Whatcha' Cookin' Wednesday - Roasted Pumpkin and... Pumpkin Pie

Pic by katerha

Today's "Whatcha Cookin' Wednesday" is a 2-fer  - roasted pumpkin AND roasted pumpkin pie - because it's high time we shift the pumpkin paradigm.

It seems to me that when it comes to pumpkins folks rush to carve them into jack-o-lanterns or use as porch and mantle adornments but when it comes to using it as an ingredient... most reach for the canned stuff.  

“It’s easier!” Maaaaybe, but it's also full of BPA, sugar, preservatives and other added stuff.

”It’s cheaper.” Nope. Not by a mile.

“It’s what I know!”  Shift the paradigm!

I invite you to do your taste buds (and wallet) a favor. Allow real pumpkin into your life and on your table.

A can of organic canned pumpkin will run you about $2.40-3.00. It’s enough for ONE pie. A whole, organic pie pumpkin costs about $1.25-2.50., depending on where and when you buy it, and will yield enough pulp for TWO pies. That's HALF-OFF, folks. Buy late-season pie pumpkins at your local farmers market to get the best deal. (Offer to buy in bulk and see the prices really go down…) I buy up all the inexpensive pumpkins each season and do some bulk cooking, a  bit of a roasting fest if you will. My kitchen smells wonderful for an afternoon and I have enough roasted pumpkin to last until mid-summer, sometimes longer. This is how it looks when I'm done:

I stack them in my freezer, like edible books.

I usually preserve my bounty by freezing flat in freezer bags in 2-cup increments so it's easy to pull out for my favorite pumpkin bread recipe.

You’ll be delighted to find out how easy it is to cook real pumpkin that can be used in a wide variety of recipes including quick breads, muffins, soups and yes, pies. When ripe, pumpkins can be boiled, baked, steamed, or, my absolute fave, ROASTED. Total hands-on time is about 5-10 minutes. Easy.

Roasty goodness by Rachel Tayse

Roasted Pumpkin

-Preheat oven to 400.

-Cut pie pumpkin in half or quarters (top to bottom from stem) and scoop out seeds.

-Place pumpkin on cookie sheet or jelly roll pan.

Tip: For easy clean-up, line cookie sheet or jell roll pan with parchment paper or foil before roasting.  

-Roast for 50-60 minutes, or until a fork can be easily pierced through skin.

-Cool and scoop out pulp from skin.

And now....  PIE. Lovely PIE. Perfect for breakfast, lunch and dinner, says me and my kiddos. And especially Thanksgiving. I usually refer to this pumpkin pie recipe as "blender pie" since the only kitchen tool needed is a blender. It's easily the tastiest and easiest pie I've ever made. Hands down.

Roasted Pumpkin Pie

Pie pic by pbody

3 c. roasted pumpkin (about one 3.5 lb sugar pumpkin)

1.5 c. light brown sugar

2 tbsp corn starch

1 tsp salt

1.5 tsp cinnamon

1.5 tsp ground ginger

1/4 tsp. nutmeg

6 large eggs

3 cups of evaporated milk

-Assemble all ingredients in blender and mix until slightly frothy.

-Pour into favorite pie crust.

-Bake at 350 for about 40-45 minutes or until top is lightly browned and no longer jiggly in the middle.

Organically yours,

Minde

What's your fave way to cook pumpkin?  I'd love to hear about it...

Whatch Cookin' Wednesday - Applesauce

You've heard me preach it, folks:

Buy seasonal food in bulk.  

It's a smart way to get real food at the best prices while at it's peak flavor. I'm over the moon that apples are in season right now. (Seriously, this morning I woke up thinking about rustic apple tarts. No joke.) That means those delicious red/gold/yellow/green/pink fruits are in abundance. And inexpensive.

In my area (East TN), organic apples are about $1.10/lb., which is down from about $2.25/lb in the off-season, and maybe even less expensive if a local farmer has a surplus they want to unload.  What does this mean for my family?  Copious amounts of applesauce!  And yes, rustic apple tarts.

A 25 oz. jar of organic applesauce at my local market costs about $3.60 - 4.00. Ouch. If I ration it carefully (or mix it with yogurt to make it last longer), I might get a jar to last about a week.  I use it in baked goods, we pack it in school lunches, it makes a great ice cream topping... We typically go through about 2-4 jars a month. That's approximately $14.50.

A month...

For applesauce.

Per year? About $175 buckaroos. Super ouch. 

Now, when I make homemade applesauce the cost goes down to about $1.35 for same-sized jar. Sweeeet. And yummy. That's about $3.50 for about 64 oz. of organic, delicious, good-for-you, proud-to-serve, tunny-pleasing, HEALTHY, applesauce.

Another bonus: It's easy! You can make a humongous batch of applesauce in your Crock Pot with very little effort. (Save for the peeling part but it's not too bad if you've got some tunes goin'. I found that Lily Allen is darn near perfect apple peeling music.) Get the kids in on the act. Let your munchkins measure the spices, how many cups of apples needed, and more. A great math lesson, plus they get the eat the fruits of their labor.

Store your sauce in Mason jars in the freezer (be sure to leave at least 1/2" of headspace) or use the super-easy water bath canning method for long-term preserving.

Crock Pot Applesauce
(Yields about 64 oz. For you bad-at-math canners, that's two quarts or four pints or a quart and two pints.)

-3 lbs. or about 12-15 medium-sized apples - peeled, cored, and chopped. (I use a mix of tart and sweet varieties such as a Gala and Granny Smith)
-4 tsp. lemon juice
-cinnamon
-sweetener - sugar, honey, agave - to taste (we skip the sweetener since most apples are sweet enough on their own)
-water

Tip: Use non-stick spray on inside of Crock Pot before adding apples.  Makes clean-up a breeze... 

Add lemon juice and apples to Crock Pot. (UPDATED 5.1.13 - please note that I no longer add lemon juice! We didn't see any notable difference when we omitted it so now we just leave it out.)

Stir to combine.

Sprinkle cinnamon on mixture, just to cover lightly.

Set on high for 4 hours or low for 8 hours.

and...

THAT'S IT.  (Told ya it was easy.) We eat as-is -- a little on the chunky side. If you prefer a smooth sauce, blend to desired consistency in blender or Cuisinart. A hand blender used directly in the Crock Pot works great too. (Use water as needed to get the right texture.)

By the way, this applesauce makes great a Christmas gift.  Can it in a lovely Mason jar, add a fun tag and you're good to go.

Organically yours,

Minde

Do you have a fave seasonal Crock Pot recipe?  I'd love to hear about it.  Please post in comments!

RiceSelect Giveaway - extended!

Due to technical difficulties, last week's giveaway has been extended!  Submit your fave rice recipe for a chance to win a very cool goody bag from RiceSelect - see below for rules.  Deadline is this Tuesday at 10 a.m. EST; winner will be announced that afternoon.

Yummmm..  Nice pic, ☼zlady!

Here's how the RiceSelect giveaway works:

-All submitted recipes must contain rice.  ANY kind of rice.  Brown, jasmati, Texmati, etc.  Bring it on.  Recipes can be simple or complex – your choice!

-All recipe submissions must be posted in the comments of this post.

-If you haven't already, please log on to my Facebook page, “like” it , THEN tell your Facebook friends about my Facebook page. (Click HERE for my Facebook page link to include on your page.)

Have fun and good luck!  

Organically yours,

-Minde

RiceSelect Giveaway! Post a recipe for a chance to win!

Got an amazing recipe to share?  Hope so!  RiceSelect would like to send one of my lucky readers a fun goody bag!  It's quick and easy - 1) List your fave rice recipe in the comments of this blog post by this Friday and 2) tell your Facebook friends about my Facebook page.  Do this by Friday at 5 p.m. EST and your name will be entered to win!  The winner will be announced on SATURDAY.

Did you know that RiceSelect^™ was named a national partner of Susan G. Komen for the Cure^® to help in the fight against breast cancer? Cool! During the months of September, October and November 2011, you'll see RiceSelect^™ Texmati^® White rice brightening store shelves with their pink lids and labels. During this three month period RiceSelect^™is committed to donating a minimum of $50,000 to Susan G. Komen for the Cure^®.

Here's how the RiceSelect giveaway works:

All submitted recipes must contain rice.  ANY kind of rice.  Brown, jasmati, Texmati, etc.  Bring it on.  Recipes can be simple or complex – your choice!

All recipe submissions must be posted in the comments of this post by THIS Friday at 5 p.m. E.S.T.  (All you west coasters will have to get your recipes up by 2 p.m.)

If you haven't already, please log on to my Facebook page, “like” it , THEN tell your Facebook friends about my Facebook page. (Click HERE for my Facebook page link to include on your page.)

Easy, right?  I can’t wait to read your recipes… GO!  Good luck!

This White Rice is Right Nice - RiceSelect Jasmati

Meal planning is a big part of our family eating well and organically on a budget so Wednesday is always Rice and Veggie Night. 

That’s not as boring as it sounds. Really! Take a peek:

Say it with me:  Yummmmmmmmmmmm...

Both rice and veggies are inexpensive, versatile and healthy. We mix it up each week by creating different rice and veggies dishes, depending on our mood and what's in season. Stir-fry combos, steamed or raw seasonal veggies, different kinds of rice and quinoa (I know, NOT a rice but we allow it to sneak into rice and veggie night anyway) and savory spices, plus a protein - like grilled chicken or artisan sausage from our local market - when the budget allows. No rice and veggie meal is ever the same, which is a simple boredom buster when it come to the drudgery of meal planning.

Since we are fans of buying in bulk in order to get the best price, we usually get our rice from Costco since they offer such great deals on organics and healthy stuff we like to eat. Our fave is RiceSelect Organic Texmati Brown. (Yes, this was our first choice for rice even before I started doing food reviews for Mambo Sprouts and RiceSelect.) Truth be told, I haven’t had white rice in years; I prefer the brown kind for a wide variety of reasons. My past experience with white rice is that it’s sticky, tasteless and gloppy and feels like I just ate glue. I usually stay away from the stuff.

So, when RiceSelect sent me their Jasmati (long grain American jasmine) WHITE rice to review my heart sank. But here I was with a new product to try so I bit the (white) bullet and gave it a go. Although RiceSelect thoughtfully included some lovely recipes, we decided to go the purist route so we could really taste the rice. I cooked it simply and paired with some steamed seasonal veggies:  

I’m pleased to report that my family’s opinion is that RiceSelect is fluffy, flavorful and, according to my 5-year daughter, YUMMY.  A pleasant surprise...  Also, it was so darned EASY to cook.  2 cups of water to 1 cup of rice, let boil, turn down to simmer, done in 20 minutes. Nice! (Simple truth: Easy, uncomplicated cooking makes for a happy mama.)

My trick to add flavor to any rice or quinoa dish is to add a bit of homemade chicken or veggie stock (or low-sodium, canned broth or stock) to kick up the flavors a notch. Add to suit your taste but we’ve been known to cook entire batches with stock or liquid instead of water. This adds an extra layer of deliciousness to an already flavorful grain.


Here's another thing about RiceSelect: It not only makes your tummy feel good but chances are your spirit too. From September to November the Texmati rice jars will sport pink lids and labels to help support the Susan G. Komen For the Cure foundation. During this time, RiceSelect will donate $50,000 to support the foundation’s work to cure breast cancer. Nice, right?


And, I LOVE this, RiceSelect supports sustainable agriculture by developing high yielding rice varieties that require less pesticides, fungicides and water resources.  Plus, RiceSelect’s production facilities operate pollution free and use only minimal processes to mill and package their goods. And finally, all of RiceSelect's  PET jars are re-usable and recyclable and BPA free. BPA FREE! Why can't more food companies get on this bandwagon?

The net/net is that I may start eating white rice again. We were pleasantly surprised and will consider buying RiceSelect’s Jasmati Rice in the future. 

Organically yours,

Minde

Taking a Break with Equal Exchange Coffee

    (thanks for the photo OiMax)

It’s widely known that I’m an addict.  

A COFFEE addict.  

I often pack a coffee maker when we go on trips, go many miles out of the way to go to a cherished coffee purveyor, and ship beans across the country all in an effort to obtain a perfect cup of  java.  I’m serious about the stuff.  So when Mambo Sprouts asked me to review organic Equal Exchange coffee I was definitely up for the task.  I already knew that Equal Exchange works with small farmers and co-ops, which really appeals to my Mama Earth side (let’s keep those small farms in business, folks), and that it’s beans are 100% organic.  (Rubber-stamped by the USDA.) I was eager to see if it tasted as good as it made me feel to know that I was drinking coffee made from responsibly grown beans grown on small farms.

I tested two roasts: French Roast (dark roast) and the fabulously named Love Buzz (medium dark roast), which is a blend of Equal Exchange’s Full City and French Roast.

The French Roast was wonderful.  There’s no false advertising on the label, which says “intensely dark and full bodied.”  While it was steeping (we use a French press) my husband noted that the aroma reminded him of a French Quarter coffee roaster that he frequented a while back.  Indeed, a hearty, roasty, somewhat smoky loveliness filled the kitchen and we could barely wait before tucking in to a steaming cup of it.  It was very smooth with a very slight almost-chocolately aftertaste – yummy all-around.  I added a blip of whole milk, which took a bit of the edge off but the flavor still came through.

Love Buzz was a slightly lighter roast and also very good.  It calls itself “dark and velvety smooth” but I found the French Roast to be a tad smoother and all together a little more satisfying.  (Full disclaimer:  I’m a dark coffee gal, often amping up the coffee:water ratio to get a darker cup. ) I really enjoyed the Love Buzz, it was a good afternoon treat when I wasn’t looking for a super intense cup of coffee.

So, would I buy it?  Yes.  At a little under $10. for a 12 oz. bag it’s not cheap but definitely not on the expensive side, especially for a fairly traded, organic product.  I’ve paid more for good, palate-pleasing coffee (a necessity in my house, for sure) and think this coffee ranks pretty high on the flavor scale. 

Week 6: Consider Store-Brand Organics - 10 Easy Ways to Living Affordably Organic

Consider Store-Brands when Buying Organic

Most chain grocery stores, even your local mega mart and warehouse stores, are finally getting with the organic program and creating private label organic products. This is great news for your wallet. Here’s a run-down:

Stores that offer their own brand of organic foods

Kroger

Publix

Whole Foods

Trader Joe’s

Safeway

Albertsons

Costco

(and many more regional stores are getting into the act too...)

More reasons to consider store-brand organics:

Small ingredient list

Most store-brand organics generally have small ingredient lists. Case in point: Publix salsa has five ingredients.(And no additives that are unpronounceable! Yay!) Their ketchup has only 6 ingredients. (And no high-fructose corn syrup, which is added to just about everything these days.) Trader Joe's organic non-sweetened apple sauce has ONE ingredient. (Apples! Surprise!)

Large variety of products

Check out the bread section of your local mart and chances are good that they have store-brand organic bread available. (Kroger has a yummy organic flax seed organic bread.) Cruise the canned food section and find organic black beans, garbanzo beans, corn and more. Also look for pasta sauces, condiments and spreads. (Organic store-brand pastas are available too but I haven't found any that are wheat or whole grain.) Costco has a really nice organic brown rice that's inexpensive and tasty. Store-brand organic dairy is in abundance too, as well as eggs, butter and sometimes cheese. Even the baking aisle has some organic private label surprises like spices, oils, flours and sweeteners.

More value for your dollar

Most store-brand items are much less expensive than brand-name items. Choose a store-brand over a name-brand and 9 times out of 10 you’ll pay less.  Eggs?  Only $4./dozen for store-brand but pay nearly $7./dozen for name-brand.  How about milk?  Pay $6.50/gallon for name-brand and only $4.99/store-brand. The savings really add up. Of course, it’s tough to find coupons for store-brands while name-brand coupons are readily available in your Sunday paper but in the long run buying store-brands will save you big bucks.

Next up: My fave store-brand items, including recipes.

Organically yours,

Minde

What are YOUR favorite store-brand organics?