Pumpkin, Black Bean, and Chicken Enchiladas Recipe

I love cooking with Pumpkin puree.  I've even contemplated making my own and freezing it.  I haven't fully felt up to that challenge yet, but maybe one day.  Luckily for me the canned stuff is awful tasty and adds just a little something yummy to a recipe.  Just before I went to the hospital to have my new baby (who will be 7 weeks old tomorrow) I saw this tasty looking delight and knew I had to give it a try.  It was a little spicy..or a lot spicy if you are a 2 year old.  Perhaps this helped to push me into labor.  Then again...I made this two days before I delivered...and I was induced so it really didn't help at all.  But i really recommend this little beauty..and the leftovers freeze well and cook up awful fast when you have a fussy newborn.

You will need Tomato Sauce, Jalapeno, Chili Powder, Cumin, Garlic, Pumpkin Puree, Sour Cream, Tortillas, Pepper Flakes, Onion, Black Beans, and Cheese.

You will also need some shredded Chicken.  You can cook it up or use a bit of left over Chicken for this.

Chop up the Onion, Garlic, and Jalapeno.  I discarded half of the Jalapeno seeds and it still had quite a bit of kick.

Add the Olive oil to a pan and one it's warm add in the chopped veggies.  Cook until they are softened, about 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a large bowl combine the Sour Cream, a bit of the Tomato Sauce, Pumpkin Puree, Chili Powder, Garlic, Salt, and Pepper and mix together really well.

Rinse your Black Beans to get the weird goop off of them.

Add the Beans to the Onion mixture and stir together well.  Add in the Cumin, Pepper Flakes, and Chili Powder.  Also season with a bit of Salt & Pepper.

Add the rest of the Tomato Sauce and incorporate everything.  Let it boil for about 5 minutes to let the flavors meld as the Tomato Sauce reduces a little.

Add about 1/3 of the Pumpkin sauce to the bottom of a large baking dish and spread it out evenly.

Take another 1/3 of the Pumpkin sauce and add it to your Chicken.

Grab a Tortilla and place about 1/4 cup of the Chicken mixture and then about 1/4 cup of the Beans mixture right in the middle.

Top with a sprinkling of shredded Cheese.

Roll the tortilla up, making sure to tuck the ends in as you roll.  Place seam side down in the baking dish right on top of the Pumpkin sauce.

Once you have rolled all of the Enchiladas up top with the remaining 1/3 of Pumpkin Sauce. 

Sprinkle a generous amount of shredded Cheese all over these babies.

Bake at 375 degrees for 20-30 minutes, until the cheese is melted and bubbly and everything is warmed through.

My former baby newly made middle child enjoying the feast.

My oldest really dug in.

Top with Sour Cream, Avocado, and Cilantro.  Enjoy!

Pumpkin, Black Bean, & Chicken Enchiladas Recipe
Source:  Tasty Kitchen

Sour Cream Sauce:
1 15 oz can Pumpkin Puree
1 C Tomato Sauce
1 C Sour Cream
2 TBSP Chili Powder
2 Cloves Garlic,
Salt & Pepper to taste

Filling:
3 C Shredded Chicken
1 tsp Olive Oil
1 Onion Chopped
2 Cloves Garlic, Minced
2 15oz cans Black Beans, drained
1 Jalapeno, finely minced and you can remove the seeds and ribs to lessen the heat a bit
2 C Tomato Sauce
2 TBSP Chili Powder
2 tsp Cumin
1 tsp Red Pepper Flakes
Salt & Pepper to taste
Tortillas
3 C shredded Cheese

Toppings:
Diced Avocado
Sour Cream
Cilantro

Preheat oven to 375 Degrees.

Warm a pan over medium heat and add in the Olive Oil.  Add the Onion, Jalapeno, and one clove of  Garlic to the pan.  Stir together and cook for about 5 minutes until they begin to soften.  Add in the Black Beans, Tomato Sauce, Chili Powder, Cumin, Red Pepper Flakes, and Salt & Pepper to taste.  Stir together and bring to a boil, then lower the heat a bit and simmer, stirring often, about 5 minutes.  Remove from the heat.

Meanwhile, In a bowl combine the Sour Cream, Pumpkin puree, Garlic, Tomato Sauce, and Chili Powder.  Season with a bit of Salt & Pepper.  Mix about 1/3 of the Pumpkin Sauce into the Shredded Chicken.  Also spread another 1/3 of the sauce on the bottom of a large baking dish.

Grab a Tortilla and top with about 1/4 C of the Chicken mixture and 1/4 C of the Bean mixture.  Sprinkle  1-2 TBSP shredded Cheese on top.  Roll up the Tortilla, making sure to tuck in the ends.  Place in the Baking dish seam side down.  Pour the remaining Pumpkin sauce over the top of the Enchilada's and sprinkle with the rest of the Cheese.  Bake 20-30 minutes until bubbly and warm through.

Enjoy!

Dinner in a Pumpkin Recipe

Over the past few years I have been seeing more and more people eating Dinner in a Pumpkin.  Originally I decided it was craziness, totally gross, and something people just couldn't like.  Or so I thought.  Last fall I kept hearing more and more about dinner in a pumpkin.  I started to get jealous that I had never tried a dinner in a pumpkin.  I promised to give it a try in 2011!  

I looked up some recipes and they mostly involved cheese soup and bread.  They sounded good but some of the ingredients were a bit exotic for me.  My good friend Leslie (who I wish blogged more often) gave me a recipe that sounded easy and tasty.  I went to the pumpkin patch and picked out the biggest Pie Pumpkin that I could find and went home to whip up a batch.  It turned out very yummy.  My friend makes it with chicken but I wanted to try the beef.  My big suggestion would be to remove the top oven rack before you heat the oven...I found out the hard way that my pumpkin was a bit tall and had to wrestle with a hot oven rack.

You will need Mushrooms, Asparagus, Brown Sugar, Ground Beef, Pumpkin, Water Chestnuts, Oil, Onion, Cream of Chicken Soup, and Soy Sauce.

You will also need some cooked rice so plan ahead.  I used Brown Rice.

Start by warming up the oil in a large skillet.  Then add the chopped Asparagus.

Then add the sliced Mushrooms.

Chop up an Onion and add it to the pan.  Let everything saute together for a few minutes.

Now add in the Ground Beef.  Break it up while it browns.

Meanwhile grab your Pumpkin and give it a good washing. 

Cut off the top.  Make sure you make the hole large enough to get the stuffing in.

Remove the Seeds and Goo from the Pumpkin and the Pumpkin top.

When the Beef is browned and the veggies softened add in the Soy Sauce and the Brown Sugar and mix together thoroughly.

Add in the Soup and let it simmer about 10 minutes.

Line a Baking Sheet with Tin Foil

Pour about a TBSP of Oil in your hand and spread it all over the outside and the top of the Pumpkin.

Add in the Water Chestnuts and Cooked Rice.

Mix everything together really well and give it a taste.  Adjust the seasoning at this point and add in a bit of Salt & Pepper if you want. 

Add the Meat Mixture into the Pumpkin.  I ended up having quite a bit of mixture left over.

Place the top back on the Pumpkin

And place it in the Oven.  I hope you remembered to remove the top rack...otherwise woe and sadness will be in your heart.  Bake at 350 degrees for 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

When done the Pumpkin flesh will be tender enough that you can just poke a fork all the way through it.

Cut the Pumpkin into portions.  We got 5 really good sized portions out of this one.

Enjoy!

Dinner in a Pumpkin Recipe
Source:  My friend Leslie

1 Onion, chopped
1 Bunch Asparagus, cut into bits
8 oz Mushrooms, sliced
3 TBSP Canola Oil
2 LBS Ground Beef
3-4 TBSP Soy Sauce
4 TBSP Brown Sugar
2 Can Cream of Chicken Soup
2 Cups cooked Brown Rice
8 oz Water Chestnuts
Pumpkin- I used a pie Pumpkin and just looked for the largest I could find.  But from what I understand any pumpkin or large squash will work wonderfully.

In a Large skillet add 2 TBSP Canola Oil and allow it to warm over medium heat.  Add in the Mushrooms, Asparagus, and Onions.  Cook for a couple minutes.  Add the Ground Beef and cook until browned.

Stir in the Soy Sauce, Brown Sugar, And Cream of Chicken Soup.  Simmer for ten minutes.  Add in the Cooked Rice and Water Chestnuts and mix everything together really well.  Test for proper seasoning and add a bit of Salt & Pepper as needed.

Meanwhile cut the top off your pumpkin and clean out the seeds and goo.  Clean both the pumpkin and the top as the top will be used in cooking.  Cover a baking sheet with Tin Foil.  Place the Pumpkin on the baking sheet and pour the last TBSP of oil into your hand and rub it all over the outside and top of the Pumpkin.

Add the Beef mixture into the Pumpkin and place the Pumpkin top in it's spot.  Bake at 350 degrees for 1 1/2 to 2 hours or until the Pumpkin is tender enough to poke a fork all the way through.

Cut into servings and Enjoy!

Approximately 4 servings (assuming you are able to fit all the meat mixture in the pumpkin)

651 Calories
56 Carbs
30 Fat
41 Protein

Hungry Girl Peanut Butter Fudge Recipe

I was watching an episode of Hungry Girl where she made Peanut Butter Fudge using some of the most intriguing ingredients I have ever seen before.  With only Pumpkin Puree, boxed Brownie mix, and Peanut butter she made a very low cal dessert.  I was on it!  Seeing as pumpkin is a favorite ingredient of mine and low cal desserts being awesome I had to try it.  She also used some sugar free chocolate syrup, which I bought for the recipe but forgot to use.  I actually looked up 2 of her recipes online and the one I was looking at didn't list the syrup.  So next time I'll use the syrup and see if it changes things.  The recipe suggests that you let the fudge fully cool before eating and I suggest you follow that step.  The fudge has a different texture and for some reason it doesn't really work warm.  I don't know that I would call this fudge because it didn't remind me of fudge much.  It is a dense cake with a pumpkiny chocolate flavor.  My family liked it and so did my brother-in-law.  My sister however didn't like it at all.  I figure it is what it is..a low cal treat that hits the spot.  But if you are looking for something that is truly like fudge this is not for you.

You will need Betty Crocker Fudge Brownies mix (Hungry Girl suggested this product specifically so I listened.), Pumpkin Puree, and Peanut Butter.

In a large bowl add the Brownies Mix and Pumpkin Puree.

Mix it all together well.  It seems a bit odd but it comes together pretty quickly.

Spray an 8x8 pan well with non-stick spray.

Add in the fudge mixture.

Dollop the PB on top.  She suggests you nuke the PB a bit to get it soft and easy to work with.  But I couldn't be bothered to do that and dirty another dish.

Using a knife (My rubber spatula was a bit too big so next time I'll use a knife) make a swirly pattern incorporating the PB.

Pretty.  Now bake the mixture at 350 degrees for 35 minutes.

Allow this to cool at room temperature for a little while.

When it is cool enough to go in the fridge cover it with foil.

Place it in the fridge and let it cool for at least 2 hours.  You can be like me and try it early..but I promise it is better cold.

Enjoy!

Hungry Girl Peanut Butter Fudge Recipe
Source:  Food Network - Hungry Girl

1 box Betty Crocker Fudge Brownie Mix
2 C Canned Pumpkin Puree
2 TBSP Peanut Butter

Mix the Brownie Mix and Pumpkin together well in a large bowl.  (If you want to add the Chocolate Syrup now is the point you will want to do that.  2 TBSP of sugar free chocolate syrup and just add it into the mix.) Spray an 8x8 or 9x9 pan with non-stick spray.  Add the brownie mix.  Dollop the Peanut Butter on top in various spots.  Then using a knife create a swirly pattern or pattern of your choice.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and bake 35 minutes.  Once cooking is finished allow the fudge to cool at room temp for 20 minutes or until it is cool enough to go in the fridge.  Cover with foil and set in fridge for 2 hours.  Cut into pieces and Enjoy!

Approximately 24 servings

100 Calories
21 Carbs
2 Fat
1 Protein