Pumpkin and Chicken

Okay, I am being terribly remiss in posting recipes again.  Today I needed to use a sugar pumpkin and some chicken that I had in my fridge.  While I looked for ideas, I roasted the pumpkin.

Roasted Sugar Pumpkin

• 1 medium sugar pumpkin

Preheat oven to 400F.  Cut stem end off pumpkin.  Cut pumpkin in half and remove seeds and strings.  Separate the seeds from the strings and rinse; set aside.  Place pumpkin halves, cut side down, on a cookie sheet.  Roast for 30 minutes.  Allow to cool.  Remove flesh from skins and process until smooth in blender.


I looked at several different recipes for pumpkin chicken soups and stews.  In the end, I decided to go with a Chicken Pumpkin Chili that looked similar to Chicken White Bean Chili.  I have always liked that type of chili, but have never actually made it.  And it seemed to be the type of thing you could prepare the ingredients and then cook in a slow cooker.  I have spent part of the summer preparing vegetables and freezing them so that I would have everything on hand and decided to adjust the recipe to include some of my other favorite vegetables.

Chicken Pumpkin Two Bean Chili
Adapted from: http://picky-palate.com/2012/11/26/white-bean-and-turkey-pumpkin-chili/

• 2 Tbsp canola oil
• 1 medium Vidalia onion, diced
• 2 stalks celery, diced
• 2 medium carrots, diced
• 1 cup frozen fresh corn
• 1 cup frozen fresh mixed peppers
• 1 4oz can green chilis
• 3 cloves garlic
• 4 cups homemade chicken stock
• 5 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
• Roasted pumpkin puree from 1 medium sugar pumpkin
• 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1 tbsp cumin

Prepare vegetables (onions, celery, carrots).  Heat oil over medium heat.  Add prepared vegetables, plus corn and mixed peppers.  Saute until vegetables are soft.  Add garlic and saute another minute or so until fragrant.  Mix pumpkin puree and chicken stock in crockpot until well blended.  Add vegetables and remaining ingredients.  Cover and cook at HIGH for 1 hour, then reduce heat to LOW and cook 6-8 hours.

Hummus

I had a can of pumpkin I needed to use up after substituting pumpkin for oil in brownies yesterday. As I was searching for things to use it in, I ran across a recipe for pumpkin hummus. My friend, Saada Eid, is from Jordan and always made the best hummus and Baba Ganoush, but when we asked for recipes, she always told us that it depended on taste. After making hummus today, I now understand. This recipe is only the basis for the hummus, you will want to adjust the garlic and lemon juice to your taste. Oh yeah, I always thought it was hard to mix natural peanut butter or almond butter when first opened. Well, tahini is even harder! But so worth the effort!

 Pumpkin Hummus
 Adapted from: http://veganyackattack.com/2011/11/14/pumpkin-hummus/

• 1 can Chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 1 can Pumpkin Puree
• 2 Tbsp. Tahini
• 2 Tbsp. Olive Oil
• 3-4 Cloves of Garlic
• 1/2 Tbsp. Lemon Juice
• 1/2 tsp. Paprika
• Optional: Water or more lemon juice to get a smoother, more fluid consistency

 Place all ingredients into a food processor and puree until smooth, or until the consistency is to your liking. If you choose to add water, add very little at a time so that it is not too liquidy. Note: Adjust flavors with lemon juice and garlic.

Pie Pumpkins

Today I roasted a pie pumpkin that I received a couple weeks ago.  This is a very easy procedure:

1) Preheat oven to 350F.  Remove stem and cut pumpkin in half.

2) Remove seeds and pulp from center of pumpkin; set aside.

3) Place pumpkin halves, cut side down, on a prepared baking sheet, prick in several places with a fork, and bake at 350F until a fork easily pierces the skin and flesh (about 45 minutes for a small to medium pumpkin; longer for bigger pumpkins)

4) Turn pumpkin halves over to cool.  When cool enough to handle, scoop flesh out into a fine sieve and gently turn over to drain excess fluid (the pumpkin I roasted did not have excess fluid and was quite thick.

5) Place flesh into blender and blend until smooth (add liquid if necessary).  And viola!

Now, the flesh is not the only treat from pie pumpkins!  You can also clean and toast the pumpkin seeds!

1) Separate the seeds from the pulp; rinse well and drain in a colander.

2) Spread the seeds out on paper towels to dry.

3) When dry, preheat oven to 325F.  Spread the seeds on a prepared baking sheet, spray with cooking spray and sprinkle with salt (and other seasoning as you see fit: i.e. chili powder, cayenne, cinnamon, ginger, etc.)

4) Bake until browned, about 25 minutes, checking and stirring at 10 minutes. Let cool and store in an airtight container.