Creamy Pumpkin Soup

This simple weeknight meal tasted like fall. On a cold rainy night, we enjoyed this soup with some Trader Joe's grain bread with pumpkin seeds. I am not feeling much motivation for cooking after work lately, so we are enjoying many recipes that are quick and complete with leftovers that reheat well. This recipe comes from Sweet Pea's Kitchen. I omitted the toppings on the original recipe simply because they were not ingredients I had on hand. I'm thinking we may repeat this dinner on Halloween while we wait for trick-or-treaters.

You will need:
*2 tablespoons unsalted butter
*1 medium onion, minced
*2 medium garlic cloves, minced
*1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
*1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
*1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
*3 cups low-sodium chicken broth (extra on hand if needed)
*2 cups water
*15 oz. can pure pumpkin purée
*1/4 cup maple syrup
*1/2 cup half-and-half
*salt and ground black pepper to taste
Topping suggestions: Bleu cheese crumbles, toasted walnuts, pumpkin seeds

1. Melt the better in a large Dutch oven over medium-heat. Add the onion and cook until softened, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in the garlic, cumin, coriander, and nutmeg and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
 Stir in the broth, water, pumpkin, and maple syrup; bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes, or until the flavors have melded.


2. Remove pot from heat and allow to cool slightly before pureeing the soup with an immersion blender, or carefully placing in the blender in two different batches. Stir in the half-and-half and additional broth if necessary.

3. Reheat the soup mixture gently over low heat until hot (do not boil). Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add toppings if desired.

Pumpkin Donuts with Maple-Cinnamon Glaze

October is officially pumpkin baking season in our household. It seems food blogs have exploded with pumpkin recipes, many of which are for donuts! I was debating which to try when I spotted this recipe from Taste and Tell. These came together easily on a Saturday morning. The only thing that we were too inpatient for was waiting to let the glaze set. Since I did not have maple extract, I used regular maple syrup in my glaze. This was perfect for eating immediately, but it didn't work so well on the donuts that sat until the next day. They tasted fine but lost their glazed look and just became sticky. I highly recommend this baked donut recipe. They are even tasty without a topping.

For the donuts, you will need:
*2 cups all-purpose flour
*1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
*1/2 teaspoon salt
*1/4 teaspoon baking soda
*1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
*1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
*1/4 teaspoon ginger
*1/2 cup brown sugar
*1 cup pumpkin puree
*2 eggs
*2 tablespoons milk
*1/4 cup butter, at room temperature
*1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the glaze, you will need:
*1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
*1/2 teaspoon maple extract or maple syrup
*1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
*2 tablespoons milk

1. Preheat the oven to 350. Prepare a doughnut pan by spraying with non-stick cooking spray.

2.Combine the flour, baking powder, salt, baking soda, nutmeg, cinnamon and ginger in a large bowl.

3. In a mixing bowl, cream together the brown sugar, butter, and pumpkin. Add in the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Mix in the vanilla. Stir in the flour mixture in two additions, alternating with adding the milk.

4. Place the mix in a large zip-top bag. Cut off the corner and pipe into the doughnut pan. (This is always a challenge for me! Sometimes, I am better off spooning it in)

5. Bake for about 10 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let the donuts rest in the pan for 5 minutes, then remove them and cool completely on a baking rack.

6. To make the glaze: Whisk together the powdered sugar, maple extract, cinnamon and milk in a small bowl. Dip the cool donuts into the glaze. Return to the wire rack to allow the glaze to set.

Lentil-Walnut Burger

Sorry for my disappearing act. We've been cooking but relying on many old favorites as the weather was cooling down. I have some backed up photos and recipes to share from the end of summer into fall, so I am hoping to get back to posting a bit more frequently.

These lentil-walnut burgers were a fabulous Meatless Monday meal. I found this recipe in my Everyday Food Great Food Fast cookbook. This cookbook is divided into four sections by season, and we've loved everything we've made from it. I discovered it at HomeGoods one afternoon. Our only complaint about these burgers was that they are a bit dry. As long as you pile on the yogurt-cilantro sauce you'll be good to go. I would not consider skipping the topping.

You will need:

*3/4 cup toasted walnuts, cooled

*1/3 cup plain dried breadcrumbs

*3 garlic cloves, chopped

*2 teaspoons ground cumin

*2 teaspoons ground coriander

*1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon red-pepper flakes, depending on heat desired

*Coarse salt and ground pepper

*3/4 cup lentils, cooked, drained, and cooled

*4 tablespoons olive oil

*1 large egg

*3/4 cup plain Greek yogurt (you could also use any low-fat plain yogurt)

*Coarse salt and ground pepper

*2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves

*1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1. Combine walnuts, breadcrumbs, garlic, cumin, coriander, pepper flakes, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a food processor. Process until finely ground. Add lentils and 1 tablespoon oil to the mixture in the processor. Pulse until coarsely chopped-a few lentils should remain whole.

2. Whisk the egg in a large bowl. Add lentil mixture and mix well. Divide into 4 equal-size parts, roll into balls, and flatten with the palm of your hand to form 3/4-inch-thick patties.

3. Heat remaining 3 tablespoons oil in a large nonstick skillet. Cook the burgers over medium-low heat until crisp and browned, about 8-10 minutes per side. Transfer to a paper-towel-lined plate to drain.

4. While the burgers are cooking, make the yogurt-cilantro topping. In a small bowl, whisk together yogurt, cilantro, and lemon. Season with salt and pepper. Top burgers generously.

Zucchini Pizza

Pizza is a regular in our menu rotation. We often use the same few flavor combinations. During the height of zucchini season, I continued exploring recipes to use up the zucchinis I purchased at a local farm stand. This pizza recipe comes from Eat, Live, Run.I made this back in the glorious days of summer vacation. It was my lunch for a couple of days, and Dave enjoyed it for dinner. The red pepper flakes added a nice kick to this veggie filled slice. I think we'll be trying this again.

You will need:
*2 large zucchinis
*2 cloves garlic, minced
*1 cup ricotta cheese (I prefer part-skim)
*2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
*sea salt and freshly ground pepper
*red pepper flakes
*prepared pizza dough

1. Preheat the oven to 450 . Prepare your pizza stone by dusting it with cornmeal.

2. Grate the zucchinis; press with paper towels to soak up the liquid. (There was a lot of liquid!)

3. Mix the zucchini with the mozzarella cheese. Add salt and pepper for seasoning. Stir well to combine.

4. Combine the ricotta cheese and garlic in a small bowl. Season with sea salt and pepper to taste.

5. Stretch pizza dough onto your pizza stone. Spread the ricotta cheese on the dough and top with the shredded zucchini/cheese mixture. Top with another touch of salt and pepper. Sprinkle red pepper flakes to add some heat. Bake the pizza for about 15 minutes, or until the crust begins to golden and the cheese starts to bubble.

Zucchini Enchiladas

The picture does not look like much, but these are delicious! They started as a Meatless Monday meal, and now Dave requests these enchiladas frequently. Another reason this dinner is a winner is how quickly it comes together. I love healthy, tasty, and speedy weeknight meals. I'm beginning to consider cooking my way through Skinny Taste because I have discovered so many incredible recipes from Gina's blog. She uses real ingredients to make lighter meals and treats instead of using substitutes with ingredients I can't pronounce. I just went back to her blog to star some recipes to try this fall.

For the enchilada sauce, you will need:
*1 garlic clove, minced
*1 tablespoon chipotle chilis in adobo sauce
*1 cup tomato sauce
*1/4 teaspoon chipotle chili powder
*1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
*1/2 cup vegetable broth
*kosher salt and fresh pepper to taste

For the enchiladas, you will need:
*cooking spray (I use my Misto)
*1 teaspoon olive oil
*2 cloves garlic, minced
*2 medium scallions, chopped
*1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
*2 medium-sized zucchinis, grated
*kosher salt
*fresh ground pepper
*1 1/2 cups shredded Mexican cheese
*4 tortillas
*Additional chopped scallions and cilantro, for topping if desired

1. Begin making the enchilada sauce. Sautee garlic and a spray of oil in a medium saucepan. Add chipotle chile, chili powder, cumin, broth, tomato sauce, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 5-10 minutes. Set aside until ready to use.
(You could grate your zucchinis while waiting for the sauce to boil)

2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees and spray a baking dish with nonstick spray.

3. In a medium nonstick skillet, saute garlic and scallions in olive oil over medium heat for about 3 minutes. Then, add zucchini, salt and pepper to taste, and cook another 4-5 minutes. Remove the pan from heat and mix in 1/2 cup of cheese.

4. Divide the zucchini and cilantro in each tortilla, roll, and place seam side down in baking dish.

5. Top with enchilada sauce and the remaining cheese. Bake for 20 minutes, or until warmed through and the cheese is melted.

Chocolate Bacon Cupcakes to Celebrate 2 years!

It's Cooking with LT's 2nd birthday. Or, as I often hear in the blog world, it's my blogiversary! Although I still don't have down posting regularly, I am impressed with how much I've learned about cooking and baking. Dave and I were joking about how much our weeknight dinners have changed. We used to consider boiling pasta and heating spaghetti sauce to be cooking dinner and sometimes skip to takeout to avoid the hassle. It is the rotation of new dinners with old favorites that keep cooking at home interesting for us. I think the best part of having a food blog is how many other blogs and bloggers I have discovered through it. My neglected cookbooks are still trying to get involved in the kitchen, but it is often the recipes I find through other blogs that I am eager to try.

So in honor of this 2nd birthday/blogiversary, I bring you chocolate bacon cupcakes. This recipe is from The Novice Chef. I attended the Boston Bacon and Beerfest for a friend's birthday back in April, and it was after this event that I searched for a chocolate and bacon recipe that I could replicate. I loved Jessica's take on this sweet and savory combination by using a maple frosting. The perfect opportunity to share these cupcakes came when I invaded a friends cookout with 10 house guests! I think his exact words to me were "If you combine bacon, beer, and chocolate, you could bring 100 people!" I decided to serve the beer on the side of these cupcakes, but I think next time I will revisit the Guiness chocolate cupcake base and consider adding bacon to that. It might just create a guy's ultimate trifecta.

Thanks for reading/following me through this journey. Raise your cupcake to another year of recipes here at Cooking with LT!
For the cupcakes, you will need:
*3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

*3/4 cup hot water
*
3 cups all-purpose flour

*1 teaspoon baking soda

*1 teaspoon baking powder
*
1 1/4 teaspoons coarse salt
*
1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter
*
2 1/4 cups sugar

*4 large eggs at room temperature

*1 tablespoon and 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract, separated
*
1 cup sour cream at room temperature

*3/4 cup bacon, cooked and chopped

1. If you have not already done so, cook the bacon. Let it cool before you chop it into bits.

2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line your muffin tins.

3. Stir together the cocoa and hot water until smooth.

4. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

5. In a small sauce pan over medium-low heat, melt the butter with the sugar, stirring to combine. Once the butter is melted, remove from heat, and pour into a mixing bowl. With an electric mixer on medium-low speed, beat until mixture is cooled ( this should take about 5 minutes) Add eggs to the butter mixture, one at a time, beating until each is incorporated. Add the vanilla extract, then cocoa mixture, and beat until combined. Reduce speed to low.

6. Add the flour mixture in two batches, alternating with the sour cream. After each addition, beat the mixture until just combined. Gently fold in bacon.

7. Divide the batter evenly among lined cups, filling each 3/4 full. Bake for 10 minutes and rotate the pans. Continue baking for about 10 more minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in cupcake centers comes out clean. Allow the cupcakes to cool in the pan for 10-15 minutes. Continue cooling completely on baking racks before frosting.

For the maple frosting, you will need:
*2 sticks unsalted butter at room temperature

*2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
*
3-4 cups confectioners’ sugar

*1/3 cup pure maple syrup, plus more for drizzling
*
1 teaspoon salt

1. Using an electric mixer, cream the butter. Add the vanilla extract, salt, and maple syrup and mix until well combined.

2.Add the sugar, one cup at a time, mixing to combine each addition. Once all the sugar is combined, taste. Add more maple syrup if you'd like. If your frosting is not thick enough, add some more powdered sugar.

3. Frost cupcakes and top with extra bacon.

Roasted Chickpea Tacos

We've started a new weekly tradition in our household: Meatless Mondays. So much of the blog world and beyond has been doing this for a long time, and we finally decided to jump on this trend. Because of my unwavering love for cheese, our Mondays are just meatless. I have some vegan recipes I hope to explore with in the future too, but often like this one, I ended up adding in a dairy product.

Taco nights are one of our favorite dinners, so I took a gamble in trying to incorporate a meatless meal into this rotation. Well, we now have a new regular in the rotation! We both loved these tacos, and they come together in a snap making them a perfect weeknight meal. I even thought about them when we were on vacation, and I made them our first night back at home. This recipe is from Peas and Thank You. I highly recommend that you check out Mama Pea's amazing vegan recipes. It might even convince you to try out Meatless Mondays of your own!

You will need:
*2 teaspoons chili powder
*1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
*1/4 teaspoon onion powder
*1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
*1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
*1 teaspoon sea salt
*Juice of 1 lime
*2 tablespoons water
*14 oz. can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
*8 organic taco shells
*Taco toppings (we used baby spinach, greek yogurt, shredded Mexican cheese on ours)

1. In a large bowl, combine chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, oregano, cumin, salt, lime juice and water. Add chickpeas and marinate for at least 30 minutes at room temperature, stirring occasionally.

2. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

3. Place chickpeas onto a greased baking sheet. Bake for about 10 minutes, stir, and continue cooking for another 10-15 minutes, until chickpeas are slightly crispy.

4. Prepare taco shells according to package directions. Fill with chickpeas. Top with your choice of toppings.

Key Lime Coconut Cupcakes

We're back from our incredible Mediterranean vacation! I have many dinners and treats to blog from the weeks before we left, so I am hoping to get back into the routine of sharing recipes more frequently. I also took a few food photos while we were away that I will post soon.

I made these cupcakes for a friend's birthday at the end of June. I had to take them on the train into Boston with me to celebrate, and I received many comments! There were many references to cupcake wars (one by the conductor) and many passengers gave me a side eye. Waiting on a street corner for my husband to pick me up outside the station, a couple of passersby asked if I was selling cupcakes. The whole afternoon was a humorous experience. Luckily, my Snapware cupcake carrier is amazing and the cupcakes arrived at our destination safely.

These cupcakes came out moist and tropical. They are a perfect summer treat for a celebration or backyard barbeque. I found this recipe on Koko Cooks who adapted these cupcakes from an Ina Garten recipe.

For the cupcakes, you will need:
*3 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature

*2 cups sugar

*5 eggs

*2 teaspoon vanilla extract

*1 tablespoon key lime zest
*
1 1/2 tablespoon key lime juice

*3 cups flour

*1 teaspoon baking powder

*½ teaspoon baking soda
*
½ teaspoon kosher salt
*
1 cup light coconut milk
*
1 cup sweetened shredded coconut



1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Line two muffin pans with paper liners.



2. Cream the butter and sugar with an electric mixer on high speed until light and fluffy. Switch the mixer to low speed, and add the eggs, one at a time, fully combining before each addition.
Next, add the vanilla, key lime zest, and key lime juice and mix well.



3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add the dry ingredients and the coconut milk to the batter in 3 segments, beginning and ending with the dry mix. Mix until just combined. Stir in the shredded coconut.

4. Scoop batter into cupcake liners, filling to the top. Bake for 25 to 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the cupcake's center comes out clean. Allow to cool in the pan for 15 minutes. Remove to a baking rack and cool completely.


5. Frost cooled cupcakes with the recipe below.

For the frosting, you will need:
*8oz cream cheese
*1/2 sticks unsalted butter
*1/2 teaspoon vanilla
*1/2 teaspoon almond extract (I might omit this next time)
*confectioner's sugar, about 3 cups or as needed
*2 teaspoons key lime zest
*shredded coconut, optional topping

1. Cream together the cream cheese, butter, and extracts. Gradually add the confectioner's sugar until you get the consistency you are looking for and mix until smooth. 

Frost the cupcakes and sprinkle with the coconut.

Coconut-Macadmia Nut Chicken with Pineapple Salsa

I was contacted by a nice representative at OhNuts! who wanted to give me a sample to use in a recipe. My little blog has never been offered anything, so I was pretty excited. As I started thinking about what to order, I remembered the amount of macadmia nuts we consumed on our honeymoon two years ago, and how many dinners featured this island nut. The nuts arrived quickly, and I immediately sampled them. They came packaged well and tasted delicious. I will certainly order from OhNuts! again.

This coconut chicken recipe was my inspiration as I set out to make this dinner. Chicken tenders were on sale, so I decided to make us a summer salad by topping the chicken with pineapple salsa over mixed greens.

For the chicken, you will need:
*about 12 chicken tenders or 6-8 chicken cutlets
*2 eggs
*1 cup flour
*3/4 cup shredded coconut
*1/2-3/4 cup chopped/crushed roasted macadamia nuts
(I started with 1/2 cup and then added more as needed)
*olive oil for pan frying

1. Preheat oven to 250.

2. Set out three shallow dishes or low bowls. Combine nuts and coconut in one dish, place the flour in another, and lightly whisk the eggs in the final dish.
3. Salt and pepper your chicken. Dredge each chicken piece into the flour, then egg, then nut mixture.
4. Heat olive oil in a pan over medium-high heat. Pan fry your chicken tenders in batches so that the pan isn't too crowded. The tenders needed about 4 minutes per side. Place cooked chicken on a baking sheet in the oven to stay warm while you prepare the remaining chicken pieces.
5. Serve on a bed of greens topped with the pineapple salsa recipe listed below.

This pineapple salsa recipe is from Confections of a Foodie Bride.
You will need:
*2 cups chopped fresh pineapple, diced
*
juice of 1 lime
*
1 handful cilantro, chopped

*1 jalapeno, chopped
*
Salt

1. You can place all ingredients in a food processor and pulse 2 or 3 times. I prefer to chop my pineapple as fine as possible, and mix all ingredients together in a serving bowl. )This also prevents me from having to clean my large food processor!)
2. Chill in the fridge until ready to serve.

Mango-Avocado Salsa

I am a recipe hoarder. Seriously, there are so many items starred in my Google Reader, recipes in Word documents, dog-eared pages in magazines and cookbooks, as well as inspiration from family and friends. I love trying something new. Usually, I sit on a delicious recipe for too long, and then I am a bit frustrated with myself for not trying it sooner. That is the case with this fresh and simple summer salsa recipe. It is yet another hit discovered on Skinny Taste. If you have not checked out Gina's blog yet, then you must. She creates and shares delicious, healthy, and usually simple to make recipes. I think this salsa combination would be a great topping to a chopped chicken salad, or as a highlight in tacos, tostadas, or a burrito bowl. I can guarantee that we'll be eating this again soon!

You will need:
* 1 mango, diced
* 1 avocado, diced
* 1 plum tomato, diced
* 1 garlic clove, minced
* 1 jalepeño, seeded and diced (I used a bit less than 1/2 from rings I had leftover)
* 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
* 1 lime, juiced
* 1/4 cup chopped red onion
* 1 tbsp olive oil
* salt and fresh pepper to taste

1. In a bowl, combine all the ingredients and stir together.
2. Refrigerate the mixture for at least 20 minutes before serving. This will help the flavors blend together.