Quinoa Stuffed Jack O' Lantern Peppers

Time to get ready for Halloween!! I have so many memories of halloween, because all throughout college, my friends and I would dress up and go trick or treating. We were by far the oldest group of people asking for candy OoPs. Don't mean to steal candy from the kids! The neighborhoods near Rice University was the best though. So many ginormous houses that gave out FULL SIZED candy bars.

Now I don't even remember when the last time I dressed up for Halloween. Maybe in medical school during my peds rotation? I think I scared the kids more though. Oh well... This recipe is super adaptable. You can pretty much stuff the peppers with anything you enjoy like brown or white rice, spaghetti etc... I think it would make for a very cool kid's project. Or a poor man's pumpkin carving :P

It definitely makes less mess than pumpkin carving and doesn't take up space, since you'll eat it all up!

Quinoa Stuffed Bell Peppers [Halloween Edition]

makes 4 Jack O' Lantern bell peppers

1 tbsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 medium yellow onion, diced
1/s tbsp dried Italian seasoning
1.5 cups uncooked quinoa
2 cups water
1 cup frozen vegetables (assorted)
1 cup mozzarella
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
pinch of dried parlsey, for garnish (optional)

4 medium yellow or orange bell peppers

1. Cooking the filling. Heat oil in large pot over medium heat. Add onion, season with salt and pepper, until softened. Add Italian seasoning and garlic and cook until fragrant. Add in quinoa, 1 tsp salt and frozen vegetables, about 1 min. Add 2 cups of water. Let boil and then turn down heat to allow simmer for 15-25mins. Fluff quinoa when fully cooked through. Taste and season with salt and pepper as needed
2. Prepare the peppers. While the filling cooks, preheat oven to 375F. Use a tiny knife and cut the tops off the bell peppers to make lid. Remove seeds inside and season with salt and pepper. Cut out tiny Jack O' Lantern faces. Place peppers into a baking dish in one layer, set aside
3. Stuff prepared peppers with quinoa. Sprinkle cheese over peppers. Place the lids on top of the cheese or between peppers. Pour about 3/4 cup between the peppers into the baking dish
4. Cover w/ aluminium foil and bake until peppers are softened, but not mushy. About 30-45mins.

Read More

Pumpkin Cake w/ Maple Cream Cheese Frosting and Pepita Brittle

YO YO YO, is it pumpkin time again?! I love pumpkin spiced latte (#PSL) like a basic white girl and I'm always super excited for the fall. Mostly because I can eat cans and cans of pumpkin and hide all the carb loading I'm doing all winter under a heavy jacket. I'm posting something I made two years ago, that I never got the chance post! I don't ever have an excuse for not posting often other than surgical residency life/  lack of sleep getting in the way. I just finished my transplant rotation and I kid you not...  I've only slept 6 hours in the past 4 days. Even though the surgeries and patients are amazing, the lifestyle is just not :\  And I pity the fellows, who must really be into suffering haha.

Anyhoo, back to pumpkin cake! This makes for a very moist cake due to the pumpkin puree and the cream cheese frosting with a hint of maple syrup really tops it off. The brittle adds some crunch and savory flavor. The brittle will melt into the frosting, so just stick it into the slices of cake or lay on top right before serving.

Pumpkin Cake w/ Maple Cream Cheese Frosting and Pepita Brittle

makes a 8x8" cake

Pumpkin Cake
1-2/3 cup flour
1.5 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1-1/4 tbsp cinnamon
1 tsp pumpkin spice
1/2 tsp powdered ginger
1.5 cup pumpkin puree
3/4 cup vegetable oil (I used lighter flavor olive oil)
1 cup sugar
3/4 tsp salt
3 large eggs, separated

Maple cream cheese frosting
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 cup brown sugar
3 tbsp maple syrup
8 oz cream cheese, room temp
6 tbsp butter, room temp

1. Preheat oven to 325F. Prepare pan with parchment paper and butter. Mix dry ingredients in a large bowl (flour to pumpkin puree). In a smaller bowl, mix oil, sugar, salt (I know these are dry too :P) and egg yolks in a smaller bowl.
2. Whisk up egg whites until it is foamy and slightly bubbly. I added a tbsp of sugar to help it going
3. Add wet ingredients into dry ingredients and mix until just incorporated. Fold in egg whites until no whites remains (some streaking is fine!)
4. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 40-50mins or until a knife stuck in the middle just comes out clean (little moisture is fine!). It'll keep cooking outside so don't leave it in too long. Let it cool for 10 mins until taking it out to cool completely
5. For the frosting, beat softened cream cheese and butter until light and fluffy. Beat in brown sugar and maple syrup until the brown sugar isn't grainy in it. Then beat in powdered sugar. 
6. Spread on frosting to cooled cake. Serve immediately, or you can keep it in the fridge and let it sit on the counter for at least an hour before serving.

Pepita seed brittle

1 cup sugar

1/4 cup water

1/2 cup pumpkin seeds (aka pepitas)

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 tbsp butter, room temp

1. Prepare a pan with a silicone mat or that pan has to be real buttered up
2. Melt butter in small saucepan over medium heat. Stir in sugar, vanilla extract and then water. Bring to boil and cook WITHOUT stirring until lightly amber
3. Stir in pumpkin seeds and once medium/dark amber, pour onto prepared baking sheet
4. Cool completely and then break into pieces

Read More

Pumpkin Maple Cheesecake

Happy Halloween! Today, I feel like I have to rant (when do I not?). I came to school dressed like Wednesday Addams (yea I still dress up >.<), with stripy socks, collared shirt buttoned to my neck and braided pigtails. I thought I was dead on with the costume, but I have had 2 people in my class think I was Britney Spears. Yes, the Britney Spears in her school girl outfit. I mean... my dress up is SUPER conservative. I'm choking in my buttoned collar and have absolutely no skin exposed! Other than that, I've been told I look like a Japanese schoolgirl. Ungh...

On a brighter note, this pumpkin cheesecake was such a hit! It has a subtle spicy-ness and warmth with a definite pumpkin note. This is a cheesecake I need to make again! 

Pumpkin Maple Cheesecake

adapted from allrecipes.com (makes a 5" cake)
*double ingredients for 9" except use 3 eggs not 4

Crust
1 cup graham cracker crumbs
1.5 tbsp sugar
1/4 tsp powdered ginger
2 tbsp butter, melted

Cheesecake
12 oz cream cheese, softened (1 1/2 packages of 8oz)
1/2 can of sweetened condensed milk (7oz)
3/4 cup pumpkin puree (drained*)
2 medium eggs
2 tbsp maple syrup
1/2 tbsp vanilla
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice + 1 tsp cinnamon
pinch of salt
1 tbsp all-purpose flour

1. Preheat oven to 325F
2. layer 2 kitchen towels in a bowl and put 1 cup of pumpkin puree and let it drain for 10 mins. Cover it with another 2 kitchen towels again. The puree won't stick at all but this gets rid of all the excess water. You should end up with 3/4 cup of a ball of pumpkin that you can pick up
3. To make the crust, mix the crumbs, sugar, ginger together. Drizzle in the butter and mix. Pat the crust mix into a 5" spring form pan. Bake for 8-10 mins and let cool
4. For the cheesecake, beat cream cheese until fluffy. Gradually beat in the condensed milk. While beating, add the pumpkin puree, eggs, syrup, vanilla and salt and spices.
5. Gently mix the flour in (try not to over mix). Bake at 325F for 50 mins.
6. DO NOT take it out of the oven. Just switch the oven off and let it sit there for 3 hours. This prevents the surface from cracking and no meddling with water baths!
7. Chill for at least 2 hours and best overnight for a perfect cheesecake texture. Enjoy!

Read More

Healthier Chocolate Chip & Pecan Pumpkin Bread

I'm really getting ready for sweater weather. My body knows it. My hunger knows it. I just feel like eating and snacking all day long, wrapped up in a oversized sweater that hangs down to my knees. It doesn't help when I love (and I MEAN LOVE) pumpkin baked goods: pumpkin lattes, pumpkin donuts, pumpkin bagels, cupcakes, ice cream!!! You get the idea. My pinterest is going crazy with pumpkin pins.

So I gave in. You know? To those pumpkin callings and sweater body. Luckily, I own 10 pairs of sweatpants. Haha. I did make this pumpkin bread a little healthier though. Makes me feel a tad bit better about myself :P

Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread

makes 1 loaf

1.5 cups flour
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
3/4 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1.5 tsp pumpkin pie spice

1/4 vegetable oil
1/4 cup yogurt
2 eggs
1 heaping cup of pumpkin puree
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup mix of pecan and bittersweet chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Line loaf tin with parchment paper
2. In a large bowl, add all the dry ingredients: flour, sugars, salt, baking soda and spice. In a medium size bowl, beat eggs slightly, add yogurt, oil, pumpkin puree and vanilla.
3. Gently mix together the wet and dry mix until just incorporated. It's okay if there are small streaks of flour. You don't want to over-mix or you will end up with a brick!
4. Fold in chocolate chips and nuts
5. Bake for 50-60mins or until a toothpick poked in the middle comes out dry

Read More

Pumpkin Cranberry Braided Loaf

Long weekend = bread baking. Finally made bread with my kitchenaid! Last time I made this, I used my bare hands to make half of this recipe and may have dislocated my shoulder. Ha... that was 3 years ago. I'd like to say I'm back to bread making (inspired by a lovely classmate who makes delicious bread), but I just can't find the time between all my tv watching, eating and maybe some studying (?) ;P

This bread is super fluffy, soft and moist. I wish I had some left over to make some bomb french toast or bread pudding, but I distributed it to most of my friends. Wouldn't you like to be my neighbor? :D

Pumpkin Cranberry Braided Loaf

makes 2 loaves
adapted from King Arthur Flour

15 oz can pumpkin puree
2 large eggs
4 tbsp unsalted butter, melted

1.5 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
1.5 tsp salt
1 tbsp instant yeast (I used 1 packet of Red Star Platinum Instant Yeast)
1/3 cup dark brown sugar
4 3/4 cups flour (separated)
2/3 cup dried cranberries, chopped

1. In stand mixer bowl with paddle attachment, combine pumpkin, eggs, brown sugar, melted butter and mix on low until blended
2. Add spices, yeast, salt and 2 3/4 cups of flour. Mix on low speed until combined
3. Add remaining 2 cups of flour and mix on low until a shaggy dough forms
4. Switch to dough hook and knead on medium speed for 5-8 minutes until dough is smooth and elastic. Add 1 tbsp of flour at a time if it is still wet. But this is a really sticky dough and will stick to the bottom of your mixer bowl. Add dried cranberries and mix for 1 min until evenly dispersed
5. Transfer dough to lightly oiled bowl, cover with greased plastic wrap and let rise for 1-1.5 hrs. It should expand a little bit
6. Turn dough out on lightly floured surface and flour over it if it is too sticky to handle. Divide in half and then divide the half into 3 equal pieces. Roll the pieces into a log about 1.5" diameter. Make a tight braid on a lightly greased baking tray with 3 logs and pinch and tuck ends under bread. Repeat with the other 3 logs
7. Cover braided loaf with lightly greased plastic wrap and rise in a warm place for 1-1.5 hrs. (I only waited about 1 hr and it had expanded a quite a bit but not doubled)
8. Bake bread at preheated oven 350F for 25-30mins, until lightly brown. The loaf is quite light in color so don't overbake. You can tap on the outside and it should make a hollow sound. Cool on wire rack.
9. Serve with jams, butters or whatever you like!

Read More

Pumpkin Mac and Cheese

One more exam and then I'm feeling the ocean breeze from the Pacific, and the warm warm sunshine... I'm sure you've heard enough about In 'n' Out burgers and our incredible sunshine! But, seriously. West coast, best coast :D

Just finishing an exam makes me feel like I have time to cook, but I really don't because I have a cumulative exam next Thursday *cue for little kids popping balloons* Although, I just baked a batch of muffins in literally 5 mins with my new kitchenaid mixer. Yay! I love that beast.

Here's something I made last week. It doesn't taste strongly of pumpkin, but it makes the cheesy sauce super smooth and creamy.

Pumpkin Mac and Cheese

serves 4-5
Ingredients
2 cups dried elbow pasta
3 tbsp butter
1 tsp garlic, minced
1/4 cup flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp fresh thyme leaves
1/2 tsp fresh rosemary, chopped

1 cup pumpkin puree
1 cup half and half
4 oz cream cheese, cubed
2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded
seasoned bread crumbs (optional)

1. Cook pasta according to package (with salt), drain and set aside
2. Preheat oven to 400F
3. Make the roux: In a large pot, melt butter and toss in the garlic for 1 min. Whisk in flour, salt, pepper, thyme and rosemary for 1 min.
4. Pour in half and half, pumpkin puree and cream cheese. Stir until well blended and thickened ~5-8 mins
5. Remove from heat and stir in 1.5 cups cheddar cheese. Add pasta and mix. Taste and add more salt and pepper if needed.
6. Place in a baking dish or individual ramekins. Top with remaining cheese and breadcrumbs (and more pepper if you like)
7. Bake until heated through and cheese is nice and crusty!

Read More