Pumpkin Pancakes

If you've finished your holiday cooking and have some leftover pumpkin that you can't decide what to do with, this is the perfect breakfast treat to use it in! These fluffy pancakes are easy to make and sure to be a hit any time of the year.

Pumpkin Pancakes 

1½ cups milk

1 cup pumpkin puree

2 eggs, separated

3 Tbsp. vegetable oil

2 cups flour

3 Tbsp. sugar

2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

1 tsp. allspice

½ tsp. ground ginger

½ tsp. salt

In a bowl, combine the dry ingredients - flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, allspice, ginger, salt. Add the milk, pumpkin, and egg yolks, setting aside the egg whites in a separate bowl. Stir all the ingredients just until mixed, batter will be slightly lumpy. Beat the eggs whites until stiff peaks form, then gently fold into pancake batter. Lightly butter a griddle or skillet and heat on medium heat until butter is bubbly. Pour 1/3 cup of batter directly onto griddle and turn to spread to 6" round. Wait to flip until numerous bubbles appear on surface of batter and bottom of pancake is golden brown. After flipping, resist the urge to flatten pancake with spatula during cooking, as this will ruin the texture. Cook second side until golden brown. Serve warm with butter and pure maple syrup.

Makes approximately 12-6" pancakes.

Pumpkin Coconut Curry Soup

The weather outside may be frightful, but in your tummy this soup is delightful! A warm, hearty and savory soup is just what you need to ward off the winter chill, and this soup is the perfect candidate for the job. Around this time of year, pumpkin dishes are aplenty, but mostly in dessert form. If you want to find a new way to add pumpkin to your menu, try this savory soup instead.

Pumpkin Coconut Curry Soup

1 3/4 cups pumpkin puree

1-14oz. can coconut milk

1 cup almond milk or cow's milk

2 Tbsp. fresh squeezed orange juice

1/2 tsp. orange zest

1/4 cup finely chopped sweet onions

1 clove garlic, minced

2 Tbsp. butter

2 tsp. curry powder

1 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

1 1/2 tsp. chili powder

1 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. ginger

1 tsp. allspice

1/2 tsp. nutmeg

1/2 cup shelled, roasted pumpkin seeds, for garnish (optional)

1/2 cup dried, unsweetened coconut, toasted, for garnish (optional)

Melt the butter in a large pot, add the onion and garlic and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add all remaining ingredients except pumpkin seeds and dried coconut, cook and stir until mixture comes to a gentle boil, turn heat to medium low and simmer for 15-20 minutes. Garnish with pumpkin seeds and toasted coconut if desired, serve hot. Makes approximately 4 servings.

Definitely use fresh pumpkin puree versus canned pumpkin if possible, as it takes center stage in this recipe. Pumpkin puree is easy to make and use if you plan ahead a bit, and can be frozen until ready to use. Try this link to learn how to make your own pumpkin puree.

Sources: These recipes were the basis and inspiration for my original recipe above - Coconut Curry Pumpkin Soup, Pumpkin Coconut Milk Soup.

Nacho Cheese Dip

This recipe is a great alternative to the very processed, not-even-real-cheese, Velveeta "cheese" dip that we've all probably eaten in a restaurant at some point or (gasp) even used to make at home. In fact, it's even better than that stuff, because this dip doesn't congeal as it cools, the texture stays pretty much the same whether it's served immediately, after it's been on the table for an hour or in the refrigerator for a day or two. And it's just as easy to make. Win-win.

You can serve this with tortilla chips, over nachos, or in tacos or burritos...or anywhere else that you would want cheese dip.

Nacho Cheese Dip

2 Tbsp. butter
2 Tbsp. flour
1/4 tsp. baking powder
2 cups milk
2 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese
2 Tbsp. chopped jalapenos
1 tomato, seeded and diced 
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. chili powder

Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the flour and baking powder to the melted butter, whisk until it forms a paste. Gradually stir in the milk so that no lumps form. Cook on medium-high heat, stirring constantly, until thickened, this will take several minutes. Add cheese, stir until melted and mixture is smooth. Remove from heat and add tomatoes, jalapenos, salt and chili powder. 

Source: I started with this basic cheese sauce recipe, and amped it up. http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/White-Nacho-Cheese-Sauce/Detail.aspx?prop24=RD_RelatedRecipes

Bacon Rolls

Ok, so I'm a little ashamed of sharing this recipe, because a couple of the ingredients are a little processed. But it's not all bad, I changed the original, which I've had in my recipe box for years and have no idea where it originated from, to incorporate as many fresh ingredients as possible. These rolls frequent show up in my dinner menus, potlucks and parties, they're always a huge success.

Bacon Rolls

6 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
2/3 cup chopped mushrooms
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 clove garlic, minced
8 oz. can crescent roll dough
6 oz. cream cheese, room temperature

Separate the crescent roll dough into 4 rectangles and lay out onto parchment paper. Mix bacon, mushrooms, mayo and garlic. Spread the cream cheese evenly over the 4 rectangles (approximately 1 1/2 oz. per rectangle), then spread bacon mixture evenly onto each rectangle. Roll up on long side, pinch to seal. Cut into slices with serrated knife, cutting to end up with about 3 dozen rolls (approximately 9 per roll). Place on baking sheet and bake at 375° F for 9 minutes or until lightly brown.

I know what you're thinking...you thought I was vegetarian but there's bacon in this recipe, what kind of alternate reality is this?! Well, I actually use fake bacon (I call it facon), which can be found in the freezer section; I use the Morning Star brand. It's definitely not that close to real thing, and I do consider it to be a processed product, but there's very little of it in the recipe when you look at how many servings you get of the final results, and it works great in this recipe by combining well with the flavors of the other ingredients. So if you're vegetarian and you haven't just unfollowed my blog in a fit of shock and anger, "facon" totally works in this recipe, so us veggies can enjoy it, too.

Source: Unknown

Cauliflower Cheese Cakes

Lately I've been stumped about what to serve with what I'm serving...you know, side dishes. I just don't have enough recipes for sides and complementary dishes. So I explored and created and discovered. Here's the first of three side-dish recipes that I'll post, all three of them being fairly simple and not incredibly time consuming to make, just the way that side dishes should usually be.

My cousin shared this recipe with me, and I love the simplicity, the fact that it's vegetarian and that its main ingredient is a vegetable. What a winner! The original recipe (see source at bottom of page) is actually a gluten free dish, but since it calls for almond flour, an ingredient not typically found in my kitchen on a regular basis, and since I am not striving to be gluten free, I used regular all-purpose flour instead, and they turned out great. However, my cousin has made these with almond flour and swears they're great that way too, so if you are avoiding gluten, pretty simple to convert the recipe.

My cousin also recommended adding more cheese, a stance I fully support, and the change is reflected in the recipe below.

Cauliflower Cheese Cakes

1 small cauliflower head
3/4 cup fresh Parmesan cheese, grated
2 Tbsp. flour
2 green onions, chopped
1/2 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley
2 eggs
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/4 tsp. salt

Chop the cauliflower into small pieces and place in a steamer basket. Steam until cauliflower can very easily be pierced with a fork. In a large bowl, mash the cauliflower until it looks like mashed potatoes, then add the remaining ingredients and mix well. Heat a skillet on medium heat and coat with olive oil. Drop 1" balls of batter onto heated skillet, then gently press down to flatten slightly. Cook each side for about 3 minutes, or until lightly browned, re-oiling pan after each batch. Serve warm.

Source: http://365glutenfree.com/day-38/