easy spinach almond pesto

ingredients:
4 cups baby spinach, washed
1/4 c. slivered almonds
4 tbsp. olive oil
1 large clove garlic
sea salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

instructions:
in a food processor, pulse all ingredients until it forms a pesto consistency - smooth yet a little chunky.

*original recipe from www.eatingrules.com

slow cooker butternut squash soup

ingredients:
2 cups vegetable stock
2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1 carrot peeled and diced
1 granny smith apple, cored and diced
1 medium (uncooked) butternut squash, peeled, seeded, diced
1 sprig fresh sage
1 white onion, diced
1/2 tsp. salt, or more to taste
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper, or more to taste
1/8 tsp. cayenne
pinch of ground cinnamon and nutmeg
1/2 c. canned coconut milk
(optional garnishes: extra coconut milk and cayenne

directions:
add vegetable stock, garlic, carrot, apple, butternut squash, sage, onion, salt, pepper, cayenne, cinnamon and nutmeg to slow cooker.  toss to combine.

cook for 6-8 hours on low, or 3-4 hours on high, or until the squash is completely tender and bashes easily with a fork.  stir in the coconut milk.

use an immersion blender to puree the soup until smooth.  (Or you can transfer the soup in two batches into a traditional blender, and puree until smooth, being very careful when working with the hot liquid.)  taste and season with additional salt, pepper and cayenne if needed.

serve warm with optional garnishes, if desired.

*original recipe from www.gimmesomeoven
*cayenne is very strong in this recipe.  reduce amount to make kid friendly.

dinner in a pumpkin

1 medium pumpkin
1 tbsp. oil or butter
1 small onion, diced
1 c. sliced fresh mushrooms
1 1/2 lbs. ground turkey
1 8 oz. can water chestnuts
salt and pepper
1 can cream of chicken soup
1/4 c. brown sugar
1 tbsp. soy sauce
4 c. cooked rice, white or brown


preheat oven to 350 degrees.
line a baking sheet with foil.
thoroughly wash and dry the outside of the pumpkin. 
cut off the top of the pumpkin and clean out the pulp and seeds.  place the pumpkin on the baking sheet.  save the top.
in a large skillet, saute onion and mushrooms in oil or butter.  add ground beef and cook until no longer pink.  drain the grease from the beef.  add salt, pepper, and water chestnuts.
in a large bowl, mix soup, brown sugar, and soy sauce.  add ground beef mixture and cooked rice.
empty bowl into the cleaned out pumpkin and replace pumpkin top.
bake for 1 hour on the lower rack of the oven, or on the rack where the pumpkin can be most centered in the oven.
after 1 hour, remove the top and check the sides of the pumpkin for doneness.  the outside of the pumpkin will turn a dark orange and the inside of the pumpkin should be tender and easily scoop off the sides with a spoon.  if the inside of the pumpkin is still not fully cooked, bake for an additional 10-15 minutes.  the cooking time will vary depending on the size of the pumpkin.  using hot pads, place the pumpkin onto a serving plate, remove the lid, and stir.  be sure to scoop off chunks of cooked pumpkin into the casserole as it is served. 

*original recipe from www.favfamilyrecipes.com
**i've used ground turkey, instead of ground beef, in this recipe.
**it is a tradition for me to make this the week of halloween.  the kids love it, and so do the adults. 

slow cooker vegetarian chili with butternut squash

ingredients:
1 medium onion - diced
1 red pepper - seeded and diced
15 oz. fire roasted diced tomatoes
15 oz. kidney beans - drained and rinsed
4 c. butternut squash - peeled and diced
2 c. vegetable broth or chicken broth - low sodium
1 c. corn - fresh or frozen
3 cloves garlic - minced
2 chipotle peppers in adobo - minced (removed seeds to lower heat)
2 tbsp. cumin
1 tbsp. chili powder
1 tbsp. oregano
salt and pepper to taste

instructions:

1.  place all ingredients in your slow cooker and heat on high for 4 hours or low for 8 hours
2.  garnish with scallions, greek yogurt, cilantro or crush tortilla chips.


*original recipe from www.thelemonbowl.com
**i usually use plain diced tomatoes and add a 4 oz. can of green chilies.  i don't add the chipotle peppers.  

pumpkin cornbread

ingredients:
1 c. flour
1 tbsp.  baking powder
1 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/2 c. brown sugar
1 c. cornmeal
2 whole eggs
1 c. pumpkin puree
1/4 c. olive oil
1 tbsp. molasses

instructions:
preheat oven to 400 degrees and grease an 8x8 inch baking dish.

in a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, spices, brown sugar, and cornmeal.

in a small bowl, lightly beat the eggs, and then stir the pumpkin, oil, and molasses.

stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients just until combine, and then pour the batter into the pan, smoothing out the top as much as possible.

bake 26 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.  serve warm.

*original recipe from www.tastykitchenblog.com