Recipe Swap: Pumpkin Pecan Loaf

It's been awhile since I participated in a swap (did you notice?) but I was excited to jump back in after being absent with vacations and general business.  This week's Recipe Swap theme was Pumpkin/Apple to savor the flavor of Fall.  I received this classic pumpkin loaf recipe from Fried Ice and Donut Holes and Joelen from What's Cookin' Chicago received my Turkey Bean Pumpkin Chili.

When I was putting together the ingredients I was a bit surprised by the amount of ginger in it but it actually worked out fine and gave it a nice warmth.  I added cinnamon to the topping and resisted the urge to use butter and flour in the topping (which is what I'd do with my typical crumble toppings) in order to stay true to the original recipe.  I ended up taking it to work as a brainstorming session treat and it was well received.  People told me it was the moistest bread they've ever eaten and kept coming back for more :).

See the full round-up of recipes at A Taste of Home Cooking

Need more Fall flavor and looking for more pumpkin treats on my blog?  Try Turkey Bean Pumpkin Chili, Pumpkin Whoopie Pies, Pumpkin Pie Fudge, Pumpkin Fluff Dip, Amazingly Creamy Pumpkin Penne, Turkey Pumpkin Meatloaf with Cranberry Glaze

How about Apple (the other swap theme ingredient for the week)?  Caramel Apple Cheesecake Pie, Asian Lettuce Wraps, or see my whole Dinner Club's Apple Themed Spread


Pumpkin Pecan Loaf

Ingredients

For the Bread:

• 1/2 cup Canola or Vegetable Oil
• 1 1/2 cup Sugar
• 2 Eggs
• 1 cup Pumpkin
• 1/3 cup Milk
• 1 1/2 cup Flour
• 1 teaspoon Baking Soda
• 1/2 teaspoon Salt
• 1 teaspoon Cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon Ginger
• 1/2 cup Pecans (omitted)

For the Topping:

• 1/2 cup Pecan Pieces
• 1/4 cup Sugar
• 2 tablespoons Oil
• Couple good shakes of Cinnamon

Directions

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees and coat a 9x5 loaf pan with non-stick spray.
2. In a bowl, stir oil and sugar together with a spoon.  Stir in eggs until blended.  Add the pumpkin and the milk.
3. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and ginger.  Add to the pumpkin mixture and stir well until combined.  Stir in the pecans if using.  Pour batter into the prepared pan.
4. In another small bowl, combine the topping ingredients until mixed and crumbly.  Sprinkle the topping over the batter.  
5. Bake for 55-60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean.  Cool for 10 minutes before removing from the pan to cool completely.  Slice and serve.

Source: Barely adapted from Fried Ice and Donut Holes

Spaghetti Pie

This is a recipe that I made awhile back in either the winter or early spring (hence the not-so-awesome night-time lighting) but never got around to posting before the weather got too hot to justify using the oven.  Now that we had our first official freezing temperature of the season, I feel like I can dust it off of my "drafts" and share it with you all.

As you know, I aspire to make a pie on my 23 Things in 2011 list.  But, I'd consider it cheating if I counted this dish because the whole purpose of my making a pie was really to challenge myself to make a homemade crust.  And besides, I have a different recipe set aside for that ;).

What I love about this dish is how it tastes a lot like a lasagna to me (because it uses all the same delicious components) but is served in a fun, unassuming way and takes way less time to assemble since there aren't so many layers.  Heck, it kind of even looks like a deep dish pizza, really.  You can change it to suit your tastes (for example, I added basil, cracked red pepper, and some leftover Italian sausage for a boost of flavor and to meet Chris' meet requirements) and while I don't have kids, I have a feeling that this could please the entire family.

Two Years Ago: Cheesecake cupcakes - These remind me of when I was growing up because mom used to always make them.  Nilla wafers form the base of a bite-size cheesecake treat!

Spaghetti Pie

Ingredients

• 8 ounces spaghetti
• 2 large eggs 
• ½ cup parmesan cheese
• 1 tbsps plus 1 tsp olive oil 
• 1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes
• 1/2 pound ground beef or turkey or Italian sausage (optional)
• 1 small onion, diced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1 tsp basil
• 1/2 tsp cracked red pepper
• 1 tsp tomato paste
• 1 10 oz package frozen spinach, thawed and liquid removed
• 1 15 oz container part skim ricotta
• ½ cup shredded mozzarella
• Black pepper, to taste

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Put water on to boil.  LIghtly grease a 10" pie plate with olive oil or cooking spray then set aside.
2. In a saute pan, heat 1 Tbsp olive oil.  Add onions, garlic, and meat if using.  Cook until the meat is browned (breaking meat up into small crumbles as you cook) or if not using meat then until onions are translucent.  Add diced tomatoes with their juice, oregano, basil, cracked red pepper, and tomato paste.
3. Place ricotta in a bowl and combine with spinach.  Add black pepper to taste then stir to combine.
4. Meanwhile, cook spaghetti until just al dente, drain and toss in a large bowl with 1 tsp olive oil.  Whisk eggs with a fork in a small bowl with 1/3 cup shredded parmesan.  Toss with spaghetti.  Add spaghetti to prepared pie plate.  Shape into crust shape by using fingers to flatten the center and pressing up the sides of the plate.  Add the spinach-ricotta mixture to the indentation in the center.  Top with tomato meat sauce  and bake, uncovered for 25 minutes.
5. Top with shredded mozzerella and remaining shredded parmesan cheese.  Bake an additional 5 minutes, until cheese is melted.  Remove from oven.  Let cool for 10 minutes.  Then, slice into wedges and serve.

Source: Modified from REC(cession)IPIES

Chicken, Blueberry, and Summer Squash Salad

I'll admit I was skeptical about this one at first BUT it had all the right ingredients to use up a good part of my CSA share (big ol bag of salad greens!) and I've had great luck with Kelsey's recipes.  I trusted her and it paid out.

This salad has a symphony of flavors.  A tart, slightly sweet and light dressing that contrasts with fresh pops of blueberry along with the salt and cream of feta.  It just works!  I decided to add one more player to this harmonious dish because I had a small lonely red onion in my cabinet, too.  Caramelized onions.  They make the world go round.  The other change I made was because I just am not a fan of raw squash.  So, I lightly sauteed it before putting it on my salad.

I get it, October is officially Fall and it's pretty dang cold out but I'm hoping that you'll be able to try this one out with the last of your Summer veggies (or *gasp* buy in store off-season) or if not, bookmark it to make next year.  Trust me, you don't want to miss out on this one!

Two Years Ago: Hot Spinach Artichoke Dip


Chicken, Blueberry, and Summer Squash Salad

Yields: 4 servings

Ingredients

For the dressing:

• 1/4 c. fresh lemon juice
• 1 tsp. honey (I added a little more because I prefer a more sweet dressing)
• 1/4-1/3 c. extra-virgin olive oil 
• salt and pepper, to taste

For the salad:

• 4 packed c. preferred greens
• 3 tsp. butter or margarine, divided
• 1 small red onion, thinly sliced
• 1 small summer squash, thinly sliced
• 2 TBSP fresh basil, cut chiffonade
• 2 c. cooked chicken breast, chopped
• 1 1/2 c. blueberries
• 1/2 c. feta cheese, crumbled

Directions:

1. To make dressing, add lemon, honey, and olive oil to a small container with a lid.  Close the lid tightly and shake vigorously until well mixed.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Taste and adjust blend until desired amount of sweetness (add honey) or tartness (add lemon) is achieved.  Put container into the refrigerator while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.
2. In a large skillet, melt 2 tsp butter or margarine then add onion.  Cook until onions begin to caramelize and brown slightly.  Remove and set aside.  In the same skillet, melt remaining 1 tsp butter or margarine then saute squash until lightly cooked.  It will start to look translucent.  Remove and set aside the squash.
3. To assemble salad, divide greens among four plates.  Top with squash, caramelized onions, basil, and chicken.  Drizzle dressing over the top, then add blueberries and feta. 

Source: Slightly modified from Apple a Day