Burgerville's Pumpkin Smoothie, even healthier!

One of the most wonderful things about moving to Portland is the local chain called Burgerville, beloved to all. Yes, I’m seriously speaking positively of what is essentially a fast food joint: They have all the treats and trappings of fast food, yet manage to turn many of the negatives about fast food completely inside out. When you throw out your trash, every restaurant has it divided into three bins: Recyclables, Landfill, and Compost. You read that right: COMPOST. They reuse all of their cooking oil as biodiesel. They offer, among many healthy yet seriously delicious choices, three different kinds of veggie burgers. They source their food locally, and they also include a rotating seasonal menu. So every fall, Portland residents look forward to sweet potato fries, salmon sandwiches, and pumpkin shakes and smoothies (all locally sourced, of course).

Those shakes and smoothies, are every bit as delectable as you can imagine. The ice cream shake is like an extra-custardy pumpkin pie in a glass, while the yogurt-based smoothie is a little tangy and a bit lighter overall.  But what about vegans, or those who are intolerant or sensitive to dairy? I thought I’d try making a dairy-free version at home.

And lo, it worked! I tried it first with silken tofu, which was just okay, then with hemp milk, which (although I love hemp milk in some things) didn’t work so well with the aftertaste factor; it was also a bit thin. Finally I tried coconut milk, and that was the ticket. Coconut milk is becoming my favorite cow’s milk subsititute for many reasons, including the health benefits of its good fat (I do recommend going with normal, not “light” coconut milk here, but do what you need to do).

So if you’ve got some extra pumpkin from your jack o’lanterns, or you’re craving pumpkin pie yet want something healthier, give this recipe a whirl. It would make a great leftover recipe after Thanksgiving, or even be a great addition to a turkey day breakfast!

Did I mention the EASY? It’s easy.

PUMPKIN SMOOTHIE A LA BURGERVILLE, MADE VEGAN

1 cup pumpkin
1 14 ounce can coconut milk
1 banana
1/3 to 1/2 cup brown sugar or maple syrup (depending on how sweet you like)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
6-8 ice cubes

Combine all ingredients in a blender and – take a guess  . . . that’s right, blend until smooth. That’s IT!

Note that you could, instead of the individual spices, use a pumpkin pie spice blend, approximately 1 tablespoon’s worth (you’ll have to taste test as you go). You could also freeze the banana in advance (I recommend doing do in pieces, rather than whole), and reduce the number of ice cubes a bit – see how icy you personally prefer.

– posted by Anne

Pumpkin Trifle with Gluten-Free Eggnog Pound Cake

This is your fail-safe. Anything you make this holiday that falls apart? Whip up some heavy cream (if you do dairy) , cut the culprit into chunks, and make a trifle.  This of course works any time of year, but putting these complementary holiday flavors together worked so well I had to share it with you.

Naturally, this can be varied, but I’ll share with you exactly what I did, as the amounts worked perfectly for my underutilized but very handy trifle dish (any clear glass bowl will do).

THANKSGIVING TRIFLE

Preheat oven to 325. Then . . .

PUMPKIN CUSTARD

2 15 ounce cans solid pack pumpkin
1 10 ounce can condensed milk
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 egg
1/2 tablespoon arrowroot or (cornstarch)
1/4 cup sugar

Whisk all ingredients together in a saucepan and cook, stirring very frequently, over medium heat until thickened slightly. Transfer to bowl and chill until assembly time.

GLUTEN-FREE EGGNOG POUND CAKE

2 cups Bob’s gluten-free flour blend
1 cup almond flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum
1/4 teaspoon salt
a pinch or two nutmeg (preferably freshly grated)
1 cup butter, room temperature
2 cups sugar
3 eggs
1 cup eggnog

Grease up a standard bundt pan. Stir together the flours, baking powder, salt, xanthan gum and nutmeg; set aside. Beat the butter and sugar in a stand mixer until fluffy, then add eggs one at a time, beating after each egg.  Stir in flour mix about 1 cup at a time, alternating with portions of the eggnog. Transfer to prepares bundt pan and bake for 55-60 minutes, or until golden brown and with a springy center and edges that pull away from the sides of the pan. Cool in pan before inverting onto a plate and cutting into rough cubes.

EGGNOG WHIPPED CREAM

2 cups heavy cream
1/2 cup eggnog
2 tablespoons sugar

Whip cold heavy cream and sugar in a chilled bowl (metal is best, and I like to chill the whisk too) until soft peaks form. Add the eggnog  and beat to desired texture – don’t get carried away, now!

DULCE DE LECHE

This was the final touch, though I set it on the boil before I began the cake baking, so I had plenty of time to let it cook down. It’s so simple it hardly constitutes a recipe, but the instructions are here!

And now, assemble in your trifle dish or glass bowl as you wish! I started with a layer of the thick pumpkin custard, then cubes of the cake, then whipped cream, and repeated until it was full. I topped it off with the dulce de leche and a few gratings of nutmeg.

And now, we play the waiting game.

Thanksgiving Trifle awaiting its grand entrance

Have a wonderful, fabulous, and at least partly frugal holiday, everyone!

– posted by Anne

Candied Pumpkin - Frugal and Pretty on a Plate!

Make candy from pumpkins? Really? You are no doubt wondering: Have we at FFF taken this whole “frugal” thing a little too far???  I, too, was skeptical. But, for a pleasant surprise, read on My Frugal Friends.

This is one of those “you’ll never guess the secret ingredient” recipes. Your guests will never guess that these little sweet squares that have a texture similar to caramels are actually made of pumpkin flesh. No, really. Put me to the test on these and try this recipe out.

Candied pumpkin is a treat in many cultures, and is not hard to make.

Just cut pumpkin into little squares and then boil them in water and brown sugar and then roast in the oven and you will have a candy-like substance that will please even the pickiest sweet tooth!

With pumpkin so cheap and plentiful right now, this is a fabulous and frugal thing to do. Do try!

CANDIED PUMPKIN

4 cups of peeled pumpkin flesh, cut in 1 inch squares
2 cups water
1 cup dark brown sugar

Combine the pumpkin and water in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Boil for 15 to 20 minutes, until fork tender. Drain off water, reserving 1 1/2 cups of water. Set aside pumpkin. Add reserved water and brown sugar back to the saucepan and bring to a boil. Add pumpkin back in. Bring back to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer and simmer for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand overnight, 8 to 10 hours.

Return mixture to a boil and boil 5 minutes. Remove pumpkin and place on a wire rack on a baking sheet. Bake at 175 degrees for 5 to 6 hours, until firm and dry to touch. Remove from oven and roll pumpkin pieces in raw sugar if desired for presentation.

Store in an airtight container in a cool, dry place for up to two weeks.

Other brave food bloggers doing candied pumpkin:
Candied Pumpkin, Desert Candy
Candied Calabaza, Apple Pie, Patis and Pate
Candied Squash, Laylita’s Recipes

– posted by Donna