Pumpkin Slow Oats

Food made slower tastes better, but it doesn't have to be time consuming. These slow oats can be stirred together then popped in the fridge to be left to do their own thing until the morning...when they are devoured.

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Pumpkin Slow Oats

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons nut butter (hazelnut, almond, or peanut - your choice)
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 tablespoon maple syrup
  1/4 cup pumpkin puree
• 1/3 cup milk (I used almond milk)
• 1/2 cup oats
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
• 1 tablespoon chocolate chips (I used a mix of dark and white chocos)

Note: I used a special ceramic bowl I have that can go from fridge to oven to table and has a lid. It's handy to have just one container for all the steps. A small canning jar will also do the trick - just make sure you can stir easily.

In your bowl (or jar) mix together the nut butter, vanilla extract, and maple syrup. Microwave for about 10 seconds, or until just warmed. You want to heat the nut butter up enough to combine everything easily. Stir.

Add the rest of your ingredients, except for the chocolate chips and stir well. Make sure everything is good and mushed together. Stir in the chocolate chips.

Put the lid on your container and hit the fridge. The next morning, open and enjoy with milk or by itself. Say hi to Zuul while you're there.

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This is Day 14, in my 31 Days of Pumpkin Spice. Join in the fun on Twitter with your favorite recipes, quips, or (semi)historical facts by using the hashtag #TeamPumpkinSpice

Pumpkin Spice Parfait

We all need a little sweetness in our lives. When pumpkin and the spices from the Orient were first joined, something magical happened. No one could quite explain it, but it was as if the New World and the Old World first made friends and began to put the whole war and pirate business in the past. At least that's what I'd like to think.

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So, at Day 6 of my 31 Days of Pumpkin Spice, the pumpkin and the pumpkin pie spice are making their first appearance together in my vegan version inspired by A Beautiful Mess's Pumpkin Pie Pudding. I decided to go all the way and add some ice cream and make it a true parfait. Because those things are delicious.

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Pumpkin Spice Parfait

 Ingredients:

• 1 large box of vanilla pudding
• # of cups of milk according to package directions (I used cashew milk for it's creaminess and lack of aftertaste)
• 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
• 1/8 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
• Whipped topping (I used So Delicious Cocowhip)
• 2 Cups crushed ginger snaps
• Carton of vegan ice cream, plain or vanilla (I used coconut milk ice cream)

Follow the directions on your pudding box and cook the pudding in a sauce pan. You want a very creamy milk for pudding, so I used cashew milk. Coconut milk is also a good choice, but has more of it's own flavor. Some puddings call for the addition of an egg yolk. I sprinkled some of The Vegg egg yolk replacer into the mix as it was cooking, but this is optional.

After the pudding is fully cooked, remove from heat, add the pumpkin puree and the spice and whisk in. Pour the pudding into a large bowl and cover with plastic wrap to prevent that pudding skin crap that never mixes back in. Refrigerate for at least one or two hours, until it is cold and solidified.

When the pudding is almost ready, crush the ginger snaps. You can do this in a variety of ways: with a mortar and pestle, with a food processor, or the ol' put 'em in a bag and whack 'em trick. I like my crushed cookies in larger pieces, so I hand-crushed them by placing them in a ziplock bag and gently smacking with a rolling pin. If you prefer fine cookie crumbles, use a food processor.

After this, it's just all about the layers. Layer the ice cream, cookie crumbles, and pudding until you near the top of your pudding glass. 

Add the whipped topping and you're in business! I add a sprinkle of nutmeg on the top for taste, as it is my favorite spice.

If you are serving for a party, or just feel fancy, add a cinnamon stick or a whole ginger snap to decorate the top.

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This is Day 6, in my 31 Day of Pumpkin Spice. Join in the fun on Twitter with your favorite recipes, quips, or (semi)historical facts by using the hashtag #TeamPumpkinSpice

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Pumpkin Chorizo Combo

You may ask the question, "who the fuck is eating this unappetizing combo?"

But bear with me here. Remember, pumpkin is just a squash. It isn't actually sweet. We're just so used to associating pumpkin with sugared things, like pie, we don't actually realize what it tastes like without a ton of sugar...and pumpkin spice.

Yes, this is actually a recipe that uses pumpkins and not pumpkin pie spices, utilizing the tasty orange flesh as a vegetable (in cooking terms - squash is a fruit in biological terms) in it's own right and not just a womb to incubate spices.

I adjusted a recipe I found for a Pumpkin Chorizo Frittata for taste and veganized it. 

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Pumpkin Chorizo Casserole

This dish makes for a super tasty dinner by itself as a casserole, or use it as a taco filling.


Ingredients:

• 1 pound pumpkin, cut into chunks (I used half of a kabocha)
• 1 chorizo tube (I used Soyrizo brand, meatless)
• 2 cups kale, sliced finely and massaged
• 1/2 onion, diced
• Equivalent of 5 eggs
• 3/4 cup heavy cream (I used a can of whole coconut milk)

Preheat the oven to 425. Chop up all your veggies and get out a baking sheet and a casserole dish.

Dice half of an onion and caramelize in a frying pan over medium heat.

Chop up your pumpkin and scoop out the seeds. Be sure to save those seeds; we'll use the in later recipes! 

I used a kabocha squash, which is a green skinned variety. I decided it's nutty flavor, and sweet potato texture would be perfect in this recipe. The skin is actually edible, but chewy, so I skinned the pumpkin using a vegetable peeler.

I roughly chopped the pumpkin into pieces about 1 inch, but you can dice if you prefer a smoother casserole. Place these on a roasting pan, either with oil, or use parchment paper for a healthier option. Roast in the oven for 5 minutes.

Open the chorizo substitute and peel off the wrapping. Usually these come in packages of two tubes. If they are large tubes, like Soyrizo, you will only need one. Mush it up with a fork and add it to the baking dish on top of the pumpkin. Return to the oven for another 15 minutes.

In the meantime, begin mixing the eggs. I used The Vegg as my egg replacer. There are two different kinds, one for baking and one for scrambled eggs or egg-wash. I used a combination of the two. Following the directions on the package, I mixed up the equivalent of 5 eggs. Whip it good.
 
Add the cream to the egg mix. I used canned coconut milk, which is quite thick, but there are also lots of heavy cream substitutes, just be sure to get an unsweetened one. Add pepper (and salt if desired) to taste. Whip it good.

Remove the pumpkin and chorizo from the oven and turn the temperature down to 350. In a casserole dish, mix together the pumpkin, chorizo, onions, and kale.

Pour the Vegg mixture over the veggies. Bake the dish in the oven for 40 minutes.

Enjoy as is, or use as a tasty taco filling.

Note: This is a loose casserole. If you prefer more of a frittata, you will need to add some flour or cornstarch to stiffen up the eggs.

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This is Day 5, in my 31 Day of Pumpkin Spice. Join in the fun on Twitter with your favorite recipes, quips, or (semi)historical facts by using the hashtag #TeamPumpkinSpice

What The Fuck Is Pumpkin Spice? Part 2

In the first part of our intro to pumpkin spices, we reviewed how the pumpkin spice craze led to both piracy and the discovery of America, and how the Spice Wars probably looked something like this (song by Jim Garner):

True stories, all...except for no giant worms were involved. With the white people discovering America, they would then apply the "pumpkin spices" cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and the new American spice, allspice, to the new idea of pumpkin pie. However, while pumpkin pie was probably served at the first Thanksgiving, it wouldn't have had pumpkin pie spice in it.

Over time, people realized that the spice they had been using in other foods, also tasted really good with pumpkin in certain quantities. We see the first reference to using these spices in pumpkin recipes in a cookbook from the 1700s. 

Later on the 1950s, as servants fell out of vogue, the new "busy" housewife needed all these new-fangled inventions to keep up with the household. Spice companies started to sell spices premixed for different foods, and one of these was called Pumpkin Pie Spice. And so the name was born. 

These days that combination of spices is associated with the taste of pumpkin, even though the spice does not actually contain pumpkin, and pumpkins actually just taste like squash, and the spices were used long before pumpkin was added to it. So the next time some idiot says this:

You can say, "Duh. It shouldn't." A Squash Latte just doesn't sound very appetizing.

It wasn't until the 1990s that Americans would realize that these spices might taste good in coffee. Popularity slowly increased and a spanking new evil corporation decided to try their hand at it. In 2004 Starbuck's designed the Fall Harvest Latte. Then, they wised up and changed the name to the Pumpkin Spice Latte. This shortened version of Pumpkin Pie Spice stuck. Now you can find Pumpkin Spice chips, candles, and fish.

Perhaps we can lay some blame on Starbucks for the recent pumpkin spice craze, but hey, this is nothing new. Compared to the history of the spice trade, this is nothing. So let's take a closer look at the individual spices that make up the pumpkin spice family.

 ALLSPICE: 
Allspice was the last to join the pantheon of Pumpkin Spice. Native to the Americas, it was one of the first things Columbus brought back to Europe. The name may come from the fact that it does taste like a fine combination of spices in itself. It grows on a evergreen tree in the form of berries. Today it is mostly exported from Jamaica, but many South American countries grow it.

CINNAMON: 
Cinnamon is one of the oldest spices in history and everyone has tasted at some point in their life. It might surprise you to know that most of the "cinnamon" we use is actually not cinnamon, but cassia -- a cheaper plant with a similar taste. The spice actually comes from the dried bark of the plant. The majority of cinnamon comes from Sri Lanka and China.

CLOVES: 
Cloves are a very strong, woody spice that can be used as a numbing agent. Native to India the part harvested are the unopened buds of the tree. You can find this ground or whole -- the ground usually used in baking and the whole used for mulling.

GINGER: 
This root is often used in Chinese medicine and is very good for settling your stomach. For all that, it's has a very strong taste and a burn similar to hot pepper when too much is used. Used in a small amount, ginger rounds out the pumpkin spice with a nice snap.

NUTMEG:
I have saved my favorite for last. While praised for it's medicinal qualities, nutmeg is definitely a drug and should be used with care, especially when pregnant. However, without the snappy, vanilla flavor, pumpkin spice would not be complete. Like the name tells us, the nutmeg is the seed of the plant, and the best way to enjoy nutmeg is freshly ground. Originally from South East Asia it is now grown in the Caribbean and Grenada as well.

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MAKE YOUR OWN PUMPKIN PIE SPICE
I can't do better than Constance Smith's recipe for homemade pumpkin pie spice, so head over to her blog and check it out. Also, enjoy her gorgeous photos of spices!

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I hope you've learned a few things about the power of pumpkin spice. Tomorrow, we'll head into some recipes for pumpkin spice as I continue 31 Days of Pumpkin Spice.

Join in the fun on Twitter with your favorite recipes, quips, or (semi)historical facts by using the hashtag #TeamPumpkinSpice

What the Fuck is Pumpkin Spice? Part 1

Autumn has arrived. The evenings become cool (in the South that means about 80 degrees), the leaves turn brilliant shades, and a spicy scent lingers in the air. The scent, either the natural smell of decaying leaves...or...PUMPKIN SPICE. This time of year we find it in coffee, beer, hummus -- just about everything. As the great riffer, Michael J. Nelson tweeted:

The insanity of it is that he is absolutely right. The sriracha craze is at it's full height and now entire kiosks in stores are devote to pumpkin spice world -- from lip balm to chips to potpourri. This got me to thinking...what if I devoted an entire month to blogging about pumpkin spice? What madness is this? Is it genius or merely dementia? Does is hold the power to save the world or destroy it? I guess we'll find out as we enter 31 Days of Pumpkin Spice!
*lightning flash* *evil cackles*

But what the fuck is pumpkin spice, anyway? And so Day 1 and 2 are devoted to exploring the spices and their stories,and how the pumpkin spice craze is far from new.

Pumpkin pie spice is a blend of spices, first marketed to those too lazy to use multiple measuring spoons in the 1930s. It is comprised of cinnamon, ginger, allspice, cloves, and nutmeg. It was used to spice (surprise, surprise!) pumpkin pies and also pumpkin spice cakes.

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The history of procuring those spices, though, sends us much further into history -- all the way back to when the Sumerians were first establishing cities in 3000 BC. Here the earliest evidences of the spice road, "the Golden Road of Samarkand", can be found, as the Far East traded spices with the Middle East.

Eventually the Romans took over, because Romans have to control everything. By the time they had sailed two years across the Indian Ocean to get some freakin' pumpkin spice, only royalty could afford it, and pumpkins, being native to the Americas, hadn't even been discovered by white people yet, so not even rich, fat Romans ate spiced pumpkin pie.

Centuries go by and the demand for the spice only increases. The major players in pumpkin pie spice - like cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg - are some of the most valued. Regular people demand pumpkin spice, and Rome fell. Probably pumpkin spice caused the fall of Rome...it's my story, and I'll tell it the way I want.

Most of the exploration done by Europeans from 1200 to 1500 was the direct result of their love for pumpkin spice -- and they didn't even know about pumpkins yet. This really isn't an exaggeration. From Vasco De Gama sailing around the Horn of Africa to Columbus discovering America, they were ALL motivated by the desire to find a cheaper route for the spice trade (i.e. love of pumpkin spice).

He who controls the spice, controls the universe!

That "East India Trading Company" from Pirates of the Carribean really did exist. They transported spices throughout the world. Though they probably didn't have any dealings with undead pirates, their flag sure looks like they could.

And something called the Spice Wars really did break out among the trading companies. Competition was fierce as spices were worth more than their weight in gold, and many merchants did result to piracy in their search for more spice. That's right. The pumpkin spice craze created pirates.

The East India Trading Company really did rule the spice trade (probably due to that Davy-Jones-heart thing), until America got into the game. The Americans decided to just trade with the Indian natives directly and eliminate the middle man, resulting in a huge increase in profits and they dominated the market after that. Ironically, it was a former clerk for the East India Trading Company who came up with this.

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A general change in the politics of the world, led to less government-sanctioned piracy and today now allows us to buy a tin of ground cinnamon for $1.99.

I hope you've learned a few things about the power of pumpkin spice. Tomorrow, we'll continue to find out just what the fuck pumpkin spice is, as we explore the spices themselves, when pumpkins come in, and just how much blame we can put on Starbucks. Part Two

Join in the fun on Twitter with your favorite recipes, quips, or (semi)historical facts by using the hashtag #TeamPumpkinSpice

Because Beer and Mushrooms

Mushrooms may be my most favorite thing to put in my mouth - and you know that's a wide statement. Recently, I ran across a recipe on the internet that combined mushrooms with beer. While I may not be quite as crazy about beer, I do love to cook with it. I simplified the recipe even more and made a batch of mushrooms that melt in your mouth.

I took 24 oz of small button mushrooms, washed them, and tossed them whole in to a wok. Other large skillets would work, too. I then added a cup of beer - this leaves a couple of ounces to just drink and enjoy while the food is cooking. For this particular venture, I choose Yellowhammer Rebellion. It's not to my taste for drinking (just a personal choice; it's a finely crafted beer), but this red ale held the perfect flavor to blend in with the mushrooms.

Turn the stove to a medium heat and simmer for 20 minutes or until most of the beer has cooked out. You can add other spices of course. I added 2 teaspoon of canned coconut milk and a little bit of salt. Butter is another option, but since Yellowhammer is a vegan beer, why spoil things?

Most foods cooked in beer have only a slight bittery aftertaste to them, but these mushrooms go whole hog with the beer flavor. I think Rebellion may be perfection for this but let me know about your experiements with other brands of beer.

Lucky New Year's Menu

My family was not big on celebrating New Years. Usually my parents might have some wine and we might watch an unimpressive ball slowly glide down a stick on the telly. The calendar America uses is such a modern calendar, speaking in terms of man's history, so it never actually occurred to me that there were more traditions associated with this holiday. So, oddly enough, I'm just now discovering the wonders of New Year's Lucky foods.

As with any holiday, there's a bunch of silly explanations for things that have little to do with reality (collard greens 'cause they're green like money, black-eyed peas 'cause they look like coins...what?), and then there's the actual reason, which is generally less impressive.

Lentils

The only one of our lucky foods that actually might have something to do with money. The association with luck comes down to us from the Romans. Their coins did look a bit like lentils. I've used French lentils cooked in coconut milk with oregano.

Black-Eyed Peas

No they're not coins, and their claim to luckiness may only be a slip of the tongue. In Jewish writings there are five foods that one should eat for Rosh Hashanah. This is actually the Jewish new year, but their calendar - more lunar than solar - puts it several months away from the Roman new year. A mistranslation mixed up fenugreek seeds and black-eyed peas. These beans brought over with the African slaves became quite popular in the new world, and the general Southern way to cook them is with collard greens. I've used spinach instead for a member of my family dislikes the collards...she's not Southern.

Sauerkraut

Really just an accident of nature that this is pulled into the New Years tradition. Cabbage is harvested most in the fall. After that the processing and fermentation takes us about to New Years. The sauerkraut is nice and ready now. I've not made mine from scratch, but I'm trying out a new brand. Farmhouse Culture has a couple of nice flavors of raw (got to be raw) kraut. The one pictured is Garlic and Dill with pickle bits. Das war köstlich!

Dead Pigs - especially sausage

While November is the traditional murder season for pigs, due to the cold weather coming on, there may be more to this tradition than meats the eye. 

 

In Italy the sausage is sliced in a coin shape and cooked with the lentils, while in your Germanic countries the pig itself is considered a symbol of moving forward in life - onwards and upwards. Compared to your barnyard fowl, who scratch backwards, and the cows, who meander, the piggies smush their faces into the ground in a forward motion. 

This is how I roll

As the "responsible" part of my "Responsible Debauchery", I don't kill things for my own pleasure, so my sausage is soy-based. Trying out a new brand of vegan sausage from Earth Fare, which was the perfect complement to all the rest. 

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So that's my New Year's dinner. What was yours like? For more details about the history of lucky foods I highly recommend the Serious Eats article by Sara Bir. It was the inspiration for this post.