Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread

I admit that I am one of those fans of pumpkin fall treats.  I waited a little longer this year so I wouldn't tire of it quickly, but I have been making everything from pumpkin waffles, pumpkin pancakes, pumpkin cheesecake and now pumpkin bread.  Maybe I secretly justify that these food items must be better for you since they have a vegetable in them. :)  And despite one of my children's strong aversion to squash, he will eat all the pumpkin food I can throw at him.  What are your favorite pumpkin recipes? This bread can be made with or without the chocolate chips, though the chocolate chips sure make it even tastier. Enjoy!

Spiced Pumpkin Bread

3 ½ cups flour                                  2 ½ cups sugar

2 tsp baking powder                        4 Large eggs

1 tsp baking soda                             1 cup canola oil

1 tsp salt                                           1 – 15oz can pumpkin puree

1 Tblsp cinnamon                            1/2 cup water

1 Tblsp nutmeg                                1 tsp vanilla

1 1/2 cups chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350*.  Grease two 9 X 5 loaf pans.  Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a large bowl and set aside.  Whisk together the sugar, eggs, and oil in a separate bowl until well blended.  Stir in the pumpkin, water and vanilla and mix well.  Add the flour mixture to the pumpkin mixture and stir until all the ingredients are moist and blended.  Do not overmix.  Gently stir in the chocolate chips.  Pour the batter evenly into the prepared pans and bake about 1 hour until a toothpick inserted in the center of each loaf comes out clean and the top begins to crack slightly.  Let rest for 10 to 15 minutes before removing from the pans.  Serve warm or place on a baking rack to cool.

Makes 2 loaves

*Adapted from Sara Foster.

Butternut Squash and Pear Soup

I am in love with fall.  It is truly my favorite season.  I love the cooler weather, the crisp air, rosy cheeks and noses and all the activities and food that comes with it.  I have been wishing that where I live would allow fall to come, but until that time I'm going to pretend that it has.  So to soothe my craving for fall, I make dishes like this soup.  It is one of our absolute favorite.  It takes a bit of prep and time, but is totally worth it in the end when you taste all the blends of flavors coming together to make a bit of heaven in your mouth.  I served this with a hearty salad and some goat cheese toasts. Whatever you serve it with, it will be the center of attention.  I always roast the butternut squash well in advance so the rest of the prep time doesn't take so long.  Enjoy!

Butternut Squash and Pear Soup

1 large butternut squash (about 3-4lbs in total weight)

3 Tblsp butter

1 medium onion, chopped

2 ripe Bartlett or Anjou pears, peeled, cored & cut into 1/2 inch pieces                                                   2 tsp minced fresh ginger

4 to 5 cups low sodium chicken or vegetable broth

1-1 ½ tsp salt

1/8 tsp cayenne pepper

1 cup heavy cream

1/2 cup sour cream

Maple syrup

Chopped chives and cinnamon, for garnish

To prepare squash: Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Carefully cut the squash lengthwise through the middle and scoop out seeds.  Place the halves flat side down on a non-stick or parchment-lined baking sheet.  Pour 2 cups water into the pan and place the pan in the center of the oven with the necks of the squash toward the back of the oven.  Cook squash for about 35-45 minutes, or until the middle of the neck is soft enough to indent.  Once it has cooled enough to handle, peel and cut into 1-inch pieces.

For the soup:  Melt butter in a large saucepan over med-high heat.  Add the onions and sauté for about 4-5 minutes.  Add the peeled pears and sauté another 4-5 minutes.  Add the cooked squash, ginger and 4 cups of broth.  The broth should cover the vegetables.  Bring to a boil, stirring often.  Reduce the heat to medium low and cook covered, stirring often, for 20-25 minutes.

            Add the salt and cayenne pepper.  Remove from the heat.  Carefully puree the soup directly in the saucepan with a stick blender or in a blender.  Make sure to start blender on low and then remove the middle part of lid to let steam escape.  Puree the pulp and soup broth in batches until smooth.  Return the puree and soup broth to the saucepan.  Simmer over medium heat, stirring often for 5 minutes.

            Reduce the heat to low, stir in 1 cup of cream, and adjust seasoning to taste.  Thin the soup with milk to desired consistency.  In a small bowl mix the sour cream with some maple syrup (about 2 Tablespoons). Garnish soup with maple sour cream, dash of cinnamon, and chopped chives.

Serves 6

Cranberry White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies

There is something so wonderful about a warm cookie fresh out of the oven with a glass of cold milk.  Some lucky people around the country already get to start celebrating fall with it's crisp coolness and changing colors.  We are still experiencing 90+ degree weather.  So to help my mourning of fall, I decided to bake these up and pretend that it was fall.  Hopefully this will bring in the season of pumpkin and cranberries with full force.  I'm ready for it.  Remember that the sugars in the cookies continue to bake outside of the oven while cooling, so take them out when they first start to turn golden.  That way they won't get over cooked and you will have a perfectly baked cookie.  Enjoy!

Cranberry White Chocolate Macadamia Cookies

1 cup butter, room temperature         

1 cup brown sugar                           

1 cup sugar                                       

2 eggs                                               

2 Tablespoons vanilla                                 

3 cups flour              

1 tsp baking soda

2 cups chopped white chocolate

2 cups dried cranberries

6 oz macadamia nut pieces (or walnuts, chopped)

Preheat oven to 375*.  In a large bowl, cream together the butter, brown sugar, & white sugar until smooth.  Beat in the eggs & vanilla.  Combine the flour & baking soda in small bowl.  Stir into the sugar mixture.  Fold in the white chocolate chunks, cranberries, & macadamia nuts (or walnuts).  Drop by heaping spoonfuls onto prepared cookie sheets (lined with silpat).  Bake for 8-10 minutes in preheated oven.  For best results, take them out when they are slightly golden.  Cookies continue to bake when out of the oven.  Allow cookies to cool for 3-5 minutes before transferring to wire rack.

Makes 4 dozen cookies.

Salmon Fajita Salad with Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette

I once had a conversation with a new friend about what she liked to eat. Surprised right? We both concluded that we enjoyed eating the rainbow.  Fresh, full of multiple colors, and flavorful.  This salad is just that.  And lucky for me, I have been craving salads!  The good, healthy, hearty, flavorful ones.  Yes, I am pregnant with my fourth child and this baby is going to love himself some vegetables.  More than I can say for my daughter who all I craved was prepared junk food.  This salad has so much flavor going on it will be a party in your mouth with every bite.  Make sure to get the wild caught salmon.  Farm raised salmon gets its pink color from food additives and has much higher levels of contaminants.  I used to be afraid of skin on salmon.  Don't be!  It comes right off after being cooked.  We have found great wild caught Alaskan salmon at Costco.  We just cut it up into the size we like and freeze the rest we don't use for each meal.  Enjoy! 

Salmon Fajita Salad with Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette

Salmon

1 pound wild salmon, skin on, cut into fillets (about 5 fillets)

3 tablespoon olive oil, divided

1 teaspoon Chile powder

1 teaspoon smoked paprika

1 teaspoon cumin

2 teaspoon brown sugar

zest of 2 fresh limes

pinch of salt and pepper

Salads

8 cups butter lettuce or spring greens mix, chopped

1 mango, peeled and diced

1-2 jalapenos, seeded and small diced

1 can black beans, drained & rinsed

1 red pepper, sliced

1-2 avocados, sliced

3/4 cup sharp cheddar cheese, thinly shredded

2 ounces queso fresco (cotija) cheese or goat cheese, crumbled

fresh cilantro, for topping

crushed blue corn tortilla chips (for more color)

Simple Honey Lime Vinaigrette

1/4 cup olive oil

1/4 cup fresh lime juice (about 2 limes)

2 tablespoons cilantro, chopped (or more to your liking)

1/2 teaspoon chili powder

2 tablespoons honey

salt and pepper, to taste

            To make the dressing, combine the olive oil, lime juice, cilantro, chili powder, honey and salt and pepper. Whisk to combine, taste and adjust seasonings to your liking. Set aside.

            In a large salad bowl add the lettuce, mango, jalapeno, red pepper, and black beans. Toss well and set aside.

            In a small bowl combine the chili powder, smoked paprika, cumin, brown sugar, lime zest and a good pinch of salt and pepper.  Place the salmon on a plate and rub with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Sprinkle the spice mixture over the salmon and gently rub it into the salmon.

            Heat a medium size skillet over medium heat. Add a tablespoon of olive oil. Once hot, add the salmon, skin side facing up. Sear the salmon for about 3 minutes and then flip and continue cooking for another 3-4 minutes or until the salmon reaches your desired doneness. Cooking times will vary depending on the size of your salmon fillets.  Just don't overcook it as it gets dry.  It should just be past the pink opaque point. 

            To assemble the salads, divide the salad among plates or bowls. Sprinkle each plate with a little cheddar and a little queso fresco (cotija) cheese. Top each bowl with a piece of salmon. Add a few slice of avocado and drizzle with the dressing. Garnish with crushed tortilla chips, limes and more cilantro. Serve immediately.

Serves 4-5

*This delightful salad recipe is adapted from halfbakedharvest.com

Black Bean and Corn Salsa

We have been reveling in all the fresh delicious ingredients that are growing this time of year.  The tomatoes, the avocados, the corn, etc.  It's delightful to our palates.  And if you can't tell, I'm a big lover of the black bean and corn combo.  This recipe was first introduced to me by my friend Rebecca.  Admittedly, I almost eat this as a main course because I love the flavors so much, though it is most certainly an appetizer or side. The recipe says to use canned corn, but if corn is in season, please use that.  It definitely ups the ante of flavor.  Just use 2 cobs of corn, cooked, with the kernels removed with a knife.  Hope you enjoy it as much as we have.

Fresh Black Bean & Corn Salsa

3 Roma tomatoes, small diced

1 large avocado, small diced

4 green onions, thinly sliced

1 (15 oz) can black beans, drained & rinsed

1 (15 oz) can corn, drained & blanched

1/2 orange pepper, small diced

3/4 cup cilantro, chopped

Wishbone Italian House Dressing

McCormick Fajita Seasoning

Salt & Pepper

fresh lemon juice

Combine all ingredients in bowl.  Put just enough Italian dressing and lemon juice to moisten vegetables.  Season to taste with fajita seasoning, salt & pepper.  Serve with tortilla chips.   

Prosciutto, Fig, Walnut, and Shaved Parmesan Salad

It is fig season! Yay!  And someone just gave us a whole basket of figs.  Double Yay!  My husband came home from a business trip talking about a salad he had eaten that was fabulous.  So, we recreated it.  This salad is super easy to make, yet has the appearance of something super elegant and difficult.  You can use either black figs or green figs.  We used green just because they were given to us.  Either tastes great in this salad. The recipe is broken down into different elements since it is really lots of pieces coming together to create something delicious.  Notice the cayenne in the walnuts to give it a little kick. Enjoy!

Prosciutto, Fig, Candied Walnut, and Parmesan Salad

Candied Walnuts:

3 Tblsp unsalted butter

1/4 cup brown sugar, packed

1 Tblsp good quality honey

1/2 tsp salt

1 1/2 cups walnut halves

dash of cayenne pepper

To make the walnuts, melt the butter in a medium sized, nonstick skillet over medium-low heat until bubbling slightly.  Add the brown sugar, honey, salt, and dash of cayenne.  Cook stirring constantly with a silicone spoon for about 1 minute until the butter and sugar are incorporated together.  Add the walnuts and stir to coat the nuts with the mixture.  Continue cooking and stirring constantly until the nuts are glazed and toasted, about 6-8 minutes.  Remove the skillet from heat and allow the nuts to cool.  Break into smaller pieces and set aside.

*Make sure your nuts are not cold as this will affect the caramelization of the sugar and butter.

Balsamic Vinaigrette:

1/8 balsamic vinegar

1/4 cup olive oil

1/4 tsp Dijon mustard (if desired)

salt & pepper, to taste

Place all ingredients into a glass jar with lid.  Shake vigorously until all ingredients are combined.

Salad:

6 oz Spring salad mix

2 oz prosciutto

1 1/2 cups black or green fresh figs

chunk of Parmesan Reggiano cheese

1 1/2 cups candied walnuts

Balsamic Vinaigrette

Wash and dry salad greens.  Place in large bowl.  Dice prosciutto into a large dice and place on top of salad greens (you can even tear the pieces of prosciutto for a rustic look).  Wash and dry figs.  Cut figs into quarter pieces and put on top of prosciutto.  Scatter candied walnuts on top of salad.  Shave Parmesan with a vegetable peeler into medium sized shavings on top of salad.  Toss with balsamic vinaigrette and serve immediately.

Serves 5 

Fresh Squeezed Lemonade

There is something about fresh squeezed lemonade that reminds me of an old fashioned picnic, when the picnickers would not have even dreamed of making lemonade from a mix.  And after tasting the real thing, you won't want to either.  Even though citrus is technically a winter season fruit, we have been getting lemons on our tree all year long.  It has been great this summer as we have been enjoying fresh squeezed lemonade in abundance.  My children even had a goal to have a lemonade stand this summer, which they proudly pulled off.  It was a great lesson in learning the value of money for them....with some nice cool lemonade on the side.  If you are using meyer lemons you won't need as much simple syrup as they are a sweeter lemon. You might just have to adjust the sweetener according to the lemon tartness and your sweet tooth.  In order to make this large amount of lemonade I tripled the recipe.  But if you just want one pitcher then stick with the recipe below. Enjoy and stay cool!

Fresh Squeezed Lemonade

1 cup sugar (for the simple syrup)

1 cup water (for the simple syrup)

1 cup lemon juice
4 cups cold water

             Make the simple syrup by heating the sugar and water in a small saucepan until the sugar is dissolved completely and the mixture has thickened just a bit.

            While the sugar is dissolving, use a juicer to extract the juice from 4 to 6 lemons, enough for one cup of juice.  Add the juice and 1/2 to 3/4 cup simple syrup to a pitcher. Add 4 cups of cold water, more or less to the desired strength. Refrigerate 30 to 40 minutes and serve over ice & sliced lemons.  If the lemonade is a too little sweet or for your taste, add a little more straight lemon juice to it.  If it isn't sweet enough, add more simple syrup.  Remember the ice will melt and dull the tartness a bit.

Makes 1 pitcher