Pumpkin Gingerbread

This recipe from Simply Recipes was the basis for the pumpkin gingerbread I made last weekend with a lot of changes to suit my preferences, the ingredients on hand, and my mistakes.  The result was a very dark, thin dry crust encasing a fabulously rich and moist center inside - almost chocolately, although there is no chocolate in pumpkin gingerbread.

• Instead of white flour, used a gluten-free baking mix
• Instead of 1/2 cup brown sugar, added an additional 1/2 cup mixture of blackstrap and Barbados molasses
• Instead of butter, used coconut oil
• Used 2 jumbo eggs and no water
• Used an unmeasured amount more of coconut oil and more gluten-free mix to fix the coconut oil error
• Added 1/4 tsp cardamon 
• Instead of a loaf pan, baked in an 8x8 pan
• Baked for only 40 minutes, not 45-60 minutes. 

When I checked at 40 minutes, the gingerbread was dramatically dark (due to the molasses) and toothpick clean (overcooked?  luckily no).  Any worry that I might have ovemixed the batter - due to forgetting to add the coconut oil until after I mixed the wet and dry ingredients, and then forgetting to measure the melted coconut oil (guestimating an extra Tbsp or two), and then having to mix in several tablespoons of flour incrementally to soak up the oil - proved to be unnecessary.  The additional coconut oil and flour was just right for the square pan.   

(Note to self: if a recipe is worth writing about, write it down the day you make it.)
(Another Note to self: if a recipe might be worth writing about, remember to take a picture before most of it has been eaten.)  

Since I made so many changes, I guess it really isn't the same recipe at all, thus my Fool-Proof Pumpkin Gingerbread Recipe below.  Any variations from liquid to dry sweetener, size of eggs, liquidness of the pumpkin puree can be adjusted by adding water (3T in the Simply Recipes recipe that used brown sugar and normal size eggs)

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees
• Grease 8x8 ceramic glass pan with coconut oil

1. Combine the 7 dry ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups (200 g) Gluten-free baking mix, plus about 1 -2 more Tbsp ??? ( or all-purpose flour) 
• 1/2 teaspoon salt 
• 1 teaspoon baking soda 
• 2 teaspoons ground ginger 
• 1 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon 
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg 
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamon 

2. Combine the 5 wet ingredients

• 1 cup (240 ml) pumpkin purée (roasted pie pumpkin- was very thick, but could also use canned) 
• 1/2 cup coconut oil, melted (plus 1 or 2 Tbsp)??? 
• 1 cup (240 ml) of mixed blackstrap and barbados molasses 
• 1 Tbsp finely grated fresh ginger 
• 2 Jumbo eggs, beaten 

3. Mix the dry mixture with the wet mixture

• Adjust as needed with flour or water 

4. Bake for approximately 40 minutes

• Check with toothpick at 35 minutes 
• Cool and then cut in small squares

Pumpkin Hummus and Paleo Pumpkin Bread

Sunday, October 21 and it is unseasonably frigid due to blustery winds and a high temperature of 40 degrees.  It took less than a minute outside to decide today would be an indoor day.  I ran back inside and decided it was good day to use up vegetables I had previously frozen, especially the bag of frozen  cooked mashed winter quash in 1 cup scoops from last winter.  It was either pie pumpkin or hubbard squash - one of the sweeter types of winter squash.

My first idea was to make pumpkin soup, but that is too easy and not very imaginative.  Instead, I made a paleo pumpkin bread and pumpkin hummus (no chickpeas).  As I type this post, I am eating the hummus with celery and the last orange pepper from the garden (with an apple cider and selzer drink).   The hummus is amazingly good.  If Phil doesn't get home soon, there will be none left for him.  The pumpkin bread will be paired with the jar of homemade pumpkin maple butter that Michelle brought last weekend.  I'll try to wait until tomorrow to try the pumpkin bread.  We'll see how that works out.

Pumpkin Hummus

• 3/4 cup cooked mashed pumpkin 
• 1 large garlic clove
• 2 TBSP tahini
• 2 TBSP fresh lemon juice (1/2 lemon)
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon coriander
• scant 1/8 teaspoon cayenne 
• 1/2 teaspoon Himalayan or sea salt

Whirl all ingredients in a food processor until smooth.  Chill in fridge for about an hour for flavors to develop.  Serve with colored peppers, celery, and other crunchy vegetables, such as radishes and kohlrabi.  I ate it with celery and the last of an orange pepper. I think Phil will enjoy it with cauliflower florets and kohlrabi.

Paleo Pumpkin Bread

I looked at quite a few recipes on line and decided Dr. Axe's recipe made the most sense, although I added more baking soda and spices and also added chopped walnuts and raised oven temp to 350.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Use coconut oil to prepare loaf pan.

• 1 cup almond flour
• ¼ cup coconut flour
• ½ teaspoon sea salt
• ½ teaspoon baking soda (I raised to 1 tsp)
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice (did not use, instead added 1/4 to 1/2  tsp each of ginger, cloves, allspice, and nutmeg)
• 3–4 eggs (I used 3 jumbo eggs)
• ¼ cup maple syrup
• ¾ cup pumpkin (mashed)
• ¼ cup melted coconut oil
• 1/4 - 1/2 cup chopped walnuts

1. Combine first 6 dry ingredients in a small bowl.  (I sifted to get lumps out of almond flour)
2. In a larger bowl, whisk the eggs, then the maple syrup, then the pumpkin, and last the melted coconut oil.
3. Stir the dry mix into the wet mixture. Stir in walnuts.  Will look too wet but in a minute it will dry up.
4. Put mixture into loaf pan and bake 45-55 minutes. (At 45 minutes, it seemed cooked, but dented in the middle when pressed, so baked it another 7 minutes)

Inspiration: https://draxe.com/recipe/gluten-free-pumpkin-bread/

Easiest Chocolate Pumpkin Pudding Ever

This was so good, I made variations twice in a week.  First time, I made a pumpkin spice version for the bottom layer of large wineglasses, and then topped that with a chocolate layer using pumpkin, raw cacao and melted dark chocolate chips.     The second time, I just used cinnamon and raw cocoa - no chocolate chips and thought it was even better, so am posted the second, even easier version.

1.5 cups cooked pumpkin (i used roasted pie pumpkin, but can use canned pumpkin)
1 cup unsweetened coconut milk (or raw dairy milk or almond milk or whatever milk-like substance)
2 T maple syrup
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup raw cacao powder
1 tsp vanilla

Pulse in a food processor for a few minutes until smooth.  Chill.

Pumpkin-Apple Butter with Honey, Ginger & Cardamom

Pumpkin-Apple Butter with Honey, Ginger & Cardamom 
(the link to the original creator of this recipe no longer works and I can't find a working link to the original recipe)

Other spices, such as cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice, can be substituted for the ginger and cardamom.

1 15-ounce can solid pack pumpkin
1 medium-large tart apple (e.g., Granny Smith), peeled, cored & grated
1 cup unsweetened apple juice
1/2 cup honey
1 teaspoon ground ginger (I added about 1/2 T fresh ginger)
1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
Pinch of salt

In a medium, heavy saucepan combine the pumpkin, apple, juice, honey, ginger, cardamom and salt. Bring mixture to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce to low. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 1 and 1/2 hours. Cool completely in pan, then transfer to an airtight container (It will keep in the refrigerator for up to 2 months). Makes 3 cups (serving size: 2 tablespoons).

Nutrition per Serving (2 tablespoons):Calories 35; Fat 0.1g (sat 0.1g, mono 0g, poly 0g); Protein 0.2g; Cholesterol 0mg; Carbohydrate 9.2g; Sodium 11.1mg.
(Note: nutrition analysis using Diet Analysis Plus 7.0.1)

I made 2 batches at the same time, with about 5 cups roasted butternut squash, 1.5 cups apple cider, 1.5 apples,  and 1/2 cup honey.  Then I split it in 2 pots and in 1 added fresh ginger and cardamon, and the other all ground spices of  cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, allspice, cloves, and vanilla.  I added 1 T raw brown sugar to both.  Next time I would use sugar and not honey, as the honey has a distinctive taste I'd rather not have in this.

Pumpkin Pie Ice Cream

I loved Adirondack Creamery's Pumpkin Pie ice cream and want to make a homemade version. AC's ingredient list is: Cream, Milk, cane sugar, non-fat dry milk, egg yolks, pumpkin, pure vanilla extract, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves, and allspice.  I found two recipes online that are close, but not quite, so I will try my own method. Since I have only made real ice cream twice before, I hope I don't  mess it up.

The recipe David Lebovitz posted has too many steps that don't seem necessary and a cinnamon stick seems to get lost in his recipe.  I do like his proportions of milk and cream and white and brown sugars. The Williams Sonoma recipe seems like it will come out two thick and too sweet with 2 cups of heavy cream and 3/4 cup brown sugar, but the recipe order is simpler, although there is no need to add cold cream to the eggs, so I will heat all the milk and cream.

1. Mix squash with vanilla and chill.

• 1 cup roasted butternut squash puree (or canned pumpkin)
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

2. Heat and stir in saucepan:

• 1 1/2 cups whole milk
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1/3 and 1/4 cup gingered sugar (otherwise combo of white and brown cane sugar)
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly-ground nutmeg
• If not using ginger sugar, use 1/2 tsp ground ginger or 1 tsp freshly grated
• scant 1/16 teaspoon cloves
• 4 allspice berries, crushed and a pinch of ground (or 1/8 teaspoon ground allspice)
• scant 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

3. Whisk 5 large egg yolks into a bowl

4. Whisk 1/3 to 1/2 the cream into the bowl of egg yolks and pour back into cream pot.
5. Heat and stir until 170 degrees- slightly thick-can run finger through it on back of spoon and it doesn't run back:
6. Pour through a fine mesh strainer into a bowl nestled in a larger bowl of ice water.  Whisk or stir a few times.  
7. Whisk in the pumpkin.  
8. Pour through fine mesh strainer again.  
9. Cover with plastic wrap and chill overnight.  
10. Churn in ice cream maker according to maker's directions.

Original sources or inspiration:
http://www.davidlebovitz.com/2009/11/pumpkin-ice-cream-recipe/
http://www.williams-sonoma.com/recipe/pumpkin-ice-cream.html