Weird Recipe Wednesday: Chocolate-Pumpkin Quinoa

Weird Recipe Wednesday: Because some recipes are so weird I just HAVE to try them.  My curiosity always gets the better of me.

Are you sick of pumpkin yet?  Too bad, I'm not.  I'll try to transition from fall mode into Christmas, but I'm not quite ready yet.  It's still November after all.  Come December warm comforting spices like cinnamon and nutmeg will jump from apple and pumpkin to gingerbread and eggnog.  My swooning over squash will melt into chocolate, cookies and candy.   But for this week, we'll ease the transition by combining our chocolate and pumpkin. And eating it for breakfast.

It's okay, really.  Let me rationalize this one for you.  It started with this recipe for Spiced Pumpkin Quinoa Porridge.  Replacing oats with quinoa gives oatmeal a modern makeover.  Porridge packed with protein and pumpkin, yes please.  Then there's this Double Chocolate Oatmeal which appears to make eating chocolate for breakfast completely acceptable necessary.  But since we just had oatmeal yesterday, we'll stir up some chocolate-pumpkin quinoa.  Breakfast.  Dessert.  You decide and I'll provide the proper justification.

Weird Recipe Wednesday: Savory Pumpkin Pie and Chocolate Pecan Pie

Weird Recipe Wednesday: Because some recipes are so weird I just HAVE to try them.  My curiosity always gets the better of me.

Knowing how much I like to experiment, my brother gave me this super neat pie pan that's split down the middle, allowing me to test two recipes at once.

With a twinkle in his eye he encouraged me to practice my pie making skills while he's home on Thanksgiving break.  Knowing I had a willing taste tester, I set out to make two of the pies on my ever growing 'recipes to try' list.

Tuesday's Twist: Pumpkin Peanut Butter Cups

Tuesday's Twist:  A basic recipe with a fun twist.  In other words, just another excuse for me to play around with weird recipes I've been dying to try.

Thanksgiving in our family typically consists of a large buffet-style meal sometime in the early afternoon.  After eating more than you ever wanted to it seems we wait, I don't know, about an hour or two before starting to set out all the snacks and appetizers for supper. We then repeat the stuffing yourself process, but this time with party food instead of a sit-down meal.  Makes total sense, right? 

Anyway, these pumpkin peanut butter cups are appearing for the supper part of the spread. 

Fermented Friday: Pumpkin Wild Rice Bread with Rosemary and Dried Cherries

Fermented Friday: recipes featuring yeast, wine, beer or some form of fermentation.

This pumpkin yeast bread is the perfect middle ground. Soft and tender yet sturdy and hearty, it has just the right amount of chew.  Wild rice sneaks in to add body and texture.  But don't be wary, the rice bakes in enough that you can't really tell it's rice while you're eating it.  Pumpkin helps make the loaf tender without using loads of butter (like the potato in these rolls).

A sweet loaf with a hint of savory makes this bread versatile.  Sweet cherries blend with subtle notes of rosemary while a delicate pumpkin flavor lingers in the background.  It's perfect on its own or great for toast or sandwiches.  I am so tempted to make this again next week as dinner rolls or use it in stuffing.  Then again, this bread sort of has the makings of stuffing baked right in.  I don't know, I really need to nail down what I'm making for Thanksgiving.  I'll try to stick to tradition, but knowing me...well, you just never know what you'll get at my house.

Tuesday's Twist: Pumpkin-Biscoff Pull-Apart Loaf

Tuesday's Twist:  A basic recipe with a fun twist.  In other words, just another excuse for me to play around with weird recipes I've been dying to try.

I've been waiting to make something with pumpkin and Biscoff for what seems like forever. According to my Pinterest boards I first discovered this flavor combination only 9 weeks ago... so just a tad shorter than forever.  For those of you non-foodies, Biscoff is known as the European version of peanut butter.  While the texture resembles peanut butter, it has a flavor all its own. Think of it as a spreadable gingersnap cookie.  Biscoff is now available in quite a few grocery stores across the US.  It's also sold as Cookie Butter at Trader Joe's. (Rumor has it they'll be stocking a crunchy variety in time for Christmas.) I bought a jar this past summer, but it went straight from spoon to mouth.  After seeing this this Pumpkin Biscoff Bread, I knew the second jar wouldn't go entirely from spoon to mouth, or at least not directly.

Another thing I've been itching to make is a pull-apart loaf.  I mean, who wouldn't want to pull ribbons of bread off a loaf? It looks like too much fun. This was my first attempt and, as always, I learned a few things along the way.

Fermented Friday: Pumpkin Beer Apple Butter

Fermented Friday: recipes featuring yeast, wine, beer or some form of fermentation.

Apple butter and pumpkin butter in each silky smooth spoonful. 

Weird Recipe Wednesday: Pumpkin-Chai-Peanut Butter Bars

Weird Recipe Wednesday: Because some recipes are so weird I just HAVE to try them.  My curiosity always gets the better of me.

You already know about my crazy obsession with peanut butter.  I suppose it's about time to clue you in on pumpkin too.  Let's just throw pumpkin, squash and carrots together on this one. They're all orange and apparently I eat enough of them to tint my skin a weird orangey-yellow. I've cut back on carrots lately, but only because I've been eating so much squash and pumpkin. Like, ummm, eating so much of them I may have even had squash for breakfast. What can I say, the fact that they're in season is the perfect excuse to feed my obsession. I want to put pumpkin in everything, but I'll try not to overload you with pumpkin recipes. Maybe. Okay, probably not, but I won't give you enough to turn you orange.

After discovering how well peanut butter and nutmeg get along, I couldn't wait to try peanut butter and chai.  About two seconds later pumpkin-chai popped into my head.  Before I could even finish that thought I knew something with pumpkin, chai and peanut butter needed to happen.

Weird Recipe Wednesday: Pumpkin Wild Rice Salad

Weird Recipe Wednesday: Because some recipes are so weird I just HAVE to try them.  My curiosity always gets the better of me.

This warm autumn salad is packed with fall flavors.  Loaded with healthy ingredients this cozy side boasts a delicate balance between sweet and savory.  Caramelized onions and roasted cauliflower blend with the nuttiness of wild rice.  Sweet, delicate pumpkin notes mingle with crisp apples, soft raisins and a subtle hint of warm cinnamon.

Tuesday's Twist: Twisted Pumpkin Spice Cake

Tuesday's Twist:  A basic recipe with a fun twist.  In other words, just another excuse for me to play around with weird recipes I've been dying to try.

This cake has a few more twists than meet the eye.  I've always wanted to make a rolled pumpkin cake and Tuesday's Twist seemed like the perfect excuse.  Of course, just having a twisty spiral appearance wasn't enough of a twist for me.