Book of Yum

I love pumpkin season, and whenever pumpkins start appearing at the Farmer’s Market and grocery stores I am always tempted to bring some home with me. For me, pumpkins are like the puppies of the vegetable kingdom- I just can’t resist them! When I first started bringing pumpkins home, I didn’t quite know what to do with them. I started by making gluten-free pumpkin pies from scratch, which I enjoyed. But according to Cook’s Illustrated and other experts, apparently homemade pumpkin puree doesn’t make that much difference to the final pie, so I wondered if it was worth the effort. So, I moved on… I tried pumpkin ravioli (yummy), pumpkin lasagna (also yummy), and even grilled pumpkin. Recently, I came up with a hypo-allergenic pumpkin kabocha soup that captures the joys of the season perfectly, even if you are on a very restricted allergy diet.

I’m entering this recipe in The Whole Gang’s Gluten-free Progressive Dinner Party event as an appetizer…

Where to Stop Next
Don’t forget to stop by the rest of our blogs this week for the more of our Gluten Free Progressive Thanksgiving Dinner Party. Here’s the schedule.

Ali and Jean will be serving DRINKS on Monday, Nov. 16 at The Whole Life Nutrition Kitchen and Gluten Free Organics.

Karen, Jean and I will be serving APPETIZERS on Tuesday, Nov. 17 at Cook4Seasons, Gluten Free Organics and Book of Yum

Ali and Shirley will be serving MAIN COURSE on Wednesday, Nov. 18 at The Whole Life Nutrition Kitchen gfe-gluten free easily

Diane, Stephanie, Ali and Shauna will be serving the SIDE DISH/SALAD on Thursday, Nov. 19 at The W.H.O.L.E. Gang, A Year of Slow Cooking, The Whole Life Nutrition Kitchen and Gluten Free Girl

Karen, Jean and Ali be serving DESSERT on Friday, Nov. 20 at Cook4Seasons, The Whole Life Nutrition Kitchen and Gluten Free Organics

Dairy, Nut, soy free pumpkin kabocha soup recipe Soup  Vegetables  American

Ingredients 1 small kabocha squash (Japanese pumpkin) 1 small pie pumpkin (American) 1-2 tbsp. olive oil 2 leeks, chopped 1 carrot, chopped 1 celery stick, chopped 2 cups gluten-free vegetable broth (from bullion, fresh, or carton) 3-5 cups water as needed poultry seasoning salt pepper paprika Directions Heat oven to 425F. Cut kabocha and pumpkin in half and scoop out seeds. Cut once more so they are cut into fourths. Place cut side down on a large baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes, checking and turning at that point if they aren’t thoroughly baked. Put back in oven again for another 15 minutes, check. Put in for another 15 minutes if needed or leave out to cool. When cool enough to handle, remove skin and chop. Heat olive oil in large stock pan on medium and sautee leeks. As they soften, add carrot and celery. Sautee and then add your vegetable broth. Let simmer for 10 minutes or so and then add your chopped, cooked kabocha and pumpkin. Add water to cover and let simmer for another 10 minutes or longer if desired. Add seasonings (poultry seasoning, salt, pepper, and paprika) and simmer for another ten mintues, adding any extra water you need. Taste liquid and add more seasonings if you like. When pumpkin and kabocha is thoroughly softened, blend soup with an immersion blender until you have a nice, thick, creamy consistency. Enjoy!

Rating:  8 Original Source:  The contents of my brain, do not replicate anywhere without permission. Recipe ID:  1464 Added:  October 13, 2009 Last Modified:  November 13, 2009

When the DH and I went on a trip to the Northwest in our Gypsy Van, we encountered a sauce called “yumm sauce” at a local cafe chain in Eugene, Oregon. The sauce was delicious, and I bought a salad dressing sized container of it to take home. However, I realized that I would soon run out of this tasty concoction, and the DH and I can only go to Eugene once or twice a year, so I got cracking in the kitchen to come up with a similar sauce based in nutritional yeasty bean goodness. I was out of chickpeas at the time so used white beans, to good effect. I served it on gluten-free pasta with crunchy veggies and the DH and I both enjoyed this hearty, nutritious sauce. Unfortunately I neglected to photograph the pasta dish, but I did record the ingredients. That pasta (and sauce, which made way too much for just one recipe) is long gone, but I did still have some Yumm sauce. This morning as I whipped myself up a tofu saute using some very well pressed firm tofu that had been left in the fridge overnight, I decided to use yum sauce along with a wealth of fresh veggies and just a touch of cheese for seasoning. The dish was delicious- and one I’ll be making again. Of course this recipe is most convenient if you have a bottle of the Eugene based company’s Yumm sauce, but if you can’t visit their Oregon cafes, you can still make some sauce and have it on hand for a variety of recipes. Let me know if you try it- and how you end up using it! *Note: this sauce is best for a vegan/ vegetarian palate- and for those who like nutritional yeast. Luckily the DH, while not vegetarian himself, enjoys vegetarian cuisine and is something of a nutritional yeast junkie. I knew I loved him for a reason!

Tofu Veggie Saute Recipe Breakfast  Tofu  Vegetables  American

Ingredients 1 tbsp. olive oil 1 small onion, chopped or 3/4 medium onion, chopped 1/2 firm tofu package drained and pressed for 1 hour, diced 1 large handful crimini mushrooms, de-stemmed and chopped 1/2 red or yellow pepper, diced 1 small zucchini, diced 1-2 tbsp. Yumm Sauce (from Eugene or homemade) 1 large handful fresh spinach 1 inch cube pepper jack cheese, diced into squares freshly ground black pepper Directions Heat olive oil in frypan on medium and add onion and then diced, pressed tofu. Saute until onion starts turning translucent and then add mushrooms. As mushrooms soften and start to release liquid, add pepper and zucchini. After a minute or two, add your yumm sauce and work throughout the dish. Add cheese and let start to melt, and then add your pepper jack cheese. Season generously with pepper (and salt if you think it needs it). Serve with brown rice or gluten-free toast. Mmmm. Breakfast of champions.

Rating:  8 Original Source:  Contents of my brain, please do not replicate without permission. Thanks! Recipe ID:  1421 Added:  June 1, 2009 Last Modified:  June 1, 2009