Pumpkin Sausage Stew

Ciao!! I don’t know about you, but my favorite season is winter. I know it seems odd, since it can get very cold and snowy, but I just love it. I love what it signifies.  I think of Halloween, which is usually spent dressed up in front of the TV watching the parade, Charlie Brown and eating candy. Thanksgiving, spent at our wonderful friends house (which also means bake-athon, I’ll explain closer!!) and our annual Christmas Eve Party. When I think of winter, I think of happy times spent with the people that I love. And, ahem, the food.

It’s hard not to think about all the yummy food when the holidays roll around, right? Well, the other night in New York, it was really chilly out. And I don’t know about you, but on a chilly night, I need some serious comfort food. I need a big bowl of something warm and fragrant. And this Pumpkin Sausage Stew is just perfect.

The stew is filled with garlic, onions, pumpkin and hot Italian sausage. The contrast between the sweet, creamy pumpkin, rich and flavorful garlic and hot Italian sausage is just amazing. It’s a wonderful combination that will drive your taste buds wild!!

As I mentioned when I made my Pumpkin Gnocchi, I purchased a cheese pumpkin from Fresh Direct that was so big, I still have some of the puree in my freezer!! But that’s okay with me, I love eating as much pumpkin as I can when they’re in season. Plus, pumpkin is very healthy. It’s packed with antioxidants including alpha-carotene and beta-carotene, they’re high in fiber, low in calories and fat and they’re an excellent source of vitamins and minerals such as vitamin C and E, magnesium, potassium and iron. So if this doesn't convince you to eat a lot of pumpkin, I don’t know what will!! Let me know how you like it!!

Pumpkin Sausage Stew

3 tbsp. olive oil

 1 ½ pounds of Italian sausage links- hot or sweet, I prefer hot!

4 cups cubed pumpkin

5 cloves of garlic, minced

3 cups chicken stock

Black Pepper

Salt

Fresh thyme

2-3 fresh sage leaves

1 bag of pearl onions

Brown your sausage links in a large stew pot over low to medium heat. Brown on all sides for around 10 minutes. Remove and put on a plate. Toss pumpkin cubes with salt and pepper and lightly brown them for about 2-3 minutes, remove to another plate. Add chopped garlic, cook for 5 minutes, do not let it burn. Put your sausage back in the pot; add your stock, more black pepper, salt, thyme and sage leaves. Cover your pot. Place in your oven on 350 degrees for one hour. After an hour or so, add your browned pumpkin. Continue baking, after around 15 minutes, add your peeled onions. Cover and let cook for an additional 15 minutes (start checking after 10 minutes, everyone’s oven is slightly different.) When the vegetables are softened, remove the cover, let brown around 15 minutes, test for seasonings. I like to serve my stew over garlic mashed potatoes. Having a spoonful of the pumpkin, sausage and potatoes at the same time is just incredible. Buon Appetito!! 

Pumpkin Pecan Pancakes

Ahh, summer is over and fall has arrived. I’m sure a lot of people are sad to see the summer slip away, but all I can think about are beautiful fall evenings with that lovely brisk chill in the air, preparing for Halloween and Thanksgiving and oh yeah, my favorite fall produce. I’m mostly taking about beautiful orange vegetables. Pumpkins, squash, sweet potatoes and the non orange ones like kale, cauliflower and mushrooms. I love using these ingredients to make fantastic fall and winter meals. Whether I’m making a squash soup, kale and sausage stir fry, sweet potato gnocchi or pumpkin pancakes….which I just happen to be preparing today!

I absolutely love pancakes, they are my favorite of the breakfast carb trio (pancakes, waffles and French toast!!) and I love when Fall comes around because it is just another excuse for me to experiment with more pancakes!! These pancakes actually taste like eating a slice of pumpkin pie, I’m not even kidding. The outside is a bit crispy (from all the butter on the griddle of course) and the inside is slightly soft, almost like the texture of pumpkin pie. Besides using pureed pumpkin, I also use classic pumpkin spices and some maple extract to amp the flavor even more. With a little pure maple syrup, these are just perfection. The spices aren't overwhelming at all, they are just right! And this recipe is so easy to make, it’s a fun way to get your kids to help out!!

As I have mentioned, I try to do what I can with my recipes to adapt them and make them a bit healthier. I love to eat, so why not make food a bit better for you, right? So with this recipe, I use coconut milk in place of regular milk and coconut flour in place of wheat flour making them a wonderful breakfast treat for anyone with a milk or gluten allergy or if you are on a low carb/paleo diet. I also find that with the spices and extracts, there is no need for sugar, it’s just sweet enough.

Pumpkin Pecan Pancakes

1 and ¼ cup coconut flour

2 tsp. baking powder

½ teaspoon cinnamon

½ teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

1 cup coconut milk

6 tablespoons pumpkin puree

2 tbsp. melted butter

1 tsp. maple extract

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 egg
1 cup of pecans

Whisk together the coconut flour, baking powder, cinnamon, salt and pumpkin pie spice. In a separate bowl, mix together the coconut milk, pumpkin puree, melted butter, maple extract, vanilla extract and egg. Fold the pumpkin mixture into the dry ingredients. 

Melt a lot of butter on a griddle over medium heat. Allow the griddle to heat for at least two minutes, Pour the batter into cute little circles (or big circles, you pick!) and sprinkle the pecans directly on top of the pancakes and cook for around 4 minutes on each side. If you are on a low carb diet, enjoy these with a pat of butter, an extra dash of cinnamon or some pumpkin butter and if you’re not on a diet, then a little pure maple syrup is classic. Please comment and let me know what you think! Buon Appetito!!