Pumpkin is the not-so-secret ingredient in these veggie burgers, which have real nutritional heft thanks to the addition of chickpeas and pumpkin seed protein powder.
Whether you’re determined to keep the spirit of summer alive or looking to transition into more autumnal foods, these pumpkin burgers span both worlds. You can make a double batch: The finished patties freeze beautifully.
Optional condiment: pumpkin hummus (mix pumpkin purée into plain hummus)
We like this organic pumpkin purée. Photo courtesy Farmer’s Market Foods.
Preparation
1. PREHEAT the oven to 425°F and line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Lightly grease and set aside.
2. HEAT the olive oil in a medium saucepan over moderate heat. When it is shimmering, add the garlic and onions, sautéing until aromatic and lightly golden brown. This should take no more than 6 to 8 minutes; be careful not to overdo it or you could burn the garlic.
3. DEGLAZE the pan with the balsamic vinegar, turn off the heat and let the mix cool for 10 minutes.
4. ROUGHLY MASH the chickpeas in a separate bowl, with a fork or potato masher. Keep the texture fairly coarse so that the burger maintains a satisfying bite. Add in the pumpkin purée, mustard, spices and herbs, mixing well to incorporate. When cool enough to handle…
5. ADD the sautéed vegetables and pumpkin seed protein powder; stir to combine. Mix thoroughly, making sure that there are no pockets of dry ingredients. The mixture should be soft but manageable—something you can fairly easily mold into patties that will hold their shape. Season with salt and pepper to taste. With slightly moistened hands…
6. MEASURE between 1/3 and 1/2 cup of the burger mixture for each patty, and form into round, flat pucks. Space them out evenly on the sheet at least 1 inch apart. Bake for 15 minutes, flip and bake 10 more minutes, until golden brown. Let cool for 10 to 15 minutes before removing from the sheet.
7. SERVE while still hot, or cool completely before freezing and storing (for up to 6 months).
Who but the Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board (EatWisconsinCheese.com) would come up with this innovative pairing: Gouda cheese with pumpkin seed brittle! Serve it as dessert during “pumpkin season.”
The result, while seemingly simple, is a complex dessert that is creamy, crunchy, spicy, and sweet. (If you don’t like spicy foods, leave out the pepper.)
RECIPE: SPICY PUMPKIN SEED BRITTLE
Ingredients
1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1-1/2 cups sugar
3/4 cup water
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
3/4 cup (4 ounces) hulled spicy roasted pumpkin seeds (pepitas)
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes and/or 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1. STIR together the baking soda and melted butter; set aside. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper; set aside a second sheet the same size. Butter the parchment on one side.
2. COMBINE the sugar, water, and salt in a heavy 2-quart saucepan; bring to a low boil. Reduce heat to medium-low; wash down any sugar crystals on the sides of the pan with a pastry brush dipped in cold water. Simmer the syrup for 10 to 12 minutes until it reaches 240°F on a candy thermometer. Remove from the heat. With a wooden spoon, add the pumpkin seeds and pepper.
3. RETURN the pan to medium-low heat while stirring; melt again until the mixture turns amber brown and reaches 290°F (if the syrup becomes granular during cooking, continue to cook until it remelts). Remove from heat; stir in butter-baking soda mixture with a wooden spoon.
4. POUR the mixture onto the prepared cookie sheet; cover with the second parchment sheet. Press the mixture with a rolling pin to 1/4-inch thick. Remove the top layer of parchment; cool completely; crack brittle.
5. STORE the brittle between layers of parchment in a sealed container for up to two weeks. Plate with a wedge of Gouda cheese, or serve alongside a platter of assorted cheeses.
Some people don’t like pumpkin, so fall offers them no pumpkin joy. Others are so excited that a diet of pumpkin latte, pumpkin muffins and pumpkin pancakes is seasonal splendor.
It becomes a Bubba Gump menu of pumpkin: pumpkin bagels and cream cheese, pumpkin pancake mix and coffee creamer for breakfast; pumpkin spice yogurt or soup for lunch, pumpkin pasta or risotto for dinner; pumpkin spice cookies and loaf cakes for snacking; and of course, for dessert, pumpkin pie and pumpkin ice cream.
And that’s just what you can pick up in the store! We got a mailer from Trader Joe’s that was all pumpkin, all the time; so we headed over to load up on pumpkin products.
All of the following are available at Trader Joe’s (except asterisked items), and many are available at other retailers nationwide.
Breakfast
Pumpkin Croissants
Country Pumpkin Spice Granola
Joe’s Pumpkin O’s (Cheerios-type cereal with pumpkin and cinnamon)
Organic Pumpkin Toaster Pastries
Pecan Pumpkin Instant Oatmeal
Pumpkin Bagels and Pumpkin Cream Cheese (what a treat!)
The line debuted in 2012. Unlike traditional chocolate bark that is thick and hard to break, barkTHINS are thin slivers of chocolate that are easily snap-able—easier to eat, fewer calories in your chocolate fix, more flexibility as a dessert garnish (well, that probably wasn’t their intent but it’s a use we employ regularly, by crowning a scoop of ice cream or breaking into pieces for mix-ins).
*The industry term for what many people call “mix-ins.”
barkTHINS FLAVORS
Each variety is as delicious as the next, depending on your flavor preferences. We were personally thrilled with Dark Chocolate Peppermint Pretzel, a limited edition for holiday season. The packages have a shelf life of 12 months, so if you can’t live without it, you can stock up until the new batches arrive for the next holiday season).
Feast upon:
Dark Chocolate Almond With Sea Salt
Dark Chocolate Blueberry & Quinoa (sweetened with agave)
Dark Chocolate Mint
Dark Chocolate Peppermint Pretzel (Limited Edition)
Dark Chocolate Pumpkin Seed
Dark Chocolate Toasted Coconut With Almonds
Milk Chocolate Peanut
A great party favor, stocking stuffer, teacher gift, etc. Photo courtesy Ripple Foods.
The bags stand upright for presentation as party favors. You can stick a place card on the front; you can tie a ribbon through the shelf-hanger opening at the top for added festiveness or to hang on the tree.
Check the store locator for a retailer near you (including Costco, H-E-B, King’s, Stop & Shop, Wegmans, Whole Foods Market and numerous others), or head to Amazon.com.
WHAT IS FAIR TRADE CHOCOLATE?
A Fair Trade certification guarantees consumers that the farmers who grow the product are getting paid a fair price. In many areas of the world, middlemen buy up crops at a price that often is the same or less than what it cost the farmer to grow it, resulting in a cycle of poverty. Under Fair trade, farmers can increase their incomes and gain afford education and healthcare for their families.
When you make a conscious decision to seek out Fair Trade products, you are helping hard-working people raise their standard of living. You can feel good about every bite and every sip (look for Fair Trade coffee, tea and hot chocolate, too).
Fair Trade certification also means that the farmers are following good agricultural practices and are investing in their farms and communities. To learn more, visit FairTradeUSA.org.
Surprise friends and family with some pumpkin brittle, garnished with a drizzle of chocolate. Photo courtesy Zulka.
Here’s aother delicious recipe from our friends at Zulka sugar: pumpkin brittle. Enjoy it by itself, with a cup of tea or a pumpkin spice latte. Make a batch to celebrate Halloween, or to bring to Thanksgiving dinner.
You can customize the recipe by adding other seeds—nutritious chia, flax, hemp, nigella or sesame, for example. We actually prefer the deeper flavor complexity of a pumpkin-sesame seed mix. Just keep the total of all seeds to two cups.
RECIPE: PUMPKIN SEED BRITTLE WITH CHOCOLATE DRIZZLE
Ingredients
2 cups white sugar
1/3 cup brown sugar, packed
8 tablespoons butter, unsalted
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
3 tablespoons water
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 cups roasted and lightly salted pumpkin seeds (pepitas)
1 cup chocolate chips
Preparation
1. SET out a cookie sheet and top with a silicon baking mat or wax paper. Lightly oil the mat or wax paper.
2. COMBINE the sugars, butter, salt and water in a sauce pan over medium-high heat; stir. Once the butter is completely melted, stir again and clip on a candy thermometer and heat to 300°F.
3. REMOVE from the heat and immediately stir in the baking soda. Add the pumpkin seeds and stir well. Quickly spread over the mat or wax paper and spread to the edges with a lightly oiled silicon spatula. Let cool 30 minutes. Gently break into pieces.
4. POUR the chocolate chips in a microwave safe bowl and microwave at 30 second intervals until the chocolate chips are fully melted, stirring as they get more melted until smooth. Spoon the melted chocolate into a baggie or disposable pastry bag and snip a very small piece off one corner. Drizzle over the brittle pieces. Chill the brittle to set the chocolate. Store in an airtight container.
