Pumpkin Pie Overnight Oats

Here is a quick breakfast recipe you can assemble the night before and have it ready for the morning. In fact, you can make it this weekend and have it for a few days this week.

It tastes like pumpkin pie but is a whole lot healthier with all of the benefits of fiber-filled, cholesterol-lowering oats and protein-rich Greek yogurt, And if you cannot imagine pumpkin pie without pecans, simply swap out the walnuts for pecans. No harm done. If it is a bit chilly and you would like warm oats, you can pop the soaked oats in the microwave when you are ready to eat. I just recommend leaving out the walnuts and yogurt until after heating the mixture.

Pumpkin Pie Overnight Oats

1 1/2 cups rolled oats
1 1/2 cups milk of choice, dairy or non-dairy
1/2 cup canned pumpkin
1 1/2 -2 tablespoons maple syrup
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon*
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger*
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves*
pinch of salt
1 cup Greek yogurt, I used 2% (optional)
1/2 cup chopped walnuts, toasted

Combine everything but yogurt and walnuts in a bowl and stir to mix. You can divide into small jars at this point or just place in a large container with a top. Top with yogurt and chopped walnuts. Enjoy! Serves 3-4.
**The spices can be replaced with 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice

Miso Pumpkin Tomato Soup with Roasted Garlic

I do not know a single soul who does not like roasted garlic. It takes all of the harshness out of the vampire repellent and mellows it into a soft, spreadable, slightly sweet and earthy treat. The hardest part really is turning on your oven. It is virtually a foolproof recipe that results in an impressive flavor bomb. For this recipe, I recommend roasting more garlic than you need since you already have your oven on, and then use the rest to spread on a crusty multi-grain bread or slather on pizza. Really good stuff.

I combine roasted garlic here with another favorite- tomato soup. But I dress the tomato soup up a little bit with pumpkin and miso, another umami-packed ingredient. I got the idea for the roasted garlic and miso addition to tomato soup from Emily Stoffel's Buttered Miso-Tomato Soup with Roasted Garlic + Togarashi posted originally on Gourmande in the Kitchen. Emily writes at another fabulous blog, The Pig & Quill. It just seemed like a yummy and rich combination that would not weigh you down. She tops hers with a lovely butter but I decided to blend in just a tablespoon at the end.  When added this way, it adds a pleasant lightness.  The seasonal pumpkin pumps up the nutrient level and adds extra creaminess and heft without extra fat.

You could serve this alongside grilled cheese or cheesy toast, but with the miso touch, I recommend serving it alongside some brown rice or another grain to round it out.

Miso Pumpkin Tomato Soup with Roasted Garlic

2 heads roasted garlic, cloves removed (see note below)
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons miso paste (I used white)
1/2 cup canned pumpkin
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 1/2 cups water
1 28 ounce can whole peeled tomatoes
1 tablespoon unsalted butter + salt and pepper to taste

Combine roasted garlic, 2 tablespoons olive oil miso paste, canned pumpkin, and tomato paste in medium pot over medium heat. Cook, stirring often, until mixture begins to darken and become fragrant, about 2-3 minutes.

Add water and canned tomatoes, stirring to combine. Bring mixture to a boil, cover, then reduce to simmer. Allow to cook for 15 minutes.

Transfer mixture to a blender, add 1 tablespoon of unsalted butter, and carefully blend until desired smoothness is reached. An immersion blender can also be used. Taste and adjust for salt and pepper. Enjoy! Makes 4 servings.

Note: To roast garlic. Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Cut the very top portion off of two heads of garlic, exposing most of the cloves. Place garlic heads on foil, drizzle 2 teaspoons olive oil over top of exposed cloves, and sprinkle salt over each head. Close the foil up and roast garlic for 50 minutes or until soft. Remove from oven and allow to cool before squeezing cloves out of papery skins.

Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread

What's your favorite way to celebrate fall? I still have not brought out my boots or unpacked my fall sweaters, but I have brought out the canned pumpkin. The thing with canned pumpkin is that a can (or now there is pumpkin in easy-to-open cartons!) can go a long way. You can get creative with adding a little bit of pumpkin to this or that, and it generally turns out pretty tasty. Think pumpkin in your oats, swirl some pumpkin into soup, add a little to curry or a nice stew. In baked goods, pumpkin tends to keep things moist but it also lends a more cakey texture. Pumpkin cookies tend to be fluffier rather than crispier, and cakes with pumpkin tend to have just a lighter crumb.

This quick bread is perfect as a breakfast or as a snack because it is not too heavy or too sweet. I season it with some favorite fall spices like cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and allspice, and I love chocolate chips with pumpkin so could not resist throwing in some semi-sweet chocolate that I chopped from a bar. If milk chocolate is your thing, use that instead. It is a mix and dump sort of bread, but do not let it's ease fool you. It is tasty and will whisk you into fall, even if you are still wearing those flip=flops.

Do you have a favorite pumpkin bread recipe? Or another favorite pumpkin treat?

Chocolate Chunk Pumpkin Bread

1 1/2 cups spelt flour or whole wheat pastry flour (or a mix of wheat and all-purpose)
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup coconut oil, melted, or vegetable oil
1/3 cup honey, preferably local or maple syrup
1 cup pumpkin puree
1 cup chocolate chunks of chocolate chips (I used semi-sweet)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease a loaf pan and line with parchment paper to create a sling that is easy to lift out.

Mix dry ingredients in a small bowl (flour through salt). Whisk wet ingredients in another bowl until smooth (eggs through pumpkin puree). Stir dry ingredients into wet until just mixed. Stir in chocolate chunks.

Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake on middle rack for 45-50 minutes or until toothpick comes out with just a few crumbs stuck to it. Remove pan from oven and allow bread to cool for 10 minutes in pan. Remove from pan and allow to cool completely on wire rack. Slice and serve. Enjoy! Makes 1 loaf.

Pumpkin Pie Spiced Quinoa Crunch Almonds

It's October and pumpkin flavored everything has taken over. I was in the store the other day, and I saw a container of Pumpkin Pie flavored almonds from Blue Diamond. My first thought was "what an awesome idea!" and my second though, after reading the ingredient list, was "there is not even pumpkin in there!" Sadly, that is the case with so many "pumpkin-flavored food items," and pumpkin is just too delicious and nutritious for us not to not actually use it.

So I decided to make my own pumpkin pie almonds with real pumpkin. I could be more ambitious and roast my own pumpkin and then puree it, but I have found that the canned or boxed version (Whole Foods now sells it in easy to open cartons!) work well too. I also wanted to add a little extra crunch factor, so I sprinkled in some quinoa because I love the little pop it gives. It took a few attempts to get it just right, but can I just say these craggy little nuts are addicting? They'll make your kitchen smell just like fall. And the best part? They take about 25 minutes to make, and only 5 of that actually involves work.

Pumpkin Pie Spiced Quinoa Crunch Almonds

2 cups raw almonds
1/4 cup uncooked quinoa
1/4 cup pumpkin puree
2 tablespoons coconut oil, melted, or other neutral oil
2 tablespoons maple syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon*
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger*
1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg*
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves*
generous pinch of salt

**You can also sub 2 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice in lieu of these separate ingredients

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a Silpat. In a bowl, combine pumpkin puree through salt. Stir in almonds and quinoa until evenly coated. Spread out in a single layer on parchment. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until almonds are toasted and quinoa turns a little golden. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely. Some of the pumpkin and quinoa mixture may not adhere completely, but those pieces are just as tasty! Almonds may be kept at room temperature for about a week. Makes about 2 cups.