So, can you see my problem? There isn't a thing on that list that I can have any more. I am crushed. This is a worse blow than losing birthday cake or Super Bowl pizza or July 4 cheeseburgers. I'm serious. The very thought of having to go through the Fall without pumpkin flavored awesomeness is seriously bumming me out. I don't want to look at this last stretch of the year with dread. I want to finish the year strong, hit the 100 pound mark, and still have some pumpkin stuff.
So, this is where I am asking you - my faithful friends and readers - to help me out. Can you help me come up with some pumpkin menu items that WILL work for me? Feel free to put them in the comments section on this post. I read all of those. And then, as I experiment with them, I will post my results on this blog. I'll even give you credit.
Here are some helpful guidelines. First of all - here are some foods that I can't have involving pumpkin. So don't post recipes for those. It won't help.
- Pumpkin pie
- Pumpkin cookies
- Pumpkin bread
- Pumpkin cheesecake
- Pumpkin ravioli
- Pumpkin bagels
- Pumpkin mixed drinks
- Pumpkin ice cream
I have tried to do some rudimentary searches and have found some stuff that might be worth trying. I found a pumpkin chili, stuffed pumpkin, pumpkin soup, and baked pumpkin. Aarti - the next Food Network Star winner - also has a pumpkin oatmeal recipe that I want to try. (Even though I'm avoiding oatmeal as a starch, I thought it could be a great breakfast on Thanksgiving.) I want to try something like a pumpkin yogurt or yogurt dip or frozen yogurt. If you have read this post, you should know my guidelines. I appreciate your help. This could be fun - and TASTY!
Pumpkin curry is one of my favorites. I'm not exactly sure how to make it low-cal, or exactly what your restrictions are, but it might be worth a try! (I just order mine from the local Thai restaurant.) Good luck! -AM
ReplyDeleteCan you have actual pumpkin? If so, I make a hearty pumpkin-carrot soup with ginger and scallions. You can used canned pumpkin, but in the fall, I like to buy a whole pumpkin and make it that way. You could also make a pumpkin pudding (artificial sweetner) or a lighter deal with puréed pumpkin and yogurt and pumpkin pie spice. A pumpkin smoothie (no dairy) shouldn't be too hard, and that could be modified into an iced-but-creamy pumpkin spice frappuccino (again, no dairy).
ReplyDeleteI found a super easy recipe for pumpkin dip a couple of years ago that I LOVE. However it does include powdered sugar and cream cheese. BUT... I wonder (like you said) if greek yogurt might work? With a little honey, pumpkin pie spice? And dip fruit in it? Maybe?
ReplyDeleteOur favorite savory pumpkin recipe is Pumpkin Stew. I got this idea from Taste of Home in the October/ November '95 but didn't care for the stew recipe. I use Gaston Beef Stew from Joy of Cooking. The day before serving, make your favorite beef stew recipe. On serving day wash a 10 to 12 pound pumpkin. Cut a 6 to 8 inch circle around the stem. Remove top and set aside; clean inside. Place pumpkin in a shallow sturdy baking pan. Spoon stew into pumpkin and replace top. Brush outside of pumpkin with vegetable oil. Bake at 325 for 2 hours or until pumpkin is tender – do not over bake. Serve stew from pumpkin scooping out a little pumpkin with each serving.
ReplyDeleteGaston Beef Stew
½ lb. Salt pork (I use a small amount of vegetable oil)
2 lbs Stew beef
Cut salt pork into small pieces (if very salty, par blanch briefly)
Dry pork and sauté slowly in a large skillet. Cut beef into pieces suitable for stewing. Brown beef in hot pork drippings over high heat. Pour off most of the accumulated fat. Sprinkle the meat with seasoned flour.
Combine and heat until boiling:
1 ½ chopped cloves garlic
1 large chopped onion
1 cup bouillon
1 cup canned tomato sauce
12 peppercorns
3 whole cloves
¼ cup chopped parsley
1/3 bay leaf
Place the meat in a heavy saucepan. Pour the above ingredients over it. Simmer closely covered for about 2 to 3 hours or until the meat can be easily pierced with a fork. During the last hour of cooking, add ½ cup dry sherry or dry white wine.
Cook separately until nearly tender:
6 medium-sized pared quartered potatoes
6 pared quartered carrots
1 stalk chopped celery
Add the following vegetables for the last 15 minutes of cooking.
Note: This one-dish meal seems to taste better when cooked a day ahead.