Pumpkin Patch Pasta

This pasta dish is accompanied by a savory medley of mixed vegetables with pumpkin highlighted in both the roasted veggies and the sauce.

Ingredients:

8 oz cavatappi (corkscrew) pasta (2 1/2 cups uncooked)

1 sliced or diced onion

3 diced Italian tomatoes

1 diced bell pepper

8 medium mushrooms, quartered

1 medium carrot, sliced

1 cup pumpkin, cubed

black pepper to taste

2 tbsps + 2 tsps olive oil

Sauce:

1 cup pumpkin purée (see end of post for easy recipe)

1 cup reserved pasta water

1 cup tomato sauce

2 tbsps olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

1 tsp ground sage

2 pinches of sugar

1 pinch of nutmeg

4 or 5 roasted garlic cloves, mashed (see end of post for easy recipe)

fresh chopped parsley

chia seeds

Combine the sauce ingredients (without the pasta water at this point) in a sauce pan. Heat on a very low simmer. Boil pumpkin cubes in a separate pot until just tender, then drain.

Toss the onion, tomato, bell pepper, mushrooms and carrots with 2 tbsps olive oil and spread on a lined baking sheet. Add black pepper to your taste and roast in a 450°F oven for 15 minutes. Toss the pre-cooked pumpkin with 2 tsps olive oil and add to the veggies. Return all to the oven for another 10 minutes.

Meanwhile cook the pasta as per package directions and reserve 1 cup pasta water. Add ladlefuls of the water to the sauce stirring until you reach a consistency you like. I did end up using nearly the whole cup. Once the water is incorporated, heat the sauce right through then continue simmering.

When the pasta is cooked, drain and toss with the sauce to coat.

Serve the pasta surrounded by the roasted vegetable medley and add fresh chopped parsley and chia seeds to garnish.

Serves 4

Pumpkin Purée:

https://hotandcoldrunningmom.blogspot.com/2016/10/pumpkin-puree.html

"Roasted" Garlic:

https://hotandcoldrunningmom.blogspot.com/2017/11/roasted-garlic-in-microwave.html

Lemon Roast Chicken

If you love lemons, you'll love this recipe. It's the lemoniest! This chicken becomes fully infused with the bright taste of lemon while staying nice and juicy!

Ingredients:

3 lb chicken

2 or 3 carrots, cut in half or thick sliced

1 lemon, zested then sliced

2 or 3 red bell peppers, halved or quartered

2 tbsps butter

2 tsps minced garlic

1 tsp dry thyme

fresh cracked black pepper to taste

salt to taste

olive oil

Combine the lemon zest (the zest of the whole lemon makes it very lemony, use less if you just want a hint of lemon), butter, minced garlic, thyme and black pepper and slide globs of it under the skin of the chicken wherever you can. Sit the chicken in a baking dish on top of pepper halves and 3 or 4 lemon slices. If you want the chicken more lemony, stuff the balance of the lemon into the cavity.

Place the carrots around the chicken and add 1/4 cup water. Brush the chicken with olive oil and sprinkle everything with thyme, salt and black pepper. 

Bake in a 425°F oven for 15 minutes, then reduce heat to 350°F for 1 1/2 hours, basting occasionally.

Serves 4 with a little left for a sandwich or two the next day!

Bell Pepper Beef Stir-Fry

 After a short marinating time it's a quick stir-fry from skillet to table.

Ingredients:

1 lb sirloin or beef tenderloin, cut in 1 1/2" cubes

1 1/2 tbsps vegetable oil

1/8 tsp baking soda

1 tsp minced garlic

1 tsp cornstarch

2 cups chopped greens (spinach, arugula, kale)

1 small onion, sliced

1 or 2 sweet bell peppers, sliced (I used yellow here)

2 tbsps vegetable oil

Sauce:

1/4 cup water

1 tsp ketchup

1 tsp worcestershire sauce

2 tsps soya sauce

1 tsp hoisin

1/4 tsp sesame oil

salt and pepper to taste

1 tbsp cornstarch

1 tbsp water

Mix 1 1/2 tbsps vegetable oil, baking soda, garlic and cornstarch together. Toss the beef to coat, refrigerate and marinate 2 hours. 

When ready to cook heat 1 tbsp vegetable oil in a large skillet to high and sear the beef on each side about 1 minute. Move the meat to the sides of the pan, add another 1 tbsp vegetable oil and the onion and bell pepper. Stir fry 2-3 minutes then toss in your choice of greens.

Mix the sauce ingredients together up to but not including the cornstarch and water. Make a well and pour the sauce in the center of the meat and vegetables. Then combine cornstarch and water and whisk into the sauce.

Cook to thicken, taste and adjust salt and pepper if needed.

Serves 4

Lemon Lavender Loaf

This quick little loaf cake features floral notes of lavender paired with the fresh taste of lemon.

This 🠋 is not how you want your loaf to turn out! Not every recipe turns out the way you want. So sometimes you've got to let it go and try another one. 

Here's the recipe for one that will turn out right!

Ingredients:

3/4 cup milk

2-3 tsps dried lavender buds

1/3 cup butter, at room temperature

1 cup sugar

zest of 1 lemon

2 eggs

1/4 cup plain or honey Greek yogurt

1/2 tsp vanilla

2 cups flour

1 1/2 tsps baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

purple colouring (optional)

Glaze:

2/3 cup icing sugar

1 tbsp lemon juice

1/2 tsp vanilla

more lavender buds and lemon zest to top

Preheat the oven to 325°F and grease and flour a 9 X 5" loaf pan.

In a small saucepan warm milk and lavender to a simmer then remove from heat. If you want to use purple colouring, add it to the milk. 

In a large bowl cream the butter and sugar together then beat in the eggs and zest. Add the yogurt and vanilla. Mix flour, baking powder and salt together in a separate bowl. In two or three additions, add some flour mix to the butter mix, then add some milk continuing until just combined. Don't over mix.

Pour into prepared pan and bake at 325°F for 55-60 minutes or until cake tester comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes then remove from pan to cool completely on rack.

Combine the glaze ingredients and drizzle or spread over the loaf, adding lavender buds and zest right away before glaze sets.

So pretty💜

And here's some info on growing and collecting lavender:

https://hotandcoldrunningmom.blogspot.com/2021/07/lavender.html

Loaf adapted from: reluctantentertainer.com

Tofu Buddha Bowls

Lots of colour and texture go into this nutritious bowl of "little bites"!  

While quinoa is probably the healthier choice, this time around I went with time-saving couscous as the base. You can also use rice or barley. Swapping in different veggies and beans depending on what's in your fridge makes this an easy, breesy vegetarian choice.

Ingredients:

1 - 420g block extra firm tofu, cut in 3/4" cubes

2 tsps sriracha

1 tbsp olive oil

2 tsps brown sugar

3 tbsps cornstarch

1 tsp smoked paprika

2 tsps garlic powder

1 tsp onion powder

1/4 tsp chili powder

1/4 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp sea salt

3/4 cup red kidney beans

1 red pepper, cut in strips

some diced cucumber and tomato

fresh parsley and salsa to serve

Lime Couscous:

1 1/2 cups water

2 tbsps lime juice

1 tbsp olive oil

pinch salt

pinch red pepper flakes

1 cup couscous

1/4 cup fresh chopped parsley or cilantro

First drain water from tofu. Remove it from packaging and place between layers of paper towels. Place a weight (I used a cast iron pan) on top and let sit 15-20 minutes, changing the paper towels halfway through. This pressing and draining will help achieve a crispier tofu.

Mix brown sugar, cornstarch, all the spices and salt together in a plastic bag or saved waxed cereal bag. Mix the olive oil and sriracha and toss the tofu cubes in half that mixture. Then place the tofu in the bag with dry mix and toss to coat completely.

Spread the tofu out on one side of a parchment lined baking sheet. Toss red pepper strips with 1 tsp olive oil and place on the other side of the baking sheet. Bake at 400°F for 20 minutes, then brush the tofu with the remaining olive oil/sriracha and return to the oven for 15 minutes.

While tofu is baking prepare the lime couscous. In a saucepan combine the water, lime juice, olive oil, salt and red pepper flakes. Bring to a boil then add the couscous, stir, cover and remove from heat. Fluff after 5 minutes with a fork and add the chopped parsley.

Build the bowls with a base of couscous topped with crispy tofu, kidney beans (heated or room temperature), roasted red pepper strips, diced cucumber and tomato, fresh parsley and a spoonful or two of tomato salsa.

Serves 3

I like mine stirred together with the salsa!

Gingerbread Walnut Muffins

Cozy, warming spices like ginger, cinnamon and allspice will fill your kitchen with the aroma of fall when you bake these grab and go breakfast muffins! 

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups flour

1/2 cup brown sugar

2 tsps baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

2 tsps ginger

1 1/2 tsps cinnamon

1/2 tsp allspice

1/2 cup molasses

1/2 cup milk, at room temperature

1/2 cup butter, melted and cooled

2 eggs, at room temperature

1 1/2 tsps vanilla

1/2 cup chopped walnuts, plus extra for tops

coarse sugar (optional)

First whisk the dry ingredients together in a large bowl. Then whisk all the wet ingredients together and add this to the dry ingredients. Mix just until combined and stir in the walnuts.

Scoop batter into paper lined muffin tins and sprinkle with walnuts and coarse sugar.

Bake at 425°F for 5 minutes then reduce heat to 350°F for 15 minutes longer.

Cool in tin about 5 minutes before cooling on rack.

Makes 12 medium sized fall spiced muffins.

Gonna be hitting those pumpkin recipes soon!

Everything Bagel and Basil Salmon

By the time Friday rolls around who feels like making a long and involved recipe for dinner? This one will look like you did, but will take you less than 30 minutes!

Ingredients:

4 salmon fillets, thawed if frozen

1/4 cup olive oil

1/4 cup (or to taste) Everything Bagel seasoning

Gremolata:

2 tbsps fresh basil, thinly sliced

1 tsp lemon zest

1 tsp minced garlic

2 tbsps olive oil

1 tbsp fresh chopped parsley

First mix the gremolata ingredients together in a bowl and set aside. I used up the last of my garden basil here.

Place the salmon in an oiled baking dish and brush with olive oil. Sprinkle evenly with the everything bagel seasoning.

Bake for 20 minutes in a 350°F oven then top with the fragrant gremolata and serve.

Serves 4