Tomatillo Pumpkin and White Bean Stew

First off, I am not sure if this is technically a stew, or chili, or just a soup, but I think a stew so I am sticking to it.

Secondly, I don’t give a flying f%$# what it technically is because whatever it is is so freaking good!

Lets talk about this stew and whats in it. Me and tomatillos are having a thing right now and I can’t seem to get enough if them. They are bright and slightly sour, but also sweet with a bit of acidity, kind of like a unripe tomato but just better and taste fantastic. Then I got the pumpkin which is hardy and creamy and I will eat all day, everyday forever if I could. White beans which are also creamy and delicious, all in a pot with a good amount or cumin, some of this and that, cooked down to a delicious pot of stewed goodness.

And isn’t stew just he perfect food for a nice crisp fall day? 100% yes to that and yes to this stew. It will make you happy, smile, and full.

Now to the stew!

The stuff. Fresh Tomatillos, a pie pumpkin, cooked white beans, an onion, a jalapeño, a couple cloves or garlic, cumin, chili powder, red wine vinegar, salt and pepper, and fresh cilantro.

Start with dicing up the onion, garlic, and jalapeño. Remove the seeds fro meh jalapeño to make is less hot.

Toss that stuff into a pot along with the cumin and chili powder, a pinch of salt, ans about a 1/2 cup of water. Place on stove on medium heat and start to cooke.

Husk, rinse, and halve tomatillos.

Once the onion and jalapeño mixture is cooked a bit like this…

Add in the tomatillos and enough water to submerge the all. Place back on stove on high heat.

Now dice up pumpkin into inch sized cubed.

Now add the pumpkin and the white beans into the pot. Bring the whole thing to a boil once more, then turn the heat down to low. Cook for about an hour to hour and a half, string once in a while, until its cooked down nice and thick.

It is ready.

Grab a bowl, fill it up, top with fresh cilantro, and get down on it.

P.S. This is now my new favorite food

-C

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Tomatillo Pumpkin and White Bean Stew

2-3 good hardy servings

• 20-22 tomatillos (about 3 1/2 cups after husked and halved)

• 1 small pie pumpkin (3 1/2 cups cubed pumpkin)

• 2 cups (or 1 can) cooked and drained while beans

• 1 yellow onion

• 2 cloves garlic

• 2 tablespoons cumin

• 1 teaspoon chili powder

• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

• 6-7 cups water

• salt and pepper

• fresh cilantro

Start by dicing up the onion into really small pieces. Mince the garlic and cut the jalapeño up into small pieces (remove seeds) while you are at it. Place the onions, garlic, jalapeño,cumin, chili powder, and a pinch of salt into a pot. Add in about 1/2 a cup of water and place on stove on medium heat and start to cook.

While that is cooking a bit, husk, rinse, and halve the tomatillos. When the onion and garlic mixture has cooked down a bit, add the tomatillos to the pot along with a couple of cups of water (enough to submerge the tomatillos). Place back on stove on high heat and bring to a boil.

In the meantime, dice up 3 1/2 cups of pumpkin (remove seeds and save for later and don’t peel pumpkin unless you really want to) into mouth sized cubes. Once diced up, add into the pot along with the with beans and vinegar. Add more water until everything is submerged (about 3-4 more cups) then bring pot back to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat to low and let cook for about an hour to an hour and a half, stirring on occasion, until the tomatillos have cooked and thickened, the pumpkin is nice and tender, and the whole stew is nice and well, stew like.

And once it is cooked, taste for seasoning (add more salt and pepper if needed). Then ladle into a bowl, toss on some fresh cilantro then dig in.

Left overs store well in fridge for about a week. Its easy to heat up but really, cold stew is amazing!

Fall Spiced Banana Bread

I am not going to call a spice mixture pumpkin spice when there is no freaking pumpkin involved in the spice at all. If there is in fact some pumpkin in the whatever you are eating and or drinking, well then sure. But people need to stop referring to things as pumpkin spice if the pumpkin is not there. It is very misleading and it drives me nuts.

Sorry (not sorry) if you disagree, but friend, you know I am right.

With that said, I offer you a warm fall spiced (because there is no pumpkin here) banana bread. It is your basic, fantastic, banana-y bread with a good kick of warm fall spices to make it just a tad more fantastic. A loaf to celebrate the cool and cozy season to come. And a great way to use up all the bananas that we (me) might have forgotten were in the fridge.

And really, who doesn't want to turn on the oven now that it is a bit chilly these days, no? Banana bread will keep you warm while baking and make your house smell amazing. Win win win!! (Third win is because you get to eat banana bread.)

Now to the spiced banana bread!

The stuff. Really ripe bananas, flour, baking powder and soda, salt, brown sugar, oil, apple cider vinegar, an spices. Cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, ginger, allspice, and a touch or black pepper.

Banana bread basics. Mash bananas in a big bowl until a small chunky goop. Add in sugar, oil and vinegar and mix until combined. Whisk together the dry ingredients in a small separate bowl then add to the wet. Gently fold the dry into the wet until the mixture is completely incorporated but then stop, do not over-mix.

Pour batter into a well greased loaf pan and sprinkle the tip with sugar then pop that bad boy into the oven to bake. After about an hour, once it loos all nice and dark brown and a tester comes out clean, remove pan from oven. Let cool a minutes then pop the bread from pan and place on a wire rack to cool for a little bit.

Once cooled (or cooled enough), slice it up and eat it. Make sure the slices are nice and thick, then pour yourself a hot drink (I recommend coffee or strong black tea) and go sit someplace warm and cosy and enjoy yourself a nice fall moment.

-C

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Fall Spiced Banana Bread

makes 1 loaf

• 2 cups all purpose flour

• 1 teaspoon baking soda

• 1 teaspoon baking powder

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg*

• 1/4 teaspoon clove*

• 1 teaspoon ground ginger*

• 1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon*

• 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper *

• 1/4 teaspoon allspice*

• 4 very ripe bananas (about 2 cup mashed banana)

• 3/4 cup packed brown sugar

• 1/2 cup neutral oil

• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

• 1 tablespoon raw or brown sugar (to sprinkle on top. Optional)

*Note. If you already have a spice blend like pumpkin spice, you can just use a tablespoon of that.

Preheat oven to 375.

Grab a big bowl and throw in unpeeled bananas. With a fork or potato masher, mash bananas up until kinda smooth (some chunks are good). Add in brown sugar, oil, and vinegar and mix together. Add flour, baking powder and soda, salt, and all the spices into a separate bowl and whisk together. Then gently fold the dry mixture into the wet until completely combined but do not over mix.

Pour batter into a well greased loaf pan then sprinkle the top with raw or brown sugar (optional). Place pan in oven and bake for 55- 60 minutes or until the top is a deep golden brown and when a test poke comes out clean.

Remove pan form oven and carefully remove bread from loaf pan. Place on a wire rack to cool for at least 15-20 minutes before cutting into it, but when you do, cut thick slices and eat warm or cold or whatever.

Store bread at room tepature in a airtight container for 3-4 days or in fridge for a week. Individual pieces can be wrapped and frozen as well, but you probably will just eat it all before that needs to happen.

Coffee Oat Frappuccino

This stupid freaking hot humid heat, it makes me hate everything (of at least very strongly dislike). I don’t know how to deal but I am trying. One thing I am doing is to just eat and drink everything cold.

Now I am not typically a cold coffee drinker (I love ice coffee but find that whenever I drink it I can’t pace myself and if is gone in like 2 seconds. I need more time, like at least 2 minute with my coffee. So I always go hot. What I should do is drink a hot and and iced at the same time but that is just crazy talk. And I have done that.), but this coffee thing I made is making me want to drink all the coffee frozen. It’s coffee which is my life blood, creamy but not like thick and gross, and cold, which right now is a life necessity. A real damn treat especially when just looking outside makes me want to smack the sun. Shit do I hate this nasty weather but what I don’t hate is this coffee, in fact I am obsessed with It and it’s all I want to eat/drink for the rest of the heatwave.

Now to the cold coffee oat frappuccino!

The stuff. Strong brewed cold coffee, oats, ice, and a couple really soft sticky dates.

Start with the oats in the blender ans blend until a flour consistency. Add in the dates (use whatever sweetener you want) and half the ice and half the coffee. Blend until frothy. Add in the rest of coffee and ice and blend for like 30 more seconds.

Its now blended and icy and delicious and you can drink it now but. If you can do it, stick the whole blender in the freezer or pour the frap into a cup and stick in freezer for an hour or so because it can get even icy-er.

Pull the blender out (or pour slightly more frozen frap back into blender) and blend for another 30 seconds. It is now super icy deliciousness.

Pour into glasses and drink. It’s to only thing you need to drink/eat for the rest of the summer.

-C

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Coffee Oat Frappuccino

makes 1

• 12 oz of brewed coffee (cold or even frozen)

• 12-14 normal sized ice cubes

• 1/3 cup old fashion oats

• Sweetener of choice like 2-3 soft dates , a couple teaspoon of maple syrup, or sugar

Place oats into blender and blend until flour consistency. Add in sweetener or dates and like half the coffee and half the ice cubes. Blend until mixed. Add the rest of coffee and ice and blend until completely incorporated.

Now either drink it as is (which is delicious) or for an even more icy consistency, place the blender (or pour the frap into a large cup) into the freezer for an hour of so. Then take it back out and and blend until a smooth frozen treat.

And then drink that right away.

Fudgesicles

If you haven’t started making your own frozen treats at home yet, what are you even doing?

Last week I shared a few of the favorites (and I fully expect you to have made at least one of them) but this one is for sure to make the favorite list. Fudgesicles. Creamy cold and chocolatety goodness. A perfect reprieve from all the stinkin hot ass f weather. It’s like chilled happiness on s stick.

So if you like cold chocolate treats, this one is for you.

To the fudgesicles!

The stuff. A can of full fat coconut milk, some cocoa powder, maple syrup, vanilla extract, flax seed, and a pinch of salt.

Dump it all into blender or jar (if using a hand blender) and blend until smooth.

Pour pinot molds and thats it, stick them into the freezer to freeze.

Don’t forget the sticks if using! (Pull the fudgsicles out after about an hour and they should hold a stick without it sinking).

Once completely frozen, well then they are completely ready to eat.

Stay cool. Eat Fudgesicles!

-C

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Fudgesicles

makes about 6

• 1 can full fat coconut milk

• 1/3 cup cocoa powder

• 2-4 tablespoons maple syrup (greater amount for sweeter fudgsicle)

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• pinch of salt

• 1 tablespoon ground flax seed (optional)

Place all ingredients into a large jar or blender and blend until smooth. Pour mixture into popsicles molds and place in freezer util frozen. If using wooden sticks, pull the fudgsicles out after and hour or so and insert before they completely freeze.

Once froze, remove from mold and eat.

Peach Walnut Blondies

I have been on a peach kick for a couple weeks because they are just so good! Is it just me or are they better then they have ever been this year? I have eaten at least one a day (sometimes 2) for at least the past 2 weeks and not once have I gotten a grainy, mealy one. Just sweet ass juicy peachy goodness. Dang do I love a good peach!

Since the peaches are so good, it made sense to bake them into something and that something was blondies. A cakey cookie bar thing that is really easy to make, everyone loves, and highlights that goodness of the peaches. I tossed in some walnuts because why not, and as soon as the heat wave broke and I dared turn on the oven, I popped the batch in. Two days later and they are pretty much gone. And will I make them again, for sure yes, but only while the peaches are still good.

So you should probably make them while the peaches are good. Hurry up!

To the peach walnut blondie!

The stuff. A nice ripe peach and some walnuts. Flour, baking powder, and salt. Melted plant butter, brown sugar, vanilla extract, and some aquafaba.

Start with dicing up the peach and chopping up the walnuts into smaller pieces.

Next grab the aquafaba and dump into bowl with the brown sugar. Beat with an electric beater on high for about 2 minutes until mixture is a light brown and somewhat fluffy.

Add in all the dry and the melted butter and gently fold it in until completely incorporated.

Lastly fold in the diced up peach and walnuts.

Dump and smooth batter into a well greased and lined square baking pan and place into preheated oven to bake.

Once the blondies are golden brown and tester poked into the middle comes out clean, remove from oven and let cool.

Cut into pieces and then, you know, eat them.

Get at those peaches while you can!

-C

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Peach Walnut Blondies

makes a 8x8 (you can use a little larger square) pan

• 1 3/4 cups all purpose flour

• 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar

• 1/3 cup aquafaba(liquid from a can of chickpeas)

• 1/2 cup plant based butter melted

• 1 teaspoon baking powder

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 1 medium peach (about 3/4 cup diced)

• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350

Dice up the peach into small pieces and if the walnut pieces are whole or halved,, chop them into smaller pieces.

Dump the aquafaba and brown sugar into a large bowl and beat with an electric beater for around 2 minutes or until the mixture is a light brown and somewhat fluffy. Mix dry ingredients together in smaller bowl then gently fold the melted butter and dry mixture into the beaten sugar ans aqufaba. Once completely incorporated, fold in the diced peach and walnuts.

Grease and parchment line a 8x8 (or a little large) pan and dump blondie batter in and spread and level to the pan. Place into oven ad bake for about 30-33 minutes (if using a large sized pan, reduce cooking time by a few minutes) or until top is a nice golden brow and a tester poked into the middle comes out clean.

Remove from oven and let cool for a few minutes. Once cooled enough pop out of pan and coniunute to cool all the way.. Cut into pieces and eat.

Store uneaten blondies in a airtight container at room enrapture for 2-3 days but best stored in fridge or freezer when it is hot out. Plus they are amazing cold!