Friday, October 21, 2011

pumpkin fest



this sunday, october 23rd, there will be a pumpkin festival at the seaport market. pumpkin cooking demos, a giant pumpkin, pumpkin carving contest & an after-hours pumpkin walk... lots o' family fun. to get in the swing of things, i cooked up some pumpkin stuff yesterday & will bake up some pumpkin stuff today.

i was a little apprehensive to deal with them, i'm used to simply splitting them, removing the seeds, roasting them with pumpkin pie spices & pureeing them for desserts - or carving them for halloween. but instead i treated them like i would a butternut squash & it was surprisingly easy.

first off, i peeled them...


then, diced...


then roasted...


these ones were destined for a wild rice salad. it also has pumpkin seeds, toasted walnuts, dried cranberries, red onion, sage & a maple vinaigrette.


there is also a pumpkin-centric vegan main course. this one has sort of a moroccan flare. i roasted the pumpkin with cumin & sumac.


then added it to a rich stew of onions, garlic, ginger, harissa, dates, lemon, cauliflower & cilantro and is served with toasted almond quinoa. large $15 small $7.5

i also have a pumpkin, ginger & cardamom soup in the freezer.

on today's prep list: mini pumpkin-maple cheesecakes, pumpkin tarts & pumpkin spice cupcakes. 

and to complete to whole pumpkin theme...


a new orange outfit! and sara of vintage pink treasures is making me a new orange necklace... i may have gotten a little carried away...

but don't worry, there are all of the usual treats as well. yesterday saw the largest batch of shepherd's pie i have ever endeavoured to make.


15 larges & 20 smalls - no gonna lie, it was quite the upper body workout! large $18 small $9

there's also a quinoa salad with kalamata olives, artichokes, tomatoes, cucumbers, roasted peppers, basil, oregano & arugula.


and lots of frozen goodies as well:

salt cod fish cakes & baked beans
mac & cheese - broccoli or plain
braised chicken in ratatouille with parmesan polenta
sausage & cheese curd penne with kale
chicken leek & broccoli pie (just smalls left)
braised pork & sweet potato pie
creamy british fish pie

& soups:

cream of cauliflower
vegan vegetable stew
bean, lenti & veggie
potato, leek, celery root & parsnip
beet, parsnip & pear
curried butternut squash
cream of broccoli (1 left)
vegan chili
baked beans
seafood chowder
beef stew
thai chicken & rice

okee dokee better get to work. see you this weekend & make sure to check out the pumpkin festival on sunday - lots of other vendors will have pumpkin themed goodies as well!






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