Author: Claire

Chili Powder
I’ve found that making fresh spice mixes is surprisingly easy and yields incredible flavor – much more than with store-bought mixes. This recipe for chili powder can be adapted to your tastes; it currently uses equal amounts of three dried chiles: guajillo, ancho, and arbol. Like your chili powder a little smokier? Add more ancho chiles, toss in some dried chipotles, and/or add extra smoked paprika. Like your chili powder on the milder side? Use more ancho and guajillo chiles and less arbol chiles, and discard the seeds before toasting. Or, conversely, like your chili powder extra spicy? Up the number of arbol chiles.

I would highly recommend making a double batch of this recipe; a single batch makes enough for about four regular batches of chili (about 4 servings each) or two extra-large batches of chili (about 8 servings each) – I love making extra-large batches and having lots of delicious hearty leftovers. If you make a single batch of this recipe, you’ll have just enough chili powder for the two amazing extra-large batch chili recipes I’ll be posting on Wednesday and Friday: a delicious vegetarian chili packed with lots of different beans and grains on Wednesday, then a mouth-watering pot of chile con carne with all the special touches on Friday.

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December 5, 2011
Kaddo Bourani
We’re approaching the end of pumpkin season, so I’ve been posting my very best pumpkin recipes last week and this week. Luckily, pumpkins keep well for a couple months (and my pumpkin puree will keep good for 6 months or more when frozen) which means after you buy up those last pumpkins, you’ll have ample time to cook these delicious recipes!

Kaddo bourani is a delicious Afghan dish that plays around with very unusual flavor combinations. Sweet pumpkin mingles here with cinnamon, topped with mint garlic yogurt and a coriander-laced tomato sauce. This seemingly disparate combination manages to come together seamlessly. Traditionally, the tomato sauce has ground beef in it, but I’ve done a vegetarian version here, substituting with a can of kidney beans. This dish also works as an appetizer without the tomato sauce.

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December 2, 2011
Pumpkin Kibbe
We’re approaching the end of pumpkin season, so I’ve been posting my very best pumpkin recipes last week and this week. Luckily, pumpkins keep well for a couple months (and my pumpkin puree will keep good for 6 months or more when frozen) which means after you buy up those last pumpkins, you’ll have ample time to cook these delicious recipes!

This recipe marks my 50th post on this blog, and I’m very excited to be posting a family recipe, passed on to me from my dad. Kibbe is a traditional Lebanese dish, usually made with ground lamb and bulgur wheat. This vegetarian version substitutes pumpkin puree for the ground lamb. Although I’ve always been an adventurous eater, I used to turn my nose up at this dish when my parents made it, simply because I love lamb kibbe so much. I’ve since come around and now absolutely love pumpkin kibbe as well! The only change I’ve made from how my grandmother in Lebanon cooks this dish is to sautee the onions before laying them in the bottom of the pan (I can’t help myself; I just love caramelized onions).

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November 30, 2011
Pumpkin Risotto
We’re approaching the end of pumpkin season, so I’ve been posting my very best pumpkin recipes last week and this week. Luckily, pumpkins keep well for a couple months (and my pumpkin puree will keep good for 6 months or more when frozen) which means after you buy up those last pumpkins, you’ll have ample time to cook these delicious recipes!

I can see why pumpkin (and butternut squash) risotto shows up on a lot of menus around this time of year. This restaurant darling is fairly simple to make and packed with flavor, and the risotto easily takes on a beautiful orange color from the pumpkin puree. In this rendition, fresh ginger plays a subtle background note to the rich pumpkin flavor. This dish makes for a filling vegetarian main course or a great side along a cut of steak.

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November 28, 2011
Pumpkin Pancakes
We’re approaching the end of pumpkin season, so I’ll be posting my very best pumpkin recipes this week and next week. Luckily, pumpkins keep well for a couple months (and my pumpkin puree will keep good for 6 months or more when frozen) which means after you buy up those last pumpkins, you’ll have ample time to cook these delicious recipes!

These subtly orange pancakes are quite easy to toss together and have the perfect amount of pumpkin flavor alongside traditional pumpkin pie spices. They’re great for when you have some leftover pumpkin puree but not enough for most recipes, since you only need 1/2 cup for this recipe. I mixed some butter and extra pumpkin puree together (warming these together in the microwave for 15 seconds or so make them easier to combine) to serve on top for an added pumpkin boost, along with maple syrup, of course. These pancakes make for a great seasonal breakfast (comfortably serving two people) or a decadent dessert.

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November 25, 2011
Stuffed Pumpkin
We’re approaching the end of pumpkin season, so I’ll be posting my very best pumpkin recipes this week and next week. Luckily, pumpkins keep well for a couple months (and my pumpkin puree will keep good for 6 months or more when frozen) which means after you buy up those last pumpkins, you’ll have ample time to cook these delicious recipes!

This recipe manages to be both simple and impressive. Placing a whole cooked pumpkin in the center of the table is sure to elicit compliments from your dinner companions, and the combination of cooked pumpkin flesh with bread, cheese, bacon, spinach, and apple is perfect for fall. This stuffed pumpkin would make a great Thanksgiving side but can also serve as a complete meal. Feel free to get creative when choosing what to stuff your pumpkin with; cooked rice or another grain can be used in place of bread, you can use whatever cheese you have on hand, and nearly any of the ingredients can be omitted or replaced and still result in a delicious dish. You can even cut a butternut squash in half and stuff the halves if you can’t get your hands on a pumpkin.

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November 23, 2011
Pumpkin Puree
We’re approaching the end of pumpkin season, so I’ll be posting my very best pumpkin recipes this week and next week. Luckily, pumpkins keep well for a couple months (and the pumpkin puree in today’s recipe will keep good for 6 months or more when frozen) which means after you buy up those last pumpkins, you’ll have ample time to cook these delicious recipes!

When I was growing up, we never carved jack-o-lanterns; instead my parents would buy sugar pie pumpkins, and we’d draw on them with glow in the dark fabric paint. That way, after Halloween, my mom could roast the pumpkins to make puree. It almost feels a little silly to bother posting a recipe for pumpkin puree because it’s so easy, but since it’s a key ingredient in many recipes, here it is. You can really use any size pumpkin here – I roasted a 12-lb monster the other day and it gave me nearly 10 cups of puree. Most of the time, I’m sure that the canned puree suffices just fine, but I love going the extra step and making my own. It might all be in my head, but I feel like the fresh stuff has more flavor to it and tastes more squash-like – though this probably also depends on the variety of pumpkin you use. This puree is not only good for traditional pumpkin pies; I’ll be posting some less traditional recipes using it in the next couple weeks, and you can also stir it into yogurt or oatmeal.

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November 21, 2011
The Perfect Oatmeal
As the weather gets colder, I find myself craving a nice hot bowl of oatmeal in the mornings. Texture in food is important to me, so I prefer using steel cut oats which have a chewier texture (and nuttier taste). Although they take longer to cook, I typically cook up a double batch of this recipe on Sunday afternoon and package it up for breakfasts throughout the coming week. Then it’s only a matter of throwing it in the microwave for a couple of minutes in the morning (I also add a splash of milk when reheating as it tends to firm up in the refrigerator). I love playing around with different flavor combinations in my oatmeal; my default is bananas, brown sugar, and cinnamon (pictured), but all kinds of fruits and sweeteners work, and I’ve even played around with some savory flavors by adding cheese, spices, and umami-heavy ingredients. The result is a versatile, healthy, and delicious breakfast!

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November 18, 2011
Irish Colcannon, Two Ways
With this recipe, I put a bit of a twist on the traditional Irish colcannon (typically made with mashed potatoes and cabbage or kale) by using sweet potatoes alongside regular potatoes and cooking the cabbage with beer. Creamy mashed potatoes, smoky bacon bits, and malty beer meld together into a very rich and filling dish. I found this made a great meal on a cold night although for those of you looking to be less decadent, it would also work very well as a side dish.

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November 16, 2011
Butternut Squash and Chickpea Salad
Around this time of year, I find myself unable to resist the gorgeous butternut squashes piled high at grocery stores and farmers’ markets. I always buy a few, tempted by vague thoughts of meals with the squash’s sweet richness and autumnal orange hue. Then I find myself at home trying to come up with the best ways to actually use my newly acquired ingredient. This warm salad is a somewhat unusual combination of flavors, with chickpeas, allspice, and tahini as major players alongside the butternut squash. The result is fantastically addictive and a great alternative to the more common recipes using butternut squash. This salad works equally well as an appetizer or main course.

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November 14, 2011