Last night I had a hankerin'. Sweets. Always with the sweets. Some people crave french fries or potato chips, those crispy, salty, fatty flavors. Not me. Give me the sweets. Give them to me right now. It may be a bit of a problem...either way, problem solved thanks to these Roasted Pumpkin Pie Chickpeas.
You can't escape the pumpkin, no matter how hard you try. Why would you want to anyway?
But first a story. When Todd I and were moving last year, I found with my little hand exploring, blindly, the dusty remains deep within the bowels of the forsaken baking cupboards of my childhood home...a little, abandoned, dusty jar of pumpkin butter. Jackpot. Obviously, I couldn't leave that little guy behind.
So, naturally, it's been sitting in my spice cupboard for about a year now. I know, you're thinking I should probably use it fairly soon. But, pumpkin butter is special though. In my opinion it has to have a great purpose to be opened. The unfortunate part of this uplifting story...is that the jar is at least, oh...I talking at minimum 10 years old. Yes. I know this because it was came in a gift box my family got for Christmas many, many years ago. I also found a tiny pack of coffee, which...we drank.
Yep. So if I die soon, you'll know what did it. It was the pumpkin butter (see above)...or the coffee (culprit not pictured). To my defense, the lid of the jar popped when I opened it. It tasted fine. Well, except for a distinct, slightly metallic aftertaste. Oh lord I am going to die, aren't I? Anyways, I suggest getting a fresh jar of pumpkin butter, for your own safety, and making these chickpeas. They are delicious. Like little bits of pumpkin pie!
1 15 oz. can of chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained and rinsed well
1 Tbsp. vegetable oil
2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
1 Tbsp. erythritol (or sugar)
1 Tbsp. pumpkin butter
Preheat oven to 375 F.
First, drain and rinse the chickpeas. Dry them off verywell with a few paper towels. Do not skip this step. I'm watching you. Then place them in a medium bowl.
In a small bowl mix together the oil and the pumpkin pie spice. Drizzle over the dried chickpeas, and toss to coat evenly.
On a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, spread out the chickpeas and bake at 375 F for 20 minutes.
Once the time is up, place the chickpeas back into the medium bowl and coat with the sugar and pumpkin butter. Scatter them back onto the baking sheet and continue to bake for 15 minutes.
Allow them to cool before eating.
Is there a better Fall snack food? No, I should think not.
I bet you're wondering why I gathered you all here today. It's for the Creamy Coconut Curry Peanut + Noodle recipe, obvs. Drenched in a creamy coconut curry peanut sauce, sauteed veggies pair with low-calorie noodles to make a perfect Thai inspired noodle dish. Oh yes. But first, a little business. If you haven't noticed (and seriously why would you?), the widget plugin for my subscribers lost about 25+ of my near and dear subscribers! I am not sure if this means that the number is just off or if these poor fellows aren't getting the new post emails. It's all very distressing.
I've contacted the plugin company and apparently many other users are having the same issue as me. Sad. So, if you happen to think you are one of these forsaken followers, let me first tell you that I truly treasure you. The plugin company is sorting it out and hopefully it should be fixed. Please let me know if you are not getting the posts in your email! I can work around this (I've been watching a lot of the BCCs Sherlock Holmes...Benedict Cumberbatch...am I right? Yes. Omg.), and get you my daily ramblings. Never fear my dear people.
Okay, back to the good stuff. Peanut noodles aren't exactly on the lower end of the calorie scheme. I mean look at this dish. It certainly looks like it's loaded with carbs. Yes, well...it's a little deceptive. Nothing's ever what it seems, Dr. Watson.
Have you tried those refrigerated low calorie noodles? There are many brands, but I think the majority are made from tofu. They were all the rage a few years ago when they were generally discovered by the dieting mass public. I like them. Enough. I mean, I'm certainly not going to replace them with real pasta. Heaven forbid. Actually, I'm not all that big on pasta to begin with. Have you noticed? Maybe not.
Anyways, this is the perfect dish to use those noodles. They have almost an udon noodle type of feel to them. I do, however, love me some udon noodles. This peanut noodle dish has full-fat coconut milk along with peanut butter, so using the tofu noodles is a good way to cut back on some calories, plus they just plain work in this dish! Tofu noodles and spaghetti sauce? Not so much.
This recipe probably isn't low-calorie...it's just...lower-than-it-could-be-calorie...
Before we get started, however, allow me to rant about lite coconut milk. The cans of coconut milk up here in The Last Frontier are over $3.50 a can. That shit's expensive! Yes, I have tried to make my own, a story for another day. Anyways, if you're buying the lite version of canned coconut milk as opposed to the full-fat one...or regular as I call it, then you're just buying at most, really expensive water.
So, what to do if a recipe calls for lite or you simply don't want all that full-fat coconutty goodness (gasp!)? No, problem. I just use 1/4 the amount called for, but use the regular. Then, add the remainder of what's called for in water. Freeze the leftover regular coconut milk. It's really that simple. That's what I do and it saves me some bucks. You can continue to do whatever you want, but I thought it was necessary to expose the coconut milk catastrophe for what it is. Katie Holmes has closed the coconut case! Wait...Katie Holmes, no, that's already taken. Nevermind.
A final word about the tofu noodles. They smell...err...very fishy before you boil them. No! Don't smell them! Gahh. Anyways, be sure to rinse them very well before you boil them. I'm not making this stuff up. Once they are parboiled, they are fine.
2 packages Tofu Shirataki Noodles (or any noodles), drained and rinsed well
1/2 Tbsp. sesame seed oil
1 medium carrot, matchsticked
2 stalks of celery, sliced
1/2 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced
10 cherry tomatoes, halved
--For the Sauce--
2 Tbsp. canned full fat coconut milk
2/3 cup water
1/4 cup natural peanut butter (nut free - sunflower seed butter or mashed avocado)
1/2 cup chopped cherry tomatoes
2 Tbsp. fresh ginger, minced
2 Tbsp. soy sauce
4 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 lime, juiced
1 tsp. fresh curry paste
1/2 tsp. ground curry powder
1/2 tsp. fresh chili paste
1/4 tsp. kosher salt
Bring a large pot of water to boil. Drain and rinse the tofu noodles. When the water comes to a boil, add the noodles and boil for about 3 minutes. Drain and pat the noodles dry. Set aside until ready to use. If using different noodles, then cook according to package.
While the water comes to a boil, heat the sesame oil in a large frying pan and add all the prepared veggies. Saute for a good 10 minutes, or until the carrots just being to soften over medium heat. Then remove from heat and set aside until ready to use.
Meanwhile, add all the sauce ingredients to a small saucepan and whisk over medium heat until it comes to a boil. Then turn to low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the noodles and veggies are done cooking.
Add the sauce and the noodles to the the sauteed vegetables and cook over low heat for a minute or two, just enough to heat thoroughly.
Serve hot and garnish with sesame seeds and sliced green onion, if you like!
This dish was super easy and quick to make, but of course I had the always eager and cutest kitchen helpers ever. Todd's doing the whole mustache thing right now. Bailey...well...yea, I don't know.
Creamy Coconut Curry Peanut + Noodles
Recipe Type: Entree
Author: Katie - Produce On Parade
Serves: 2
Drenched in a creamy coconut curry peanut sauce, sauteed veggies pair with low-calorie noodles to make a perfect Thai inspired noodle dish.
Ingredients
--Noodles + Veggies--
2 packages Tofu Shirataki Noodles (or any noodles), drained and rinsed well
1/2 Tbsp. sesame seed oil
1 medium carrot, matchsticked
2 stalks of celery, sliced
1/2 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced
10 cherry tomatoes, halved
--For the Sauce--
2 Tbsp. canned full fat coconut milk
2/3 cup water
1/4 cup natural peanut butter
1/2 cup chopped cherry tomatoes
2 Tbsp. fresh ginger, minced
2 Tbsp. soy sauce
4 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 lime, juiced
1 tsp. fresh curry paste
1/2 tsp. ground curry powder
1/2 tsp. fresh chili paste
1/4 tsp. kosher salt
Instructions
Bring a large pot of water to boil. Drain and rinse the tofu noodles. When the water comes to a boil, add the noodles and boil for about 3 minutes. Drain and pat the noodles dry. Set aside until ready to use. If using different noodles, then cook according to package.
While the water comes to a boil, heat the sesame oil in a large frying pan and add all the prepared veggies. Saute for a good 10 minutes, or until the carrots just being to soften over medium heat. Then remove from heat and set aside until ready to use.
Meanwhile, add all the sauce ingredients to a small saucepan and whisk over medium heat until it comes to a boil. Then turn to low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the noodles and veggies are done cooking.
Add the sauce and the noodles to the the sauteed vegetables and cook over low heat for a minute or two, just enough to heat thoroughly.
Serve hot and garnish with sesame seeds and sliced green onion, if you like!
3.2.1255
For fun, what am I listening to? Kimbra – Good Intent It's very Sherlocky to me, and I'm in that type of mood. Shifty eyes.
In case you don't know, Fall in Alaska lasts about three hours. Yep. The leaves pretty much turn ugly yellow right before your eyes, then fall off and you're left with sad, naked trees. There's nothing lovely about it. No beautiful colors, nothing. Nope. Go to Vermont for that.
So how does an Alaskan know it's Fall (besides the time of the year, obviously), it rains incessantly, for like three weeks straight. Flood warnings will appear on the news and the chilly morning air will bite right through your scrub pants. Okay, that last bit may be just according to me. But oh the rain, and just when you think it's over...more rain. Am I right, Alaskans? Yes. Luckily, I baked these cookies to warm the house and fill it with a delicious and proper Fall smell. No rotting leaf smell here. Just sweet pumpkin pie...but what's that, I smell cookies as well! Yes.
These are Pumpkin Pie Molasses Ginger Cookies and they are as delectable as they sound. I might make them for Thanksgiving this year instead of a pumpkin pie. They're that good. Like a ginger molasses cookie but sooo much better. Enlivened with pumpkin pie spice and crystallized ginger bits, these soft molasses cookies are what Fall is made of.
In case you plan on using a chicken egg instead of a flax seed egg, allow me to enlighten you with this video that demonstrates how the Journal of Atherosclerosis (yes there's a journal for that) found a "...similar exponential increase in carotid artery plaque buildup found for smokers and egg eaters." Say what? Eggs? No, thank you I think I'll pass.
You'll be delighted to find out how the American Egg Board attempted to bribe a prominent Yale physician to disagree with the study. The physician refused, so in the most rational and obvious of choices, the egg industry had a fake physician (that they made up) try to discredit the study. Nice. It's really touching stuff. Makes you feel all good and wholesome about buying eggs from the store right? Um, no.
The takeaway? Try a flax seed egg. Just try it once. Pretend you're a hippie and do it for Halloween, I don't care. It won't kill you, though those chicken eggs probably aren't helping you out so much. Hey, don't hate the messenger. For all the goodness of flax though, check out this treasure trove on all things flax. Flax...not so exciting, but it does the body good.
Yes, the irony of this being a dessert post is not lost on me. Cookies are a necessity, though. Eggs are not.
Enlivened with pumpkin pie spice, and crystallized ginger chunks these soft molasses cookies are what fall is made of.
Ingredients
1 Tbsp. ground flaxseed
2 ½ Tbsp. water
½ cup vegan butter, room temperature
1 cup vegan granulated sugar
½ cup canned pumpkin
¼ cup molasses
1 tsp. Kahlua (or vanilla extract)
2 ⅓ cup all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
1 ½ tsp. ground ginger
1 tsp. ground cloves
1 tsp. kosher salt (or ½ tsp. table salt)
¼ cup crystallized ginger, finely chopped
¼ cup vegan granulated sugar for rolling, adjust as needed
Instructions
In a small bowl combine the ground flaxseed and water. Allow to rest in fridge until ready to use.
In a large electric mixing bowl, beat the butter and sugar until creamy. Add the flax egg, pumpkin, molasses, and Kahlua and beat for several minutes, until fluffy and smooth.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the remaining ingredients, except the last two ingredients. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients very slowly while the electric mixer is on low. Mix until just combined, then fold in the chopped crystallized ginger.
Cover, and allow the dough to chill in the fridge for at least one hour.
Once the dough has chilled, preheat the oven 350° F. Roll one tablespoon of dough in the sugar. The dough is pretty sticky, so don't worry about having perfectly round balls (snicker).
Drop 12 cookies on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake for 12-15 minutes. Put the remaining dough back in the fridge while they bake.
The cookies will come out quite soft when done baking. Allow them to rest on the baking sheet out of the oven for a few minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack. Repeat with remaining dough.
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Yield: 24 cookies
Save Money!
I buy my ground flax seed here where I find it for almost half the price!
It’s only $0.27 per ounce vs $.54 per ounce at our local grocery store.
