Pumpkin Theme Dinner!

We had our "We've Fallen in to a Pumpkin" theme dinner last week. The Mr covered our entire dining room in orange plastic, so it did indeed look as if we were in the inside of a pumpkin!


The menu was everything pumpkin!

• Tuscan White Bean and Pumpkin Soup (recipe below)
• Pumpkin Chicken Mole
• Pumkin Gratin crusted with Rosemary and Parmesan
• Pumpkin Muffins
• Pumpkin Souffle (recipe below)

I added left-over chili to the soup to make a really hearty main dish, and served it with the waffles. The sweetness of the waffles was a little like cornbread, and we ate them like crackers with the chili-soup. The souffle was a delicious cheesecake-like dessert, light after the spicy meal. Yum!


Tuscan Pumpkin-White Bean Soup
Ingredients:

• 1 spray(s) olive oil cooking spray, or enough to coat pot
• 1 medium onion(s), coarsely chopped
• 15 oz canned pumpkin
• 3 1/2 cup(s) fat-free chicken broth
• 15 1/2 oz canned white beans, rinsed and drained
• 1/4 tsp ground oregano
• 1/8 tsp table salt, or to taste
• 1/8 tsp black pepper, or to taste
• 6 Tbsp grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:
- Coat a large soup pot with cooking spray and set over medium-low heat. Add onion, cover and cook until tender, stirring occasionally, about 6 minutes.
- Stir in pumpkin, broth, beans and oregano; simmer 8 minutes.
- In a blender, process soup in batches until smooth. (Note: Make sure not to overfill blender in order to avoid splattering.) Return soup to pot and reheat; season with salt and pepper.
- To serve, ladle soup into bowls and top each with 1 tablespoon of grated cheese. Yields about 1 cup per serving.

Pumpkin Souffle
Ingredients:

• 2 Tbsp sugar
• 15 oz canned pumpkin, puree
• 1 Tbsp cornstarch
• 1/4 cup(s) fat-free evaporated milk
• 4 oz Neufchatel cheese, softened
• 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• 3 large egg(s), separated
• 1 large egg white(s)
• 1/3 cup(s) sugar

Directions:
- Heat oven to 350ºF. Coat a 2 1/2-quart soufflé dish with cooking spray, sprinkle with 2 tablespoons sugar. Over medium heat, cook pumpkin until no longer steaming, about 8 minutes. Mix together cornstarch and evaporated milk, whisk into pumpkin. Bring to boil; remove from heat and cool.
- Beat Neufchatel with pumpkin pie spice and ginger; beat in yolks to combine. Beat in cooled pumpkin mixture.
- Beat egg whites until soft peaks form. Add remaining 1/3 cup sugar one tablespoon at a time until stiff. In three additions, fold whites into pumpkin mixture. Pour into prepared dish. Bake until puffed and a toothpick inserted into center comes out clean, 45 to 50 minutes.

Pin It