Yummy things

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Yummy things
Random musings on happenings in my kitchen and my life, in Durham, NC


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About me
Hi! I'm Lindsey.

I do public health work at Duke University, like to run at a slow, but steady pace, teach group fitness classes, and do my best to keep up with my family that's spread across the country. In the midst all of that, playing in the kitchen is one of my favorite stress relievers and creative outlets, so this blog chronicles some of my favorite cooking and baking adventures, but in the process it also tells the story of the rest of my life.

Like many people in the Triangle area, I'm a transplant. After spending the first 21 years of my life in the midwest, I've been settled in North Carolina for seven years. One of the things I love most about the area is the diversity of local farms, farmers' markets, and great food, so I follow lots of local food happenings, but I also keep up with my fair share of Midwestern favorites.

If you like what you find here, feel free to drop me a note and email Yummy things. I'd love to hear from all of you out there!
Fri Oct 30

The Great Pumpkin

With Halloween just around the corner, those gigantic pumpkins, which are grown just to be carved up, are the focus of everyone’s attention.  I love a good carved pumpkin as much as the next person, but it’s a really a shame that more people don’t pick up pumpkins that are good to cook up.  A few years ago, I realized how easy it was to work with fresh pumpkin, and it was a revelation.  I was immediately smitten with putting fresh pumpkin puree into a variety of sweet treats, and I fell in love with sweet and spicy roasted pumpkin seeds.  But this fall, I’ve branched out even further to include pumpkin in a variety of savory dishes.

So, before you get worried about whipping up the perfect pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving, grab a baking pumpkin and try one of these.  They’ll be a nice break from all that leftover candy you end up with, after you buy some extra “just in case” you get an extra couple dozen kids trick of treating at your place tomorrow night. And, if you’re not sure you like pumpkin in savory dishes, try a familiar dish, and use the pumpkin to vary up your standard ingredients.

Quesadilla with spinach, roasted pumpkin and feta cheese

I think quesadillas are a great standby - they’re an easy, but consistently good way to mix things up foods that you have around in a new way.  And cheese makes everything better.  For this one, I chopped the pumpkin up into small bite sized pieces and then roasted it at 450 degrees with some olive oil for about 35-40 minutes.  Then I layered it was fresh spinach and feta cheese.  The saltiness of the feta works great with the sweetness of the roasted pumpkin.  It’s a great starter dish to try out with pumpkin.

Caribbean Black Bean and Pumpkin Soup

I would have never come up with this combination on my own, but I was glad to find it.  I like the combination of the creaminess of the coconut milk, the zing of the lime, the flavoring of the cilantro, the heartiness of the black beans, and the sweetness of the pumpkin.  It’s a quick, easy, tasty soup that gives you a good dose of Vitamin A, fiber and iron while using familiar tastes, with cumin and cilantro balancing the black beans and pumpkin.

Finally, if you really want to embrace pumpkin as a dinner ingredient, try out this pork stew.  As with the other dishes I’ve offered up, it balances the pumpkin with a variety of other flavors - pork, red bell peppers, tomatoes, corn, and parsley.  I was surprised to find that sage and orange zest complimented all of these flavors nicely, but I think it really does.  And, with the noodles mixed in, it’s a great one dish meal.

Pork stew with pumpkin, peppers, and corn

Happy Halloween!  Just don’t let pumpkin scare you as a fresh, fall ingredient!