Paleo Pumpkin Pancakes

I'm a little late to the pumpkin party this year.  I bought a couple of cartons of pumpkin puree over a month ago because I knew the pumpkin cravings would eventually hit, but wasn't sure when.

I made it through all of October and the first half of November without making a batch of my paleo pumpkin spice ice cream, a pumpkin and pecorino soufflé, or a pumpkin caramel cheesecake pie.  I didn't just not make any of those things--I didn't even want them.  It was like I was over pumpkin.

Pumpkin Soup with Crispy Shallots (Whole30 Day 11)

My mom got me a sugar pumpkin to use as a centerpiece for Thanksgiving, and it's been cheerfully sitting on my windowsill ever since.  It still looked perfectly fine to me (turns out pumpkins last 8-12 weeks), so the other day I decided to roast it.  If you have a pumpkin kicking around your house, you should, too!  Then you can make this soup.  Roasting is much better than rotting, which is what will happen if you put off roasting your pumpkin for too long.  Why waste a source of delicious food?  While you're at it, roast the seeds, too.  I tossed mine with ghee and sprinkled them with garlic powder, salt, pepper, and sage, and they were amazing!

If you already got rid of all your pumpkins, don't despair.  Canned pumpkin is available in stores year-round, and will work just fine in this recipe.

Pumpkin is great, but the real star of this soup is the humble shallot.  When you fry shallots for a long time over  low heat, they turn a wonderful shade of golden brown and develop an even richer savory flavor.  After that, when you let them dry on paper towels, they crisp up.  Not like potato-chip crispy, but a wonderful kind of chewy-crispy--and they're WAY more delicious than potato chips.  You may want to make extra, because with a little salt sprinkled on top, they're pretty much better than bacon.

Quick Curried Pumpkin Soup (Paleo, Gluten-free, Vegan)

I'm on a really big soup kick right now.  It's so comforting to sit down with a bowl of soup on a chilly fall day, especially a soup that's both kinds of hot: warm and a little spicy.  The only problem with soup is that it sometimes takes a while to make.  Not this one, though.  You can have this soup on the table in less than 15 minutes!  It's a deliciously creamy, warmly spiced fall soup that has a depth of flavor not usually achieved in super fast recipes.  If you have a well-stocked pantry, you can whip up this soup at a moment's notice.  It's great for lunch when paired with a big salad, and would also make a great Thanksgiving starter!

I used homemade chicken stock made from a rotisserie chicken for this soup.  It was my first time making chicken stock, and I'm so glad I took the time to do it!  It made the whole house smell wonderful, and I felt like I was being really frugal.  I froze some of the stock in an ice cube tray, so now I have a bag of homemade stock cubes to use to make sauces and other recipes.  This recipe will also work with store-bought stock, though--the real flavor star here is the curry paste.

To make the soup vegan or vegetarian, just omit the fish sauce or use a splash of coconut aminos instead.  The soup will still be nice and flavorful with just the curry paste, stock, and pumpkin.  You can even omit the sunbutter or almond butter if you're out, but it adds a nice richness to the soup.

Pumpkin & Pecorino Soufflé (Gluten-free)

Me and pumpkin--it's not over!  Whenever I have leftover pumpkin in the fridge, I can't stop myself from adding it to almost all things.  This past weekend, I went to see my little sister, who's 15, cheer at her high school's last home game of the regular season.  The game fell on my dad's birthday, so I wanted to bring a little something sweet for the post-game celebration.  Unfortunately, in addition to her dairy and soy allergies, my sister is also currently avoiding nuts, citrus, and chocolate as part of an anti-migraine diet.  And, of course, I wanted whatever I made to be gluten-free.

Well, what was left that COULD go in these treats?  Pretty much just pumpkin (and a few coconut products).  I ended up making gluten-free, dairy-free, soy-free, and nut-free pumpkin cupcakes, and while I didn't think they were good enough to share with all of you, my sister really liked them.

The cupcakes only used a cup or so of pumpkin, so I was left with some extra, which was burning a hole in my pocket/fridge... Can that expression apply to food you really want to use up?  Or is it only for money you're dying to spend?

Pumpkin Caramel Cheesecake Pie (Gluten-free, No-bake)

This pie is so easy, and so good!  If you already have your caramel sauce made (try salted caramel, salted maple caramel, or even store-bought), there is no cooking required--just a few rounds of food processing.  And, in case you need another reason to make this, there's pumpkin involved!  There's also caramel, whipped cream, and a delicious two-ingredient crust.  The cheesecake layer is rich, but not overpowering--I think even people who don't love cheesecake will probably love this.  

The recipe has several components, but they are all easy to whip up in the food processor.  You don't even really need to wash it in between layers.  Also, it's so much fun to press the crust into the pan, smooth all these amazing things on top, swirl in some caramel, and sprinkle on a few pepitas.  It's almost as much fun to make this pie as it is to eat it!

I made this for two hungry podcasters, and they both loved it.  Even though Ben at first insisted he "didn't want a piece right now", he changed his tune as soon as he laid eyes on my slice.  Basically, this pie is irresistible!

Pumpkin Cake with Molasses Cream (Paleo, Gluten-free)

It is only September 21st, and I may already be tired of pumpkin.

I mean, "tired" is a little extreme--I probably just need one week off, and then I'll be ready to get back on the pumpkin train.

The reason is that I had to make this pumpkin cake four or five times.  The first time, I tried to make a vegan version using flax eggs.  I baked the cake for a long, long time, but it still did not set completely.  It had a fabulous flavor, but it was like a pudding-cake.  After cutting off a few slices, the rest of the loaf couldn't even hold itself together, and slumped into the delicious pumpkin version of an old, dilapidated house.

The next time I made it, it ended up staying in the oven for over three hours (not on purpose).  You can see it here (and I'd be thrilled if you followed me on Instagram!).  The third time, I substituted molasses for the honey, and the cake was so dark that it looked burnt even though it wasn't.  I wanted a nice orange color, at least on the inside of the cake, so I tried a fourth time.  I loved the molasses flavor, so I used it in the glaze, along with some creme fraiche (my new favorite thing).  Finally, I got a cake I loved!  It's still very moist, but it hasn't fallen apart yet.  The molasses cream and pecans really take it over the top.  If you're not a nut person, you could try adding a similar amount of chocolate chunks.  I added them to the first batch and it was fabulous.

So, hopefully you're not tired of pumpkin!  I promise to feature a different main ingredient in my next recipe.

Pumpkin Spice Ice Cream (Vegan, Paleo, Gluten-free)

Did you know there was once a molasses flood in Boston?  A five-story high molasses tank exploded on an unusually hot day in 1919 and surged through the North End, destroying a fire station and leaving a path of sticky destruction in its wake.  Some say that when the weather is really warm, you can still smell the molasses on the city streets almost 100 years later.

I was fascinated by the molasses flood as a kid and did a report on it in elementary school.  I think that was the last time I thought about molasses, though, because I almost never cook with it.  But, while making a failed batch of pumpkin bread over the weekend, I ran out of honey and needed another sweetener.  The molasses in the back of my cupboard seemed like just the thing, and it was (the pumpkin bread only failed because I asked Ben to watch it for me, and it ended up baking for almost three hours).  Molasses has a spicy flavor that goes really well with pumpkin, and contributes to this ice cream's rich orange color.  I did a little research and there seems to be some debate as to whether molasses is truly paleo, but I'm sure that this ice cream would still be delicious if you added more honey instead, or even tried maple syrup.