Random Pumpkin-izing

The last of my crops to yield food are my pumpkin vines. The jack-o-lantern pumpkin plants didn’t produce this year, but the little sugar pumpkins did. I’ve also picked up some cheese pumpkins and kabocha squash at the farmer’s market in town, so I’ve been roasting and pureeing pumpkin flesh all over the place. First off, let me say that the easiest way, by far, to cook a pumpkin (or orange-fleshed squash) is to plop the whole thing (uncut, unscored) in a baking dish and roast it at 375 for about an hour or so. Once the pumpkin takes on a golden, shiny glow and looks like it’ll collapse once away from the oven, it’s done. The baking dish will be full of golden liquid — don’t toss it! Twist off the stem-handle from the top, peel away the layers of skin, and scoop out the glorious flesh. What about the strings and the seeds? If I’m pureeing the pumpkin, the strings are no problem. I extricate all the seeds, set ‘em aside for cleaning and then toasting (toasting these pre-roasted seeds yields THE BEST pumpkin seeds for snacking I’ve ever had). Then, toss the pumpkin flesh (strings and all) and the baking dish liquid in a blender and pulverize. Heaven! The last batch I roasted yielded four large yogurt containers full of bright orange, sweet-as-anything puree. And, here’s what I’ve done with it all:

• Made a Pumpkin Porridge — After having an out-of-this-world dinner at a vegan Korean restaurant in NYC (Hangawi), I came home determined to make my own version of their Pumpkin Porridge appetizer. I did, and here’s what I do: Sautee a half of a small onion in a little olive oil until black on the edges, add in about a cup of pumpkin puree (or chunks), about a quarter cup of water, and a nice pinch of salt, and stir until warmed through. Then I turn off the heat and add about a half-cup of pancake/baking mix (I’ve been using the gluten-free kind lately), to thicken. If it gets too thick, I add more water. Done. And, yum.
• Whipped Up Orangy Pancakes — Adding in pumpkin puree to pancake mix (and reducing the other liquid in the recipe), yields a super-tasty, super-healthful version of the regular old pancake. Mmmm.
• Added a Vitamin A Kick to Chili – I needed a little sweetness in the chili I threw together yesterday, so I poured in about a half-cup of my pumpkin puree. The chili sweetened up, but not too much, and we all got a little extra something with our tomatoes, beans, and spices.
• Made a Vegan Pumpkin Pie/Pudding — Blending two cups of puree with one pack of tofu (drained), a half-cup of maple syrup, and a little pumpkin pie spice and salt makes a fantastic pumpkin pie (cooked in a pie shell at 350 for an hour) or pumpkin pudding (eaten straight out of the blender with a long spoon, or chilled in the fridge — either way!).
• Threw Together a Power Lunch — I put cooked rice, pumpkin puree, and leftover garlic-sauteed kale in a pan to re-heat and mix together. A splash of tamari (I use Bragg’s Liquid Aminos) activated some amazing flavors, and I had a can’t-get-enough lunch.
• Made a Pumpkin Shake — Today for lunch I’m going to reprise my pumpkin shake: a half-cup of pumpkin puree, a quarter-cup of milk (soy, hemp, almond, goat, cow, whatever), a little chunk of tofu, a squirt of agave nectar (and a couple drops of Young Living’s orange oil for that extra wow — optional, of course).

I’m planning to freeze as much pumpkin as I can, to have on hand throughout the winter, but since the four yogurt containers of puree are now down to just one-half, I wonder if I’ll be able to freeze it before I eat it!