Pumpkin Parmesan Scones and Goat Cheese Spread

Okay, I know. Pumpkin is usually an autumn thing. During the months of September through November, websites like Pinterest are bursting at the seams with all kinds of pumpkin crafts and recipes. Pumpkin muffins, pancakes, pound cakes, cookies, smores, or roasted pumpkin; pumpkin in a soup, pumpkin in a stew, pumpkin in the slow cooker, etc. Pumpkin is just so darn tasty, with a few sweet notes like yams or butternut squash, but only a little more savory. 

Why does pumpkin have to be reserved for autumn? I can see why it doesn't fit the mood of summer, but I think hearty pumpkin dishes are great for winter as well. Since we are on our way out of winter now and into Spring (hooray!), I wanted to make one last thing with the good ol' pumpkin.

I had been eyeing this recipe over at Drizzle and Dip for a while. She said it was "easy," but I was a little bit suspicious. Especially since I tend to have awful luck with scones. Baking in general is not my forte, but my scones are especially bad. I'm just being honest with you. They either turn out really ugly or very biscuit-like instead of the nice, crumbly scones I intend to make. Amazingly, these actually turned out sooooo good for me. The texture was right on par, and the flavor was delicious. They are not sweet breakfast scones, but rather a more savory addition for a brunch or to snack on in the afternoon. The goat cheese spread really makes them, too. They would be great with butter or plain cream cheese, but if you can get your hands on some goat cheese, I would definitely try to use it. 

I modified the recipe a small bit to make do with what I had at the house.

Pumpkin Parmesan Scone with Thyme

[Serves 9-10

Prep: 15 minutes

Bake: 20-25 minutes]

Ingredients: 

- 3/4 can of cooked pumpkin

- 1/2 cup buttermilk (Note: I never want to buy a whole carton of buttermilk when most recipes only call for a portion of a cup. You can purchase dried buttermilk and add water, or, you can make a pseudo buttermilk at home. That's what I did today. Just take a cup of milk and add a tbsp of either lemon juice, white vinegar, or apple cider vinegar. I used apple cider vin. It doesn't have the same taste, but it accomplishes the same baking purposes)

- 2 1/2 cups self rising flour (Note: I only had all-purpose. So I used 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour plus 2 tsp baking powder and 1/2 tsp salt for each cup to essentially make it into "self rising" flour)

- 1 cup grated parmesan cheese

- 1/2 tsp salt

- 1/2 tsp black pepper

- 2 tsp thyme - fresh chopped is best, but dried works too 

- 1 egg yolk and 1 tbsp buttermilk

- Sunflower seeds or pepitas (optional)

Directions:

- Preheat oven to 400 F. 

- Mix your flour, parmesan, salt, pepper, and thyme in a large bowl. 

- Add buttermilk and pumpkin, and lightly stir until combined. 

- Put your dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead for just a minute or two, until it is sticky but firm. 

- Flour your hands and press the dough down to about 3-4 cm in height. 

- Use a cookie cutter (or whatever you have - of all the crazy gadgets we put on our wedding registry, I totally forgot about cookie cutters! An old drinking glass works fine) to cut round scones approximately 1.5-2 inches across.

- Place scones onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

- Brush the tops with your egg yolk and extra buttermilk. Sprinkle sunflower seeds or pepitas. 

- Bake until golden brown, around 20 minutes. 

Goat Cheese Spread

Ingredients:

- 1/2 package of cream cheese

- Equal amount of goat cheese

- 2-3 tbsp milk

Directions:

- Put all ingredients into a small bowl and whisk with electric mixer until light and creamy. 

- Spread on your warm scones and enjoy! 

Please let me know what you think.

Love,

Madi

Nut-Free Granola With Chia, Flax, and Sunflower Seeds

This morning I was seriously craving some cereal or granola. Unfortunately, all I had on hand were some old-fashioned rolled oats. Then an idea came to mind - why don't I make my own? I had never made granola before, but I had seen some girls in my old dorm do it from time to time. It is cheaper and (usually) healthier to make it yourself than to use store-bought brands. 

My husband is mildly allergic to nuts, so I needed to add some other ingredients to give it that delicious crunch and nutty flavor. I also wanted to bring in some of the healthy fats and proteins that nuts provide. I ended up going with a blend of chia seeds, flax seeds, sunflower seeds, and wheat germ. Alas, due to the wheat germ, this recipe is not gluten free. However, you can always emit it and use GF oats to make it friendly for those of you with sensitivities. 

Nut-Free Granola

Ingredients:

- 3 cups rolled oats

- 2 tbsp chia seeds

- 1/4 cup flax

- 1/4 cup sunflower seeds

- 1/4 cup wheat germ

- 1/3 cup honey

- 1/3 cup coconut oil

- 1/4 cup butter

- 1/2 tsp cinnamon

- 1/4 tsp salt

- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Directions: 

- Preheat oven to 350 F. 

- Mix the oats, seeds, and wheat germ in a large mixing bowl. Add cinnamon and salt. 

- In a separate, microwave-safe bowl, place your honey, oil, and butter. Heat in the microwave or on the stove top until the butter is melted. Whisk the mixture together until it is emulsified. 

- Pour wet ingredients over the dry and mix thoroughly with a large spoon. 

- Lightly grease a large baking pan with butter or oil. 

- Pour the granola mix onto the baking sheet in a thin layer. Slide into the oven and allow to bake for approximately 10 min. Open the oven and stir. Close and allow it to bake until golden brown, another 10-15 minutes. Watch it carefully to be sure it doesn't burn.

- Remove the pan from the oven and let your granola cool. As it cools, it will harden and get crunchy. You can stir it to break up the chunks.

- If you want to add dried fruit, you can stir it in at this point. Your choice. 

- Once cool, serve topped with your choice of milk and fresh fruit. Or mix it into some greek yogurt with honey. 

I personally do not care for dried fruit in my granola. I think it tends to get hard and chewy, and sometimes makes it too sweet. I like mixing in fresh fruit at the time of consumption instead. It gives you some freshness with the toasty granola flavor. 

Yum yum!

Madi

Paprika Parsnips and the "Perfect" Greens

In efforts to really kick off this blog, I am trying to do a lot of posts these first couple of weeks. It's funny how many ideas have come to mind once I started. I am looking forward to sharing more bits of my life and joys with you :)

This evening I am giving two great recipes for vegetables. You can make them as sides, or if you just want something light/vegetarian for dinner, they can serve as a meal to themselves. They are two of our go-to items on nights when we aren't experimenting. They are easy and downright delicious. 

First up is Paprika Parsnips and Carrots. 

Only the parsnips are shown in these pictures. I left out the carrots when I made them for dinner last night. It is great with the parsnips alone, but I think I like it best when carrots are in the mix. 

Ingredients: 

- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 3-4 parsnips, peeled and cut into fry-size wedges
- 4 carrots, peeled and cut into fry-size wedges 
- 1 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1-2 tbsp smoked or sweet paprika
- 1 tbsp fresh oregano (I was growing some spicy oregano that went well with this dish)
- salt and pepper

Directions:

- Peel your parsnips and carrots. Cut off the ends and chop into small wedges or the typical discs. Either way works well. 

- Heat olive oil in large skillet. Toss the parsnips and carrots in the oil until coated. 
- Add cayenne pepper, paprika, and then a dash of salt and pepper. Toss. Add oregano if you have it. 

- Cover and cook on medium heat, stirring occasionally, until soft (approximately 15 minutes). 
- If you like it browned on the edges, which I do, turn up the heat and cook for 5 minutes longer on high heat. 

All done. Super easy. Super good.

Next up is our "Perfect" Greens.

I know, perfect seems like an exaggeration. Maybe it is. But let me just tell you that Joseph and I love our greens, and this is one of the best ways we've found to cook them. This recipe is great for collards, mustard, kale, chard, or just about any other green that sautés well. 

Image is shown with kale as the primary green.

We found it when we went to a nearby restaurant called no. 246 in Decatur, GA. We are beyond blessed to live two miles from downtown Decatur and the Decatur square, the home of many, many exceptional restaurants and bars. If you're from Georgia, you may have heard of Paper Planes, the Brick Store Pub, Iberian Pig, etc. I'm a huge foodie. It gives me so much pleasure to try these places out! 

To make a long story short, we were at 246 and we ordered a special side they were serving that night. I think it was collards and chard. It was something and chard, at least. They brought it out with our dinner and we fell in love. It was so flavorful and rich. The waitress talked to the chef for us and found out it was fairly simple. It was cooked in almost equal parts olive oil, butter, broth, and white wine. Needless to say, we tried to recreate this meal at home. We tend to use a little more broth than the original because it's cheaper than the other ingredients. It is still pretty tasty. Here is my guestimate at the measurements we use on a regular basis:

Ingredients:

- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1/4 cup butter (grass fed, such as Kerrygold, is best)
- 2 cups chicken or vegetable broth
- 1/2 cup dry white wine
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 8-10 cups greens of your choice
- 1 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1 tsp red pepper flakes 
- 2-3 tsp salt
- ground black pepper

Directions:

- Loosely chop a medium sweet onion. It doesn't need to be perfect; I usually leave it in large slivers for this recipe.

- Heat olive oil in large saucepan on medium heat. Add the onions and simmer until translucent. 
- Chop up your greens, if needed. For kale, I try to separate out most of the stalky bits.

- Add the butter to your saucepan. Yum yum. Butter makes everything taste good. 
- Add half your greens to the pot. Mix and allow them to shrink down a bit before you add the broth. 
- Pour in your broth, mix, then add the remainder of your greens. If there is not enough room in the pot, wait until they have simmered for a bit and shrunk down. 
- Sprinkle in the salt, pepper, cayenne, and red pepper flakes. I enjoy using a special kind of seasoned salt called Borsari. You can get it at the meat section of Whole Foods. It adds fantastic flavor, especially when rubbed into beef or chicken. 
- Add 1/2 cup white wine. It's okay to drink some at this time. I always do ;)
- Simmer until fully cooked, approximately 10-15 minutes. 

Enjoy!

Best wishes for great dinners,
Madi

Sweet Potato Chipotle Chili

Tonight we were craving something with a bit of burn to it. Something smoky and spicy. We didn't have much in the fridge, so I had to get creative with the goods in our pantry. I found a few different recipes online for sweet potato chili and just mixed and matched ingredients based on what we had available at home.

The finished product turned out pretty darn good. The flavor was amazing. If anything, it might have been a teensy bit too hot. Hubby and I have an extremely high heat tolerance (thank you, Indian dining!), so I've adjusted the below ingredients to make it a bit more palatable. You can always add coconut milk or cream to tone it down, as well. 

Sweet Potato Chipotle Chili

[Serves 6
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 45-60 minutes]

Ingredients:

- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, diced
- 1 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1-2 chipotle chilis in adobo sauce (These come in a can. Definitely start with just one, and then add the second later if you need to.)
- 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
- 2 14 oz cans of diced tomatoes, drained
- 4 cups vegetable or chicken broth
- 2 cups cubed sweet potatoes 
- 2 cans beans (whatever you have - I used black and cannellini) 
- 2 cups shredded or chopped kale
- 1/2 cup corn
- salt and pepper
- 1/2 cup coconut milk (optional)

Directions:

- Heat oil in large pot. Add chopped onion and garlic. Sizzle until the onions turn translucent. 
- Add cayenne pepper and one chopped chipotle pepper with a little bit of the adobo sauce. Add to pot and let it cook until fragrant (30 seconds to a minute). 
- Add vinegar and tomatoes. Stir, then add the broth, cubed sweet potatoes, and beans. Simmer for approximately 30 minutes, or until the potatoes are soft. 
- Add the kale and the corn. Simmer another 10 minutes. 
- Taste your chili. Add salt and pepper if needed. If it's too spicy for your taste, add coconut milk or heavy cream. This gives it great taste either way. 
- Serve topped with avocado, sour cream, cheddar cheese, or tortilla chips. Give it a good squeeze of lime! 

You better finish this off with tequila and lime. Or at least a cold brew. Yum!

Enjoy dinner,

Madi 

Whole Grain Chia Waffles & Blueberry-Vanilla Jam

This morning I was really craving waffles. My darling grandma gave me a waffle iron years ago, and I was ready to whip that baby out. I found a recipe for whole wheat waffle batter and then modified it to include chia seeds and protein powder. I am all about chia, let me tell you. It is loaded with fiber and healthy omega-3 fats. I seriously try to put it in all my breakfast items. 

Once I figured out what I was going to do for the waffles, I realized I needed some kind of topping. We have an old bottle of "maple" syrup, but by "maple," they mean high fructose corn syrup with some artificial flavoring. I. just. can't. do. it. Once upon a time, that sort of thing didn't bug me, but since I've learned more about nutrition and how my body works, I have a really hard time with refined sugars. No worries though! There is still a bit of sweetness in this recipe. I looked up easy compotes that I could make in less than half an hour, and came across this beauty. It is the simplest jam I have ever made. The only changes I instigated were to replace the syrup with honey, and I used frozen wild blueberries from Trader Joes instead of fresh ones (they're cheaper, and great for baking). 

Whole Wheat Chia Waffles

Ingredients:

- 1.5 cups of whole wheat flour

- 1/3 cup chia seeds

- 1 tbsp baking powder

- 1/2 tsp salt

- 2 tbsp protein powder (optional)

- 1-2 tbsp brown sugar (optional)

- 2 cups whole milk

- 2 large eggs

- 1/3 cup melted butter or coconut oil

Directions:

- Whisk dry ingredients together in a large mixing bowl.

- Whisk wet ingredients seperately. 

- Combine wet and dry, carefully mixing. Allow to sit for 15-20 minutes so the chia seeds can absorb moisture. 

This makes approximately 8-12 waffles depending on the size of your iron. Freeze the rest in a ziploc bag. You can reheat them in the toaster for breakfast just like store bought waffles. 

Blueberry Vanilla Jam

Ingredients:

- 3 cups frozen or fresh blueberries

- 3-4 tbsp honey

- 1/2 tsp grated ginger (optional)

- 2 tbsp chia seeds

- 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract 

Directions:

- Heat blueberries and honey in small stovepot until boiling. 

- Reduce to a simmer and add chia seeds. These are needed to thicken the jam. Simmer for approximately 15 minutes, stirring frequently, until the mixture reaches desired thickness. You can add ginger or lemon at this point if you want to "brighten" it up. 

- Mash the blueberries with your spoon, leaving some bits for texture.

- Remove from heat and add the vanilla extract. Once cool, put in jar. It will stay fresh in the fridge for 3-4 days. 

Seriously delicious. I devoured it. 

Bon appetite! 

Madi