL cheesy croutons. YUM!

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Serves 6

Ingredients Soup:

  • 2 tbsp. Butter (use coconut oil for vegans)
  • 2 large onions, peeled and chopped fine
  • 1 large garlic clove, peeled and chopped fine
  • 2 tsp. Coriander , ground
  • 1 tsp. Cumin, ground
  • 2 lbs. peeled and cubed pumpkin, fresh or frozen
  • 3 C. chicken stock made with 3 Bouillon Cubes (use vegetable stock for vegans/vegetarians)
  • 3/4 C. Apple Juice without added sugar
  • 1 ripe peeled banana, sliced
  • 3 tbsp. Almond Meal
  • 1 tsp. Sambal Oelek

Method;

In a large pan, melt the butter, add the onion and cook for about 5 minutes on medium low. Add the garlic, stir around and add the spices. Stir a couple of times. Add the rest of the ingredients. Bring to  medium simmer and leave to cook for thirty minutes until everything is very tender. Turn off the heat. Blend with a hand blender until completely smooth.

Ingredients Crispy Pumpkin Seeds:

  • 1/2 C. Pumpkin seeds
  • 1 tsp. coconut oil
  • 1 tsp. cajun seasoning
  • 1 tsp. honey (use coconut sugar for vegans)

Method;

Heat a small frying pan over medium high heat. Add the oil.  Add the seeds and toast tossing constantly for about three minutes. Add the remaining ingredients. Cook for an other minute. Transfer the seeds to a tray lined with baking parchment and let cool until ready to use.

 

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Ingredients for the XXL Croutons;

  • 1 baguette
  • 1 – 2 tbsp. butter softened  (use coconut oil for vegans/vegetarians)
  • 4 – 6  slices thick cheese (use vegan or omit)

Method;

Preheat the grill of your oven.

Slice the baguette as diagonally as you can to get long slim pieces.

Butter the bottom of the slices and place on a lined baking tray. Cover with the cheese and grill in the middle rack of the oven until golden on top for about 5 minutes.

To serve, ladle some soup into a bowl or mug, sprinkle with the crispy pumpkin seeds a place a xxl crouton on top. Yum.

Enjoy!

Myra XO

Caramel Pumpkin Pie Baked Oatmeal

7 Replies

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This oatmeal bake is so comforting, it has the warm spices we typically associate with fall, and it warms you up from the inside. I usually make it in the weekends and it may or may not last for a day or two. You can heat up any leftovers the next morning adding a splash of milk. And since it’s “Pumpkin Season”, yes, it has lots of pumpkin in it, so nice and creamy with a slight caramel flavor, you’ll love it.

Serves 6

Needed: Baking Dish 8.1″ Square (2 quart)

 

Ingredients;

1 lb. peeled pumpkin cubes

1 tbsp. melted butter

1/4 tsp. Pumpkin Pie Spice

1 tbsp. Organic Coconut Sugar

2 tbsp. milk of choice, I use Unsweetened Organic Soymilk

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2  2/3 C. Breakfast Oats (gluten-free)

1 1/2 tsp. Baking Powder

1/2 tsp. Pumpkin Pie Spice

1/4 tsp. Pink Himalayan Salt

1/2 C. Dark Chocolate Chips

2 C. milk of choice, I Use Unsweetened Organic Soymilk

2 large eggs

5 tbsp. Maple Syrup

1/2 tsp. Caramel Extract

1/2 tsp. Vanilla Extract

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Method;

Preheat oven to 350° F

Place the pumpkin cubes in a bowl, add the spice, melted butter and coconut sugar. Toss to cover. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and place all the pumpkin on the sheet distributing evenly. Bake for 25 minutes until tender when pierced with a fork.

Let cool. Place the pumpkin in a food processor and blend until smooth with 2 tbsp. of milk. Set aside.

In a bowl, whisk the two eggs with the milk, extracts and maple syrup. Stir in the pumpkin mash. Mix well, but it doesn’t matter if there are a few little lumps.

In an other bowl combine, oats, baking powder, spice, chocolate chips  and salt. Stir to mix.

Add the wet ingredients to the dry and stir to combine. Grease an oven dish and add the mixture.

Bake in the oven for 20 minutes until set and slightly wobbly in the middle. Let sit for a few minutes before serving and pour over some Maple syrup.

Serve warm with some crème fraîche, sour cream or thick greek yoghurt and more maple syrup. Leftovers can be heated with an extra splash of milk.

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