Pumpkin Pie with Hazelnut Crust

As with most years, the holiday season always seems to sneak up on me. We get so busy with day to day tasks, that I always seem to have unaccomplished projects or loose ends to tie up when the new year finally comes around. This year however, instead of rushing through, I want to make the most of every moment. There will never be enough time to do everything or see everyone, so the only thing I can do is be present in all the activities I do find time for. I have so much to be thankful for in my life, that when I sit down to think about it I become overwhelmed with happy thoughts and a very full feeling. Taking it all in, one day at a time, will remind me of all the positive things in my life and to celebrate each of them.

Pumpkin pie was always my favorite dessert on Thanksgiving and still is. Then I realized I don't even have a recipe for pumpkin pie on my blog yet. I think the reason for this was because I've been waiting until inspiration struck. There are already so many great version of pumpkin pie out there, I wanted something different to share. So even though I posted about a pumpkin hazelnut bread recently, I just couldn't help myself to combine the two together again.

This pie however, is something amazing! And will probably end up being made every year. The best part (besides how tasty it is), it's vegan, gluten free, and low in sugar. I know how hard it can be to accommodate everyone at the table, so this might be a good option if you're looking to make only one or two desserts for the table this year, but still have dietary restrictions to maintain. The filling is smooth and creamy and full of pumpkin flavor with slight hints of cinnamon and spice. For those of you who fear pie dough, this is a pat in the pan style crust, which means no rolling or chilling! It's super easy and stays together nicely.

The most important part in making this pie is to allow it to cool completely before cutting into it. The filling needs time to rest to hold its shape. You can make it the night before and you'll already be on top of your Thanksgiving game, just add any garnish right before serving. Also, using fresh spices and grinding them yourself will lead to a better spice flavor. At the very least, make sure the spices you use are fresh and haven't been sitting on your shelf since last year.

Elsewhere: Over on the Whole Living blog I have another recipe perfect for any last minute Thanksgiving vegetarian menu items you may be looking for, Roasted Delicata Squash & amp; Garlicky Kale with Parsley-Sage Dressing. I've been eating versions of it this whole month, it's so delicious. Enjoy your holiday! I'd love to know what you all are making this year too, anything special or different than usual?

Pumpkin Pie with Hazelnut Crust
makes one 9-inch pie

crust
1 3/4 cup + 1/4 cup hazelnuts, toasted
1 cup almond flour
1/2 cup coconut butter, melted
pinch of salt

pie filling
2 cups pumpkin puree
2/3 cup pure maple syrup or brown sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch or arrowroot
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon allspice
3/4 cup coconut milk

Preheat oven to 350˚F.

For the crust
Place the 1 3/4 cups hazelnuts into the bowl of a food processor. Pulse several times, then grind the nuts up to a coarse meal. Should take about 3-4 minutes. You don't want to blend too far or you'll end up with hazelnut butter.

Place the hazelnut meal into a medium bowl, add to it the almond flour, coconut butter, and a pinch of salt, blend until everything is well incorporated.

Dump the nut mixture out into a 9-inch pie pan and start pressing, from the center out, with your fingers, until you have an even crust all the way around, set aside.

For the filling
In a large bowl combine the pumpkin puree, maple syrup, cornstarch, vanilla, salt, and spices. Stir in the coconut milk until no white streaks are left behind. Pour the pumpkin mixture into the prepared pie crust.

Bake the pie in the center of the oven for about 1 hour (check after 50 minutes) or until the sides are completely set and the center jiggles only slightly when shaken lightly. Allow the pie to cool completely before cutting into. Pie can be made the night before and stored in the refrigerator. Right before serving coarsely chop the remaining hazelnuts and use for garnish. You can also top with whipped cream or creme fraiche, unless of coarse you're vegan.

Granola Bars

Tomorrow we leave for our work trip/mini vacation to San Francisco. Which means this entire week has brought with it some rather interesting meals as we cleaned out the fridge before leaving (strawberries with broccoli and spring onions all wrapped up in a peanut butter smeared whole wheat tortilla... anyone? It was actually pretty good). Luckily we had lots of left overs after a bbq we had on the 4th to tie us over as well. So although I still need to pack and get a few miscellaneous things together, I thought I'd share a granola bar recipe with you first.

I had two lonely bananas staring back at me this morning, getting more brown speckles on them as each day passed and I knew they definitely wouldn't be pretty by the time we returned. So I figured I'd make a batch of granola bars. I made these bars a couple weeks ago when we were up on Mt. Rainier for a weekend retreat and because they were so good I figured I'd make them again.

I wrote about finding the perfect granola bar recipe over a year ago and since then I have tested and tried many, many, different variations. Some were pretty great, others not so much. The bars I'm sharing today are very similar, but use mashed banana in place of the honey, which makes them sugar free, unless of coarse you add in the chocolate chips. & nbsp;

They are soft and chewy and they don't fall apart when you eat them. I think they are an exceptional little bar to have around for snacking. They're also great for long road trips where you're sitting a long ways, or those times when you have a busy day/weekend ahead and you need something to sustain you through the end without being loaded with sugar.

I've actually made the recipe for these bars below very adaptable to your flavor preference, giving basic guide-lines to an amount for each ingredient and options to follow. The only one I would be careful on is the 1/4 cup seeds. I used a 1/4 cup mix of sunflower, sesame, and poppy seed, you could use all sunflower, but you probably wouldn't want to use an entire 1/4 cup of smaller seeds like poppy. But really have fun with the flavors. Try a tropical bar using cashew butter, macadamia nuts, dried mango, dried papaya, and coconut.

Granola Bars

loosely adapted from Anja's Food 4 Thought

makes 8-10 bars

2 ripe bananas

1/2 cup nut butter (peanut, almond, cashew), preferably all natural

1/2 cup roughly chopped nuts (almonds, walnuts, pistachio, cashew, pecan, macadamia)

1/4 cup seeds (sunflower, sesame, poppy, chia) & nbsp;

1 cup rolled oats

1/4 cup dried fruit (cranberry, cherry, apricots, papaya, mango, raisin, strawberry, blueberry)

1/4 cup chocolate chips or cocao nibs, optional

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, optional

1/4 cup unsweetened shredded coconut, optional

Preheat oven to 350˚F. Line an 8x8 baking pan with parchment. I haven't made these without parchment because I think they would really stick without it. Plus it makes for really easy clean up anyways.

In a large bowl mash the bananas with the back of a fork. Stir in the nut butter until everything is well combined.

Add the oats, chopped nuts, seeds, dried fruit, chocolate, cinnamon, and coconut if using. Stir well until everything is well combined. The batter will be very, very wet and you'll wonder if this will even bake, it will.

Spread the batter evenly into your prepared baking pan. Bake for 20-25 minutes. The top should be slightly browned and give a little when pressed. Allow to cool completely before cutting into bars, this is important. Store wrapped tightly in a container or in the fridge.

Cherry Almond Meal Muffins

Ahh, it feels so good to finally be home from our little trip to San Francisco. In the coarse of five days our car racked up more miles than we've probably driven this whole year, so it feels good to be back home, sleeping in our own bed, and getting back into the swing of things.

Thank you to everyone who sent along their favorite places to eat and areas we should see. I'm sad to say that apart from the Fisherman's Wharf area, where we were for two very long days and the room we slept in every night, we didn't manage to get out as much as we had hoped. Next time we plan to schedule in more free days.

Whenever I travel, even if it's not far from home, I always take back something about the trip that seems to get lost in my day to day life. I don't mean souvenirs and such so much as feelings and moments or ideas about how to simplify my life even more.

What I took away from this trip was something unexpected. Even though my husband and I were very busy the whole weekend, we pretty much ate every meal together. I don't mean together as, in the same room, but really together without distractions. It was a subtle thing and made me realize that when we're at home this doesn't happen as often as it should because we both get so busy with our work for the day.

I dislike eating breakfast while answering morning emails, but I'm guilty of this act more often then I care to admit. I always feel I have so much to do in the day and multitasking is the only way it will get done. The truth, I realized, is that most people do not need their emails answered right that second and over all I work more efficiently if I've had a moment to sit quietly in the morning with my food and take in the day before rushing to my computer.

We have a giant beautiful re-claimed wood table my dad and husband built together and although it's most often used as a second office area, since we've been home, I've made a point to pull up a chair and use it as it was meant to be used. And these cherry almond meal muffins make slow paced mornings that much more pleasurable.

If you've read this blog for some time or looked through my archives you're probably well aware that I'm not gluten intolerant. However, I've found almond flour is really great to work with and makes gluten free baking an easy place start without needing a long list of other ingredients. It has such a great flavor and distinguishably different taste from wheat flour. It's loaded with protein and healthy fats and makes for one filling little muffin. This recipe is pretty straight forward. When I was looking into almond flour recipes I found this ratio seemed to be pretty universal across the web so I went with it, using a light olive oil in place of other oils or butter and adding in some fresh cherries from the market.

Cherry Almond Meal Muffins
makes 6 large muffins

2 cups almond flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
2 eggs
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup olive oil
1 cup fresh sweet cherries, pitted and halved

Preheat oven to 350˚F. Line a muffin tin with paper liners.

Whisk together the almond flour, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl.

In a separate bowl, beat the eggs. Add in the honey and oil and beat until well combined.

Add the dry mixture to the wet, stirring just until combined. Carefully fold in the cherries.

Pour batter into the muffin tin, filling to the top if you want a nice muffin dome. Bake for 25 minutes or until the tops are golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let the muffins cool on a wire rack at least 5 minutes and serve warm.

Store tightly covered at room temperature for up to 3 days.

I was recently invited by Guilt Taste to participate in reviewing some of their beautiful gourmet products. & nbsp;The first shipment was their Chef's Garden box from Farmer Jones Farm. It arrived on my doorstep late last week and after bringing it inside I headed straight to the kitchen to open what was inside. Carefully wrapped in insulated bubble wrap with a cold pack was a beautiful assortment of seasonal vegetables and herbs. I just about & nbsp;squealed & nbsp;with delight when I discovered the colorful little edible flowers (I guess the sight of flowers this time of year is exciting, considering most of what's outside right now around here is brown and dying). After carefully taking stock of what all was in there I had my mind set on making a healthy seasonal appetizer.

Everyone loves a two-bite sized appetizer, but most of the time they're a little on the unhealthy side, especially when it comes to twice baked potatoes. I decided to resolve that by adding a little & nbsp;protein & nbsp;(in the form of white beans) and spinach to the potato filling and seasoning it all with spices and fresh herbs. The result is so good you won't even miss the cream, butter, or cheese. & nbsp;

These are simple to make and don't really take much time to make aside from filling them, but they can be assembled a day ahead and quickly re-heated the next day to save yourself some time. It will seem like a lot of spinach when your done chopping, but once it cooks down it all fits in nicely. I had a little leftover, but I just nibbled that up myself. In fact, I could have eaten just the filling by itself, and decided you could make a lazy version of this as a meal and instead of filling the potatoes, just mash everything up together, maybe add more beans and seasoning and call it dinner.

Mini Twice Baked Potatoes with & nbsp;Spinach & amp; White Bean Filling
makes 24 small potatoes

24 small potatoes, scrubbed and washed well

2 tablespoons olive oil diveded

4 ounces spinach, washed and dried

1/2 cup cooked white beans

1 clove garlic, minced

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

pinch of cayenne (optional)

1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh oregano

Preheat the oven to 425˚F. & nbsp;

Toss the potatoes in 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and a pinch of salt. Place on a baking sheet, pierce each with a fork, and bake for 20-25 minutes or until the potatoes are tender when pierced. Let cool for about 10 minutes or until you can handle them without burning yourself.

Once the potatoes are cool enough to handle, use a small spoon to hallow out the middle. Make sure to leave enough of the side so the potatoes maintain their structure. Transfer insides to a bowl and set aside.

Thinly slice the spinach into strips. The easiest way to do this is to stack each leaf on top of one another and slice with a sharp knife. In a large skillet, heat up the last of the olive oil. Gently cook the garlic for a minute, then add the beans, cooked potato flesh, cumin, salt, pepper, and cayenne, if using. Cook while mashing everything together with the back of a fork or a potato masher. Once everything is well mashed and incorporated stir in the spinach. Cook until spinach just begins to wilt. Turn off the heat and stir in the fresh oregano.

Take the hallowed out potato halves and fill them with the spinach mixture. I started this process trying to be really careful with a fork, but soon found it was much easier to really fill each potato if I held it in my hand and used my other hand to grab a bit of the filling and pack it down in. & nbsp;

At this point you can either pop them right back into the oven for about 8 minutes to warm up again or you can place them in the & nbsp;refrigerator until your ready to heat and serve. If cooking later, turn your oven back up to 425˚F and heat for 8-10 minutes. & nbsp;

Some tasty topping ideas would be sliced green onion, Greek yogurt, sour cream, & nbsp;caramelized & nbsp;shallots, chives, or more fresh herbs, and cheese. & nbsp;

* Full Disclosure: & nbsp;Guilt Taste graciously provided me the spinach, & nbsp;potatoes, garlic and oregano for this recipe. & nbsp;I was not paid and all photo's, text, and opinions are my own. & nbsp;

Almond Ginger Granola with Blueberries

Do you ever go through food phases? I totally went through a granola phase for awhile. Then all of a sudden one day that ended and I haven't made a single batch of granola for about a year... until now.

It's not that I traded in my tasty homemade batches for convenient store bought versions. I just stopped eating and/or craving it for some reason. Then one beautiful late August weekend we decided to go camping with some friends of ours and they just so happened to bring along a nice large batch of granola. It was beyond delicious and I found myself shoveling handfuls into my mouth and wondering why (and how) I had gone so long without.

Fast forward to last week and I finally managed to get a recipe from my friend, which resulted in me making a large batch of the stuff on Monday, so that I'd have something healthy and delicious to snack on while flying to the east coast. In fact, I'm probably munching on some right now as your reading this and it's good, very good : )

I've made lots of changes to the original recipe and many of the changes are actually ones my friend made too. Substituting the peanut butter and peanuts for almond butter and raw almonds was the main change. I love that the ratio of nuts to oats makes this a great snacking granola, but definitely serve it with yogurt or milk too. I'm bringing it along on the plane, but I'm curious, what kinds of snacks do you travel with?

Almond Ginger Granola with Blueberries
inspired by the kitchn
about 8 cups granola

3 cups old fashioned rolled oats
2 cups whole raw almonds
1/2 cup hulled raw pumpkin seeds
1 cup wheat germ
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 cup honey
3/4 cup almond butter
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
1/2 cup olive oil
3/4 cup dried blueberries

Preheat the oven to 325°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, combine oats, almonds, pumpkin seeds, wheat germ, salt, cinnamon, and ginger.

In a small saucepan, warm the honey until very runny. & nbsp; Turn off the heat, stir in the almond butter and vanilla until smooth.

Pour the honey mixture over the oat mixture. Pour in the oil, and stir thoroughly until everything gets wet.

Spread the oat mixture evenly on the prepared baking sheet and bake for 40 minutes, stirring twice while baking. Transfer the granola to a large bowl and add the dried blueberries, tossing to combine. Store at room temperature tightly covered.

Chickpea Noodle Soup

Hot soups were only vaguely on my mind before leaving to D.C. last week. Even though there was an obvious difference in the morning air, the day time temperatures were still reaching the low 70's. By the time I came back however the clouds had settled in, the misty cool air made me reach for a warm cozy sweater and soup was all I could think about.

In fact I've already made several this past week. The day of my return I opened up my first jar of summers tomatoes and made a big pot of tortilla soup. So good with fresh tortilla chips and a subtle reminder that summer was not too long ago. Then I turned to another favorite; lentil soup, which I don't think I will ever tire of, no matter how long our winter decides to be this year.

Last night I decided I wanted something I've never made before. I had chickpeas and spaghetti noodles, carrots and fresh radishes just pulled from the garden, so I settled on the idea of a chickpea noodle soup as a sort of vegetarian riff on chicken noodle soup. The ingredients are so few and usually ones most people stock in their kitchen. The only unfamiliar one may be the white miso. I love adding miso to soups, plus it has many good for you qualities too. The stuff seems to last forever and can really add depth to soups and dips, I encourage you to add it to your diet if you haven't already.

This had to be one of the quickest soups I've ever made. Seriously it takes about as long as it takes to cook the pasta noodles and you're already spooning out yourself a piping hot bowl. Radishes didn't actually go into this soup, but their vibrant green tops did! I love eating my veggies from root to leaf (as long as they're edible). The undersides of radish leaves have little pokeys, much like nettles, although these won't sting, but once you cook them down they go away, you just want to make sure to cut whatever greens you use into manageable sizes to eat.

Chickpea Noodle Soup
serves 4-6

8 cups water or vegetable broth
2 tablespoons white miso
2 teaspoons sea salt
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
2 large carrots, sliced on the diagonal
12 ounces whole wheat spaghetti noodles, broken in half
4 cups cooked chickpeas or 2-14oz. cans, drained and rinsed
1 bunch dark leafy greens such as kale, chard, or in my case radish top, cut to bite size pieces
1 tablespoon olive oil
fresh ground black pepper to taste

Place the water or broth into a large pot over high heat and bring to a boil. Scoop out about 1 cup of the water into a small bowl and stir in the miso until it's completely dissolved. This just helps make it easier to combine with the soup. Pour the miso and water back into the pot and stir in the salt, garlic powder, sliced carrots, noodles, and chickpeas.

Continue to cook for 8-12 minutes or until your noodles are al dente. Turn off the heat and stir in the leafy greens. They will begin to slowly wilt and cook from the heat of the broth. At this point taste and add more salt if needed.

Serve soup hot with a drizzle of olive oil and fresh ground black pepper.

Almond Crusted Tofu with Roasted Red Pepper Sauce

Being in a creative field I'm often asked & nbsp;"where do you get your inspiration from?" It's a simple question, but one that's not always so easy to answer. I have my usual response that's pretty straight forward, but really I believe that most of the time inspiration is built up from moments and little fragments of life, overlapping and layering until, wham! An idea strikes. It may seem like it just came to you but, really it was there all along waiting for all the dots to connect and the outcome to present itself. The few occasions that I do seem to be searching for that one perfect idea, always seem to prove a lost cause, at least for me anyway. Give it time, it will come, is how I operate.

When it comes to creating meals in the kitchen, my inspiration works in somewhat the same way, but with a unique twist. Often I'll find a single carrot or that last bit of quinoa at the back of the cupboard, anything that needs to be used up, and a meal idea starts to form. Maybe I'll pull out a cookbook or two, maybe I remember something my mom or grandma used to cook, or something I once ate in a & nbsp;restaurant. Sometimes I just wing it and & nbsp;see what I end up with.

So this past week when I flipped to a recipe for roasted red pepper and walnut pesto in Mark Bittman's The Food Matters Cookbook, I already had a different idea starting to form based on what I had in the fridge. A half empty jar of roasted red peppers from a few nights before, tofu, almonds, and a big bunch of cilantro I had just purchased. I'm so use to using what I have on hand, that I didn't want to head back out into the rain for another grocery run, so those ingredients would have to do.

Soon I had almonds in the food processor grinding down into a course meal to coat the tofu in. Then the last bit of roasted peppers went into the processor along with the cilantro, garlic, a bit of olive oil, and a pinch of salt. The result was not pesto, but a really lovely salsa-esque sauce. I cooked up some black rice, made some of my favorite garlicky mixed greens and served the tofu with the red pepper sauce drizzled over the top. Even though it was way off from the original recipe, it was still a really amazing outcome. One I don't think would have happened without that little seed of inspiration, that all started with The Food Matters Project. It's really fascinating seeing what others get from looking at the same basic recipe idea and how they & nbsp;interpret & nbsp;it. So... what inspires you?

Almond Crusted Tofu with Roasted Red Pepper Sauce & nbsp;/ & nbsp;serves 2

Recipe inspired by The Food Matters Cookbook. Get the full recipe at Girliechef and the FMP blog.

I used a jar of roasted red peppers in water, but you can also use fresh red bell peppers and roast them yourself. I served the tofu over black rice with a side of my favorite garlicky greens.

for the sauce

6 oz. jar roasted red peppers in water, drained

2 garlic cloves

big handful fresh cilantro, about a 1/4 cup packed

1 tablespoon olive oil

pinch of sea salt

for the tofu

6-8 oz. extra firm tofu, drained and pressed

1/2 cup raw almonds

couple pinches sea salt

couple pinches ground black pepper

1-2 tablespoons olive oil

For the sauce, place all the ingredients in a small food processor and blend until smooth, set aside.

Place the almonds in a food processor and blend until they become a coarse almond meal. Dump out into a shallow bowl and stir in the salt and black pepper.

Cut the the tofu in half lengthwise and widthwise, then diagonally (see images). Place a tofu triangle in the almond mixture and coat on all sides, repeat with each slice. Heat a skillet (I used cast iron) over medium-high heat. Pour in enough oil just to coat the bottom of the pan. Once the oil is hot, carefully place the tofu slices into the pan. Cook for 2 minutes & nbsp;or until golden brown without moving, then flip and cook for another 2 minutes. Plate the tofu slices and pour the roasted red pepper sauce over the top, serve & nbsp;immediately.

Pumpkin Pie with Hazelnut Crust

As with most years, the holiday season always seems to sneak up on me. We get so busy with day to day tasks, that I always seem to have unaccomplished projects or loose ends to tie up when the new year finally comes around. This year however, instead of rushing through, I want to make the most of every moment. There will never be enough time to do everything or see everyone, so the only thing I can do is be present in all the activities I do find time for. I have so much to be thankful for in my life, that when I sit down to think about it I become overwhelmed with happy thoughts and a very full feeling. Taking it all in, one day at a time, will remind me of all the positive things in my life and to celebrate each of them.

Pumpkin pie was always my favorite dessert on Thanksgiving and still is. Then I realized I don't even have a recipe for pumpkin pie on my blog yet. I think the reason for this was because I've been waiting until inspiration struck. There are already so many great version of pumpkin pie out there, I wanted something different to share. So even though I posted about a pumpkin hazelnut bread recently, I just couldn't help myself to combine the two together again.

This pie however, is something amazing! And will probably end up being made every year. The best part (besides how tasty it is), it's vegan, gluten free, and low in sugar. I know how hard it can be to accommodate everyone at the table, so this might be a good option if you're looking to make only one or two desserts for the table this year, but still have dietary restrictions to maintain. The filling is smooth and creamy and full of pumpkin flavor with slight hints of cinnamon and spice. For those of you who fear pie dough, this is a pat in the pan style crust, which means no rolling or chilling! It's super easy and stays together nicely.

The most important part in making this pie is to allow it to cool completely before cutting into it. The filling needs time to rest to hold its shape. You can make it the night before and you'll already be on top of your Thanksgiving game, just add any garnish right before serving. Also, using fresh spices and grinding them yourself will lead to a better spice flavor. At the very least, make sure the spices you use are fresh and haven't been sitting on your shelf since last year.

Elsewhere: Over on the Whole Living blog I have another recipe perfect for any last minute Thanksgiving vegetarian menu items you may be looking for, Roasted Delicata Squash & amp; Garlicky Kale with Parsley-Sage Dressing. I've been eating versions of it this whole month, it's so delicious. Enjoy your holiday! I'd love to know what you all are making this year too, anything special or different than usual?

Pumpkin Pie with Hazelnut Crust
makes one 9-inch pie

crust
1 3/4 cup + 1/4 cup hazelnuts, toasted
1 cup almond flour
1/2 cup coconut butter, melted
pinch of salt

pie filling
2 cups pumpkin puree
2/3 cup pure maple syrup or brown sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch or arrowroot
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon allspice
3/4 cup coconut milk

Preheat oven to 350˚F.

For the crust
Place the 1 3/4 cups hazelnuts into the bowl of a food processor. Pulse several times, then grind the nuts up to a coarse meal. Should take about 3-4 minutes. You don't want to blend too far or you'll end up with hazelnut butter.

Place the hazelnut meal into a medium bowl, add to it the almond flour, coconut butter, and a pinch of salt, blend until everything is well incorporated.

Dump the nut mixture out into a 9-inch pie pan and start pressing, from the center out, with your fingers, until you have an even crust all the way around, set aside.

For the filling
In a large bowl combine the pumpkin puree, maple syrup, cornstarch, vanilla, salt, and spices. Stir in the coconut milk until no white streaks are left behind. Pour the pumpkin mixture into the prepared pie crust.

Bake the pie in the center of the oven for about 1 hour (check after 50 minutes) or until the sides are completely set and the center jiggles only slightly when shaken lightly. Allow the pie to cool completely before cutting into. Pie can be made the night before and stored in the refrigerator. Right before serving coarsely chop the remaining hazelnuts and use for garnish. You can also top with whipped cream or creme fraiche, unless of coarse you're vegan.

Curried Lentil Soup

Curry was never a staple in our home when I was growing up. I don't think I even had my first bite of curry or eastern European food food until my late high school or early collage years. But once I did, it became a favorite when dining out. Such an array of different spices I'd never tasted before, it was like a whole new food group opened up to me.
 I say when dining out because early in my cooking days when I'd come to a recipe that had a very long list of ingredients it would usually get passed up for something simpler. It never occurred to me that that long list of ingredients was mostly made up of spices and for the most part was probably something relatively easy to make.

 This is where making your own homemade curry powder or spice mix comes into great use. You can save a great deal of time mixing all those spices together in one go, rather than for just one meal. You also have a greater advantage over flavor preference. The curry recipe I've provided below is a pretty simple one using many of the spices I already have on hand most of the time. You can change it to be more spicy or add in cinnamon or fennel for another version. It's really all up to you, which is what I love.

 Using whole spices and grinding them in a spice mill ensures the freshness of your spices. I used mostly
pre-ground below, make adjustments as needed if you use them in their whole form. The most interesting part of this soup was the addition of pureed chickpeas, almost like a very basic hummus. It made the soup feel heartier and fuller, without the addition of cream. I gave each bowl an extra good squeeze of lemon
before serving, I love the way lemons add that perfect twist to lentils and spices. Curried Lentil Soup adapted from Bon Appétit serves 4 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided 1 medium onion, chopped 2 medium carrots, finely chopped 2 large garlic cloves, chopped, divided 2 tablespoons curry powder (recipe below) 1 cup French green lentils 4 1/4 cups water, divided 2 cups cooked chickpeas or 1 15oz. can drained and rinsed 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice 4 green onions, thinly sliced additional lemon for serving, optional Homemade Curry Powder makes about 1/4 cup 2 tablespoons ground cumin 2 tablespoons coriander 1 teaspoon turmeric 1/2 teaspoon cayenne 1 teaspoon whole mustard seeds 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger In a spice mill or food processor, combine all the spices. Process until everything becomes a fine powder. Store in a tightly covered container. for the soup Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large pot over medium heat. Stir in the onion and carrot and season with a pinch of salt and pepper. Cook until the onion is translucent, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes. Add half the chopped garlic and cook until the carrots have softened, about 4 minutes longer. Add 2 tablespoons of the curry powder, stirring until everything is coated and becomes fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the lentils and 4 cups water. Increase the heat and bring to a boil. Then reduce the heat to medium and simmer until the lentils are tender, about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, puree the chickpeas, lemon, 1/4 cup water, remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil, and remaining garlic in a food processor. When the lentils are tender, stir in the chickpea puree. Season with salt and pepper to taste, adding additional curry powder if desired. Serve soup warm, garnished with chopped green onions and extra lemon wedges. Store any left over soup covered in the refrigerator for a couple of days. Reheat before serving.

Mexican Black Beans and Sweet Potatoes

If you've been reading this blog for some time now, or checked out my archives, you may have noticed that beans are a staple food in my kitchen. I prefer to buy them dried over canned mostly because I think they taste so much better, but it also doesn't hurt that they're much cheaper that way to. I do have canned beans for those days that I need a quick meal and haven't planned ahead, but cooking beans is really not very hard and I think you should give it a try if you haven't already. 

Place your desired amount of dried beans into a large bowl, then fill with water, covering the beans by about 2-3 inches. Let them sit overnight while you sleep or while you're away at work during the day. After letting them sit anywhere from 6-10 hours the beans should be plumper and the water level will have gone down. Now you can drain the beans and give them a good rinse before placing them into a large heavy pot and covering again with fresh cool water. I never measure anything when cooking beans, but I do always cover the beans a good 3-4 inches so I know there will be enough water when they start cooking. 

Place the pot with the water and beans over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Let the beans boil for about 5-10 minutes, then turn down the heat and cover, simmering for about 40-60 minutes. The cooking time can really vary depending on how long you let the beans soak, what variety and size they are, and depending on how fresh your beans are. The older they are the longer it will take for them to cook, so I recommend buying your beans from places with a high turn over. When they're cooked remove from heat, drain and store tightly covered in your refrigerator or freezer. This may seem like a lot of work, but the active time is really very little and you can cook a lot at once and eat them through the week or freeze them up to 4 or 5 months for later.

Having a large amount of beans already cooked and staring back at me in from the fridge, inspired me to use them up in a Mexican style dish. I grabbed my last sweet potato, added some spices, herbs, garlic and a jalapeño and drenched them with fresh lime juice for a tasty side dish that easily becomes a meal when placed inside corn tortillas and placed alongside some rice and salad.

If you're still looking for another side dish to accompany a Cinco de Mayo feast this week, this would make a great addition. I placed my avocado on top, but it would be great mixed in as well. Other great toppings would be salsa, grated cheese and sour cream. I recommend starting with half the juice of lime and tasting before you add more, it's not meant to overpower, but some people like a little extra pucker. Also this was not very spicy to me, if you want it spicier leave in some of those jalapeño seeds.

Mexican Black Beans and Sweet Potatoes

serves 4 as a main or 6 as a side

2 cups peeled and diced sweet potato, about 1 large or 2 small potatoes

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon chile powder

salt and pepper

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 jalapeño, seeded and finely chopped

3 cups cooked black beans

1/2 cup chopped cilantro

1 lime

1 avocado, cubed

Preheat the oven to 450˚F. Toss the diced sweet potatoes in the 2 tablespoons of olive oil, cumin, chile powder, and salt and pepper. Place on a rimmed baking sheet and bake for 20-25 minutes or until the sweet potatoes have softened.

While the potatoes are cooking, heat the tablespoon of oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add to it the garlic and cook until it just begins to turn golden brown. Toss in the jalapeño, and beans. Cook until the beans are heated through, then turn off the heat.

Once the potatoes are out of the oven, add them to the bean mixture along with the cilantro and gently stir everything together. Squeeze juice of half the lime over everything, adding more to your taste. 

Serve garnished with avocado or any other topping you wish. Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator.

Socca

You know those times when you read, hear, or see something that intrigues you enough to have it on your mind constantly. You start seeing what ever that thing is everywhere, like its been right in front of you this whole time and you wonder why you never noticed it before. This happens to me all the time. Most recently it happened in the form of socca.
 Socca, if you are unfamiliar, is a sort of flat bread made from chickpea flour that comes from France, more specifically Nice, where it's served as street food. Traditionally it's cooked in a large cast iron skillet over a super hot wood-fire to achieve a crispy, blistered crust. Although you can make it in your home oven at a very high heat, it will be hard to get the same effect, but that might also be one of the effects traveling has on you. If I ever find myself in Nice this will be one of the first foods on my list to try.

 It's important to let the chickpea flour and water mixture soak for at least 2 hours, preferably more. A couple glugs of olive oil, some salt, and a big pinch of cumin and you have socca in it's most basic form. You can get fancy with extras like herbs and onions, either way it's not hard to make and will ultimately give back more then the effort it took to make.
 I've made this several times and have a few of my own tips. The first time I set my oven at 450˚F, but made only two pancakes and each was a bit thicker. If you want to serve these with heavier toppings, more like a pizza, I would suggest doing it this way. The second time, I heated my broiler. I'm not sure if my cast iron skillet was to hot or what because the socca stuck to it like mad. Still tasted great, but was a bit of a visual mess. Now when I make it, I keep the oven set to 475˚F, make sure my cast iron gets heated up inside the preheating oven and depending on if I want thinner or thicker socca I divide the batter accordingly.

Another trick for those of you who are hesitant to buy a bag of chickpea flour that you may only use once or if it's not available in your area, you can buy 2 cups of dried chickpeas (garbanzo beans) and blend them in a high speed blender. The chickpeas will start breaking up and become flour-like. Once it's blended down quite a bit, sift it through a fine or medium-fine sieve to remove any large bits. You can either re-blend what's sifted out or discard. Now you have a fresh batch of chickpea flour costing you only pennies. I also wanted to say how much I loved reading everyone's sunshine memories. I'm thinking that its what helped to keep the sun out around here this whole week! And a big congrats to Rachel of Taming the Heart who is the winner of our Sunshine poster! Thank you everyone and have a wonderful Easter weekend! Socca adapted from David Lebovitz via The Sweet Life In Paris makes 3 9-inch pancakes 1 cup chickpea flour 1 1/4 cup water 1/2 teaspoon sea salt 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin 2 1/2 tablespoons olive oil, divided In a medium bowl mix together the chickpea flour, water, salt, cumin and 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil. I used a 4 cup liquid measuring bowl for easy pouring. Let this mixture sit, covered at room temperature, for at least 2 hours, but preferably 4 or more. When you're ready to cook, place a well seasoned cast iron skillet in the oven and preheat to 475˚F. When the oven is ready and your pan is super hot, drizzle a bit of olive oil if needed then pour a 1/3 of the batter into the pan, starting from the center. Swirl it around quickly to cover the bottom and put it back in the oven. Bake until the socca is firm and just beginning to burn around the edges. Mine took about 12-14 minutes, but it could vary depending on your oven, so I recommend watching it closer after the 10 minute mark. Slide the socca out of the pan, onto a cutting board. You can either slice into pieces or serve whole with your choice of toppings, pizza style. Repeat with the remaining batter, adding additional oil to the pan if needed