Who's Afraid Of a Little Pumpkin?

Before I share the recipe for today, I'd like to share an experience from last week.

I spent a morning with a group of volunteers at the Food Bank of the Rockies, filling bulk food orders for area churches and organizations that distribute food and supplies to people who need help in this difficult time. Non-perishable food that has been donated, is separated into boxes weighing up to forty pounds each. We witnessed a critical shortage of canned and packaged, non-perishable, quality food. Only one box of assorted canned and packaged food was sent to each location because there wasn't enough supply to give everyone what they needed. Some of the churches were requesting ten or more boxes, but they received one.

I, personally, am weary from hearing all the blame and rhetoric about the economy and joblessness, and banter about who is at fault. The reality is, there are people in our communities and our neighborhoods, many of them children who did not choose their circumstances, who are hungry.  When you're doing your holiday shopping this week, please pick up some extra canned fish, meat, peanut butter, or other high protein non-perishable foods. And if your church or school has a food bank, please donate if you can. My friend Susan has the following quote from Winston Churchill embedded in her e-mail signature and coincidentally, our volunteer tee shirts were printed with the same quote that I think is an appropriate reminder.
"We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give."

On to the recipe...

This week I took a leap of culinary faith and overcame my fear of pumpkin. I'm not afraid of all pumpkin, as a matter of fact canned pumpkin is one of my favorite ingredients. But the desire to cook with fresh pumpkin has always escaped me.

I've cooked many types of winter squash, including the giant, green Hubbard variety, and that didn't scare me a bit. But two things have kept fresh pumpkin out of my shopping cart; the fact that cans of pure pumpkin are stacked to the ceiling this time of year, and what I've determined is pumpkin carving baggage.

From the age of five, the week before Halloween, we would bring home as many pumpkins as there were kids at home, cover the kitchen table with old newspaper and get out the biggest, heaviest knife in the house. The thick-bladed knife with a worn, wooden handle, was crafted from one of grandpa's old push lawnmower blades. Nothing went to waste in his time. It was a knife that was reserved for mom or a kid old enough to handle the weight and potential of the blade. One good stab into the top of the pumpkin set the stage for cutting open the top, creating the exit door for the cold, goopy insides that would need to be scooped out with bare hands. Not an appetizing way to get to know fresh pumpkin. Add the smell of a lit candle burning inside after a few nights on the front porch, and it's no wonder I never felt the need to cook one to eat.

I approached my first, fresh pie pumpkin, which was really very pretty, as if I had grandpa's lawnmower blade knife in my hand. It cut fairly easily, to my surprise. I scooped out the seeds and strings with a large spoon and roasted it cut-side down on a baking sheet at 350 degrees. The tag on the pie pumpkin suggested removing the stem, poking holes with a large fork far enough in to reach the seed cavity, and roasting it whole on a baking sheet for an hour and a half. Anyone who knows me knows I am far too frugal to run the oven for that long for one vegetable, so I cut the pumpkin in half before roasting, also cutting cooking time and electricity used in half. There are only two things I don't economize on any longer, shoes and haircuts. I've had enough bad of each to know that inexpensive ones aren't worth the pain they cause.

After about forty minutes, I pulled the soft, caramelized pumpkin halves out of the oven to let cool. Still slightly warm from the oven, seasoned with a little salt and pepper, I took a taste. Not what I expected and not what I had heard about fresh pumpkin!. No stringy flesh and no bitter taste, it was smooth and sweet and delicious.With any luck there will be some left for baking.


The key to cooking with fresh pumpkin is to use a variety meant for eating, not jack-o-lanterns. The stores will identify them as such, and I personally won't hesitate using fresh pumpkin in the future.

Pumpkin pie is as much a part of Thanksgiving dinner as turkey, and recipes for pie are everywhere this time of year. Rather than sharing another pie recipe, I decided to come up with something a little more interesting, just as tasty, and more healthful. The idea came from one of my favorite fall and winter desserts, fresh apple cake. The cake is made with a little batter holding together a lot of fresh, chopped apples and raisins. The traditional recipe calls for a large amount of vegetable oil that I usually replace with three parts apple sauce and one part vegetable oil. The only other ingredient that could possibly make it better would be roasted pumpkin. Here is the result, Pumpkin Apple Spice Cake with Browned Butter Glaze. It is truly a delicious, moist cake that can easily be made with canned pumpkin.

I would like to wish a Happy Thanksgiving to each of you. I am truly grateful for everyone who has read my blog in the last two years. Your interest in my passion for cooking means more to me than you will ever know.

Pumpkin Apple Spice Cake With Browned Butter Glaze

Makes a 9"x 9" cake. Can be doubled in a 9" x 13" pan. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
With electric mixer or whisk by hand, mix together the following:
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup pure pumpkin. If using canned, not pie filling mix, just pure pumpkin
1/4 cup canola oil

Add:
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract

Mix following ingredients together in separate bowl and then add to wet ingredients. Stir just until combined, don't over mix or it will make it tough.
1 cup white flour
1/2 cup wheat flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. ground ginger
1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

Stir into batter and spread into 9" x 9" baking pan.
1-1/2 cups apples that have been peeled, cored and diced. (If using organic apples, wash the apples and save the peels for a snack. So good for you!)
1/2 cup raisins
1/4-1/2 cup chopped walnuts if you like, I don't eat nuts but they would be good too.

Bake at 350" for about 35 minutes until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Browned Butter Glaze
This makes enough to drizzle over each piece before serving, or drizzle over the whole cake, whichever you prefer. If you need to add a bit more milk to make it thinner, use 1 tsp.at a time.

4 T. unsalted butter
1 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1-2 T. milk

Melt butter over medium low heat - keep your eye on it and let it brown, but not burn. This should take 5- 7 minutes. There will be dark sediment in the bottom of the pan, don't worry about it. Pour the brown butter (but not all the sediment) in a bowl and whisk in the vanilla, sugar and 1 T. milk. Add more milk if you want the glaze thinner.

Great Squash Challenge #2: Mexican Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

Butternut squash is a good choice for soup recipes that require more than a cup or two of pulp because the seed cavity is relatively small and the narrow end is all squash.

I prepared this recipe four days ago, still have a little left, and I'm here to tell ya, it gets better every day! (Probably not a good idea to eat food more than four days old, however). I realize that the traditional southwestern flavor combination of cumin, chili, garlic and oregano are some of my favorites and I tend to migrate to them in many of my savory dishes. So, my next Great Squash Challenge will be to create a recipe using a completely different flavor palette. Until then, this soup is a winner combining the sweetness of the butternut, the smokey cumin and chili, with the touch of cream cheese melted in at the end, adding a creamy richness without adding a lot of fat or calories to the overall dish.

I use a whole, white onion in this soup, another habit of many cooks. In fact it's difficult for those who can't eat onions to find dishes that don't contain some sort of onion, whether it be red, yellow, white or scallions. Onions add a layer of flavor that I would miss, but all dishes can certainly be prepared without it. Except, of course, French Onion Soup or onion pie.

Do I have an onion? The first question I ask myself when planning most savory dishes. White, yellow, red, what's the difference? Red onions are great for raw dishes, on salads, sliced on burgers, because they turn a funny grayish color when cooked, so not my first choice for cooking. Yellow onions have a deeper flavor with a slight aftertaste that works well in most cooking. But traditionally, white onion is used in southwestern cooking because it has a cleaner more crisp flavor that marries will with the flavors of the southwest.

Other than a Hallmark commercial or a movie where the beloved dog disappears but miraculously find its way home again, cutting onions is the most sure-fire way to make me cry. Cutting through onion fibers releases a sulfur compound gas that mixes with the water in tears to form sulferic acid. Eyes respond by producing more tears to wash it away, thereby the onion tears we all know and really don't love. A good way to cut down on onion tears is to refrigerate onions for at least 30 minutes before cutting, and not cutting through the root end, where most of the tear producing compounds are found.

The good news about onions is that in addition to adding a lot of flavor to foods, they contain Quercetin, an important anti-oxidant that helps cut down on cell destruction in the body, Vitamin C, fiber and folic acid. The naturally occurring sugar in the onion and squash in this recipe will caramelize during  roasting, adding flavor that steaming or sauteing just can't produce. Worth the extra step!

You will need one large butternut squash,  peeled and cut into 1" chunks. Easiest way to peel a squash is using a potato or carrot peeler. It gets around the curves easier than a knife. After peeling, cut the seed end off of the solid end and place on a flat surface to cut. Scoop out and discard the seeds and strings. Cut the squash into 1" chunks to prepare to roast with the onions to yield 4- 5 cups of squash chunks.

Reader feedback: Denise in Portland suggests tossing the squash seeds out in the yard for the squirrels and birds. In her yard, they have their own little Thanksgiving feast!

Mexican Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

STEP 1:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees
5 cups cubed butternut squash
1 large white onion, rough chopped to make about 2 cups
1 T. olive oil
salt and pepper
Toss above ingredients together and spread on baking sheet. Roast uncovered for about 15 minutes until edges of squash and onions turn brown and caramelize but not burned. Like TV chef Ann Burrell says, "Brown food tastes good!"

Remove squash and onion from oven and put in large dutch oven on top of the stove.

STEP 2:
Add the following ingredients to pot and simmer over medium heat for 15 to 20 minutes until vegetables are cooked through.

3 cups low sodium chicken stock
3/4 tsp. ground cumin (or more to taste)
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1/4 tsp. garlic powder (I prefer to use garlic powder in creamy soups rather than fresh garlic because the flavor is more subtle and no one likes a creamy soup with a piece of garlic.)
1/2 tsp. chili powder (or more to taste)
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
dash or more of hot sauce or a pinch of cayenne pepper. I used both because I like hot food.
salt and pepper to taste

When the vegetables are tender, remove from heat. Be careful in this next step because it will be very hot.

STEP 3:
Use a hand blender in the pot to puree the soup, being careful not to splash. Or, transfer a few cups of soup at a time to blender until smooth and then return to the pot to keep warm. If  the soup is too thick add a little more broth.

Add to pureed soup that is back in the soup pot, over low heat:
2 T. cream cheese - melt into soup. I used full-fat cheese that melted nicely, however feedback on the recipe suggests melting may vary by brand and fat content. You can also use 2 T. cream if you want foolproof soup.
2 tsp. honey or Agave nectar

Stir to melt in the cream cheese and sweetener into the soup. Serve in bowls with croutons, bread or corn bread and enjoy! You could also garnish with toasted pine nuts or pumpkin seeds, which would be delicious.

Put Away The Brown Sugar, It's The Great Squash Challenge

It's that time of year when I get to admit that I really, love squash. Summer varieties, such as zucchini and patty pan, are favorites during warm summer months, but when the fall chill fills the air, colorful winter squash arrive in huge bins in grocery stores and farmers markets, and I start dreaming up new ways to eat them. I usually have a variety of squash on hand, long cylinder-shaped delicata, traditional acorn, butternut of course, and any others that catch my eye. I rarely prepare them the same way because they are so versatile. Used as a basis for soup, stuffed into tender ravioli, or my favorite, filled with a variety of savory stuffings that compliment the sweet, orange flesh.  

We foodies talk about food. And recently I've been asking people how they prepare their winter squash. By far, the most common answer is either baked with butter and brown sugar in the oven, or microwaved with butter and brown sugar. Oh no, not the microwave! One of the best things about baking squash is the delicious, brown caramelization that occurs when the heat of  the oven browns the natural sugars. Not to mention, the aroma of squash baking fills the house with happiness.

My Great Squash Challenge is to try something other than the traditional Acorn baked with butter, brown sugar and cinnamon. That method is delicious and I remember it fondly, but it's just a start.

Plus, the list of nutritional benefits of winter squash is long and impressive. Being high in fiber and Vitamin A lead the list, followed by Vitamins C, Folate, and Omega 3 fatty acids. Squash is also low in calories at about 80 calories per cup, but this is obviously before the butter and brown sugar.

As the American diet becomes more refined and processed, fiber intake has become critically low. Most people don't have an idea of how much fiber they are actually eating, but it's safe to say that most people should double their current intake of dietary fiber from whole foods. Fiber prevents constipation and reduces the risk of colon cancer. Soluble fiber helps reduce LDL, the harmful cholesterol, and slows digestion. Slowing digestion helps us to feel full longer so we eat less and take in fewer calories. Fewer calories translates into weight control. Weight control translates into being able to wear your thin jeans to Thanksgiving dinner!


This recipe for apple and barley stuffed Delicata Squash makes enough filling to stuff two halves of one large (8-10") or two small squash. It can be varied by using a different type of squash or replacing the barley with a grain such as brown rice. Cooked orzo pasta or couscous can be substituted if you want to cut down on the cooking time but barley is a better choice from a nutritional standpoint. Barley kicks up the fiber content of this dish, adding even more benefits of fiber from whole foods. Barley is lower in calories and fat and higher in soluble and insoluble fiber than oats or oatmeal.

This is a hearty, filling dish that can easily be served as a main dish or cut in half and served as a side to a meat entree.

NOTE: Always wash the outside of any fruit or vegetable, even ones you are going to peel, just before eating or preparing to cook. Running a knife through the skin can transfer any bacteria on the skin into the fruit or vegetable. Google the best ways to wash them, there are many.

Apple and Barley Stuffed Delicata Squash

First step: The barley will need to be cooked before mixing with other ingredients. Prepare either regular or quick-cooking barley according to package directions. You will need 2 cups of cooked barley. Cooking regular barley can take an hour so allow for this time in your preparation.

Second step: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare the squash by cutting in half and scooping out the seeds and stringy insides. Brush the cut side with just a bit of vegetable or olive oil and place on baking sheet with cut side down. Bake at 350 degrees for 18 to 20 minutes until almost tender. This will vary by the density of the squash and your oven, so keep an eye on it.

Third step: While squash is pre-cooking, mix the following ingredients in 2 quart sauce pan over medium heat.

2 cups rough chopped, cored apple - leave skin on for color and fiber
1 tsp. canola oil
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/4 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 cup water or chicken stock

Cover and simmer above ingredients for about 10 minutes until apples are soft but not mushy. Remove from heat and add the following ingredients to apple mixture.

dash of salt and ground black pepper
1/2 tsp. fresh lemon or lime juice
1/3 to 1/2 cup grated mozzarella or other mild, grated soft cheese
2 cups cooked barley

Stuff the squash halves and return to baking sheet. Bake another 8 to 10 minutes until filling is heated through. Serve as a veggie meal or cut in half and serve as a side dish.

Curried Beef and Rice Stuffed Acorn Squash

I don't use red meat in very many of my recipes for a lot of reasons, but this recipe uses lean, grass fed, ground beef that goes well stuffed in this Acorn squash. Have fun and adjust the flavor of the stuffing to your taste. These ingredients are a guideline of flavors, but make it yours with your own creativity.  Serves 4.

2 medium to large Acorn Squash
1 lb. lean ground beef
1-1/2 cups cooked brown rice
1/2 cup cooked wild rice
1 tsp. dried Italian herbs
1/4 tsp lemon pepper
1 cube beef bouillon, dissolved in 1/3 cup boiling water
1/2 medium red onion, chopped
1/4 cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes, not the oil-packed kind.
1/3 cup dried currants or raisins
1-1/2 tsp. curry powder
1 to 2 T. tomato paste. Start with one and add more if filling is too crumbly.
Salt and pepper to taste(shouldn't need more salt with the bouillon cube)

Prepare brown and wild rices according to package directions. They can be cooked together to save time. You will need two cups total of cooked brown and wild rice. I cooked one cup brown rice with 1/4 cup wild rice and had some left over for another day.

Prepare squash by cutting in half lengthwise and scraping out seeds and strings. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Oil the cut side of the squash with olive oil and bake cut side down on baking sheet for 15 to 20 minutes until tender but not completely done.

Brown ground beef with chopped onion in skillet and season with salt and lemon pepper to taste. When cooked through, turn heat to low and add the cooked rices and rest of the ingredients, combining all. Taste the filling and adjust flavors by adding more curry if you want, since curries vary a lot. If the filling is too dry, add a bit more beef broth.

Stuff partially baked squash with filling and return to oven to heat through and brown a bit on top, about 10-15 minutes.