Pumpkin Pie Bites

Wee! Squash season is my favorite season : ) So many delicious, healthy, low-cost things to cook with the amazing squashes one can find at the farmers market. I really will need to stock up before that goes away. I hosted the lovely Eldina this weekend, and, having a guest, I was inspired to cook. And what did I have? Squash. Pumpkin, butternut, acorn, spaghetti... In addition to the apples and sweet potatoes we got at the Overland Park farmer's market (best one in the KC area for sure!). I was basically able to use the oven as a heater for most of the weekend since I was roasting so much squash. What I'm trying to say is, there are many more squash recipes to come....

Pumpkin Pie Bites
modified from My Whole Food Life

Ingredients:
1 cup pecans OR walnuts
1 cup raw almonds
3 T pepitas
10 dates
1/2 cup pumpkin puree (instructions here)
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp ground cloves

Seed mix:
3 Tbs each: sesame seeds, poppy seeds, flax seeds

Instructions:
1. In a food processor, process almonds, pecans, pepitas, and spices until finely ground.
2. Add dates, and process well. Add pumpkin, and pulse until well combined.
3. Roll dough into 1.5" diameter balls, and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
4. Combine seed mix in a small bowl. Take out pumpkin balls and roll each in seeds until completely coated, place back on plate, and refridgerate for another 30 minutes.
5. Serve chilled.

Pumpkin Butterscotch Granola Bar

Wow I've gotten behind on my blogging. Not that I've made a ton of food as of late, but these couple posts I've had in my back pocket for a while now.

I've discovered that the rate of posting per-month I do is directly correlated to how busy I am. Mid-December was my commencement date and since then I've been pretty much solidly on the go.

Now to the food....
These are actually the first granola bars I've ever made, and I was extremely pleased with the results! My only complaint was these were too sweet for my taste, so next time I'll scale back the sugar (probably not include the brown sugar at all) and update my recipe accordingly.

So! Without further ado,

Pumpkin Butterscotch Granola Bar
from Heather Christo Cooks

Makes about 20 granola bars

Ingredients:
4 cups oats
1/2 cup oil
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup brown suga
1/2 cup pumpkin puree (recipe here)
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/3 cups slivered almonds
1/2 cup pepitas (husked pumpkin seeds)
12 oz. butterscotch chips

Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 325F and line a 9x13x1" pan with parchment paper.
2. In a large bowl, combine oats and oil. Stir until well coated.
3. Add honey, brown sugar, pumpkin, cinnamon, and salt and mix until combined.
4. Add almonds and pepitas and mix in. Then add butterscotch chips and mix.
5. Transfer granola to the prepared pan and spread evenly, pressing down with a spatula.
6. Bake for 30 minutes, then take the bars out, press down hard with the back of a spatula to compress, and bake for another 20 minutes.
7. Let bars cool completely before slicing into bars.

Optional: wrap in wax paper or parchment paper and tie with twine to keep bars from sticking to each other and to give a hand-hold

Quiona Vegetable and Egg Sushi

I really loved this quiona version of sushi! A little bit experimental, definitely, but it's was great. The nuts give it a really unexpected texture.

Quiona Vegetable and Egg Sushi
based off of Wholesome Cook and Turntable Kitchen

Ingredients:
1 cup quinoa
1.5 cups water
2 Tbs nut mix, roughly chopped (sunflower, almond, and pepitas)
4 sheets nori
2 Tbs. rice vinegar
1 Tbs water
1 tsp honey
1 tsp salt

Instructions:
1. Combine quinoa and water in a small sauce pan, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
2. Once at a boil, reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 12 - 15 minutes until no liquid remains. Let sit for 5 minutes, then fluff with a fork.
3. In a small bowl, combine vinegar, water, honey, and salt. Stir mixture into quinoa until evenly distributed. Add nuts and stir in as well.
4. For each nori wrap, distribute quinoa as you would sushi rice, then place fillings for either roll on top, then roll. Seal with water.
(Hint: youtube will show you how to roll more effectively than I could describe here, if you don't know how to roll sushi)

Cucumber Carrot Avocado Roll:
1/4 cucumber, sliced into 1 cm. length
1/2 carrot, grated lengthwise on a mandolin
1/4 avocado, sliced into strips

Sriracha Egg Omelette Roll:
2 eggs
1 Tbs. ice cold water
1 Tbs. Sriracha
Optional: a few snow pea spouts

Instructions:
1. Heat a tsp. of oil in a small pan over medium heat.
2. Whisk together eggs and cold water. Pour egg mixture into the pan and cook for 3 minutes. Reduce heat to low.
3. Drizzle Sriracha over the omelette and cover with a lid. Cover and cook for another 2 minutes or until eggs are set.
4. Remove from pan and cut into 1 cm. strips.