Pumpkin, Chickpea and Red Lentil Stew

Like every body else in the world- I love PUMPKIN. In fact, my most favorite place in the world is PUMPKINVILLE! In addition to pumpkin-flavored baked goods that are so abundant this time of the year, I also love recipes using actual pumpkin. Last year I made THIS recipe for pumpkin black bean bake (without the beef), from better Homes and Gardens* ... and it was great. However, I vowed never to touch an actual pumpkin again after making pumpkin puree. It was a total pain in the butt and tasted almost identical to the canned variety. My mother sent me THIS recipe - and it looked like a winner. So I actually peeled and seeded a pumpkin.

I just made and devoured this, and it was great. Perfectly spiced and easy to throw together!

Ingredients
1 pound pie pumpkin peeled, seeded, and cut into 1-inch cubes
1 15-ounce can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
3 medium carrots, sliced 1/2 inch thick
1 large onion, chopped
1 cup red lentils
2 Tbsp tomato paste
1 Tbsp grated fresh ginger
1 Tbsp lime juice
1 Tsp ground cumin
1/4 Tsp Na++
1/4 Tsp ground turmeric
1/4 Tsp ground black pepper
4 cups vegetable broth
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

Throw everything but the cilantro into a slow cooker. Cook for 7-8 hours on low, or 4-5 hours on high.


Garnish with cilantro. Serve over Israeli couscous (I throw a dried ancho chile in mine for a kick of flavor).


The finished product. Yum. Verdict? Make it.




*The actual magazine that taught me to cook back in 6th grade - high school. It worked!

Pumpkin Oatmeal... my life is now complete

The other day I remade some banana peanut butter oatmeal, and I happened to add some cinnamon. It reminded me of banana bread, one of my favorite foods. Then I took a trip down gustatory memory lane to the time when I tried to add pumpkin puree to my very favorite banana bread of all time and it ended up COLLAPSING and I was very sad. Then suddenly I decided that I needed to try to make pumpkin oatmeal.

I had a test run yesterday that tasted all right, but today I NAILED IT. This oatmeal was so good I could barely stand it. Thank you CCK, for introducing me to blended oatmeal. This was the best breakfast of my entire life.

Pumpkin oatmeal:
1/4 cup oats
1/2 cup plain almond milk
1/4 cup silken tofu
1/4 cup pumpkin puree
1/8 cup So Delicious Coconut Creamer
1 shake of cinnamon
1 shake of pumpkin pie spice
1 packet splenda*

Cook oatmeal and milk in microwave for 3 minutes. Add it all to blender (I used my new magic bullet) and blend. I heated mine up in the microwave for a minute so it was nice and warm for fall. Oh. My. God. Try it. You must. Now.




*SPLENDA - yes I use it. Sucralose i is manufactured by the selective chlorination of sucrose (table sugar), which converts three of the hydroxyl groups to chlorides. Basically it's chlorine attached to a sugar ring. Since our bodies cannot process chlorine, the chlorine and sugar passes through the digestive system unaltered, therefore not allowing our bodies to drive calroies from it. I figure there is Chlorine everywhere - water, the POOL, and I am always swallowing it anyhow- so how much could it hurt. Right? It's a personal thing!