Chewy Pumpkin Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ok, fine. I bake.

Mini Pumpkin Pies

I don’t make dessert too often around here (I’d rather save my calories for cheese or bacon), but I couldn’t resist these little pies. Not only are they pretty healthy (approx. 60 calories each!), but they’re MINI. Mini things are cute. And delicious!

Quinoa, Butternut Squash & Leek Pilaf with Runny Eggs

A few years back I wouldn’t ever eat egg yolks when eating eggs for breakfast. As B and I were eating this yummy, healthy dinner tonight (made even yummier from runny eggs), I was reminded of back when we first started dating and how he never made fun of me for eating around the yolk when eating fried eggs. Now that’s true love. And craziness because yolks are delicious — nature’s best sauce, in my (now) opinion.

Pumpkin Mac & Cheese

According to our weekly meal plan (yes, I take joy in planning in such a way), tonight we were eating asian style lettuce wraps. After two feet of snow, there was no way we were eating lettuce. Two feet of snow definitely calls for some comfort food. This is pretty much my standard way of making any mac & cheese, but tonight I threw in some pureed pumpkin and it was a really good idea. Yum.

Bacon and Butternut Squash Pasta (cooking light)

I knew when I saw this recipe in my inbox that I would be making it. My former roommate apparently thought the same thing because she forwarded the same recipe to me moments later saying, “I know you like bacon”. Well folks, it’s true. And this dish highlights it beautifully.

This recipe features a new sauce-making technique for me — “dry-roasting” flour before it’s eventually combined with milk to make a “roux”. That’s right — no fat of any kind in the roux. It felt weird, but I was willing to give it a shot in the name of lighter cooking, and it turned out great! The sauce is super creamy, with a nice tang thanks to the provolone. The butternut squash and bacon make this dish a-mazing. It’s a great weeknight meal because it can be made wholly in advance, or a few things can be done in advance (like prepping and roasting the squash, cooking the bacon and shallots, and storing it all together, like I did)

Pumpkin and Greens Tagine

It’s December 8 and my first post of the month. I think this is the longest I’ve gone without blogging/cooking anything of note for a long while!

It’s good to be back. And with a bang, too. This dish is special. I ripped this recipe from my Boston Globe magazine with haste because a) i’ve been badly wanting to go to the restaurant that yields the original dish (Baraka in Central Sq., Cambridge), b) it looked so darn good.

I took a few liberties with the recipe. First, the recipe features swiss chard and i kinda abhor swiss chard. This, and anything in the beet family, tastes like formaldehyde to me. So I swapped it out for a bag of “southern greens” from Trader Joe’s (I love this stuff — I buy it all the time and just saute in olive oil with garlic. So good), which is just chopped collard greens, turnip greens, and spinach.  This was a good move. Second, I didn’t have cilantro and it’s been rubbing me the wrong way lately so I just omitted it. Also a good move. Third, I used butternut squash instead of proper pumpkin, but I think there is so little difference there anyway. Try this — it’s amazing!

Butternut Squash and Leek Risotto (and my fam)

This is my first time making risotto…I’m not going to lie, it’s a little bit of a pain in the butt. Not necessarily hard, but high maintenance for sure. What got me through all of the stirring was the promise of arancini later in the week with the leftovers! This risotto was served as an appetizer and was really yum.

Whole Wheat Orzo with Butternut Squash, Chicken, & Bacon

I made this yummy dish for a couple people, one vegetarian, one not. This is one of the rare dishes that you can easily make a meat & meatfree version without literally cooking the dish twice or otherwise sacrificing flavor. Add in cooked bacon and chicken at the end and blam! – everyone’s happy.

Almond Butter Pumpkin Brownies

When I found this recipe, I couldn’t not make it. SO good and I love the pumpkin. They taste slightly chocolately to me, even though there’s not a trace. Yum.

Pumpkin Pasta with “Sausage” and Sage

Let’s talk about sausage and best friends. I love both of these things, however when best friends decide to be vegetarian, this lovely relationship becomes problematic. Until I discovered this! Now, I have tried vegetarian fake meat products before and have literally gagged while trying to prepare them. Gimme lean tastes and cooks like real sausage, and is virtually fat-free and loaded with protein. I can’t wait to try it in other recipes that call for sausage. A sausage and vegetarian lover’s new best friend.

Pasta with Kale, Roasted Sugar Pumpkin, and Butternut Squash

For my weekly vegetarian challenge, I served up this big baby. It was so delicious and super seasonal, it may just rank as one my favorite pasta dishes of all time. Next week’s goal is to find a satisfying vegetarian dish that isn’t pasta or cheese-based. This madness just can’t continue.

Spicy Pumpkin Enchiladas with Walnuts

Part 1 of our Pumpkin Party Sunday night Recipe Swap. This is a super easy way to enjoy enchiladas. They definitely pack a punch – ease up the chili powder if you want it milder. The walnuts make this really special – kind of a wink & a nudge to the flavors in a Nogada sauce – a traditional mexican creamy walnut sauce (get it at Tu y Yo in the ‘Ville – YUM)