Pumpkin Pizza

Today, we have a fun and collaborative post with fellow blogger and friend, Katy, from Eat. Live. Thrive. She helped make the latest recipe for the pumpkin flavor of the month extra delicious...and nutritious.

What we decided to make was a pizza that used a pumpkin sage sauce rather than one with a highly salty tomato base. It was a unique take on a old-time favorite. Here's what you will need:

Photo courtesy of Eat.Live.Thrive.

Ingredients:
Pizza dough (we used pre-made whole wheat dough from Trader Joe's)
Pumpkin filling (we used about 3/4 can)
Fresh sage (about 2 tbs., chopped)
Fresh rosemary
2 tsp. crushed garlic
Mushrooms (sliced and grilled)
Red onions (chopped)
Spring mix (we used Trader Joe's "Power to the Greens" mix, which has
           baby kale, chard, and spinach)
Gorgonzola cheese
Mozzarella cheese
Balsamic glaze/balsamic reduction

Instructions:

Before you prep your ingredients, make sure to leave your dough out according the package directions. It needs a little time to adjust to room temperature. While you are waiting, you can prepare your other ingredients or maybe enjoy a nice cold beer and conversation with a friend. You can also take a moment to preheat your oven to 450 degrees. :)

To make the sauce is very simple. Simply sautee the chopped sage in olive oil with 1 tsp. crushed garlic. This helps to release the sage's flavor. Once the sage has become a darker green and softer in consistency, simply stir in the sage with the pumpkin filling. That's it! 

Photo courtesy of Eat.Live.Thrive.

 The only other topping that requires a little preparation is the mushrooms. We sauteed them in olive oil and 1 tsp. crushed garlic just so they would not dry out while baking. So, once your sauce and mushrooms are ready, you can prepare your pizza dough by spreading it out, and layering it will all the yummy ingredients. As a note though, for the Gorgonzola cheese, make sure it is still cold when you put it on. This will help it to crumble and spread easily on the pizza.

At this point, you should be ready to bake your pumpkin pizza. The bake time will vary based on the dough, size, and thickness of your pizza, so just make sure to keep an eye on it. You can be pretty sure that it's ready when the cheese is lightly browned and bubbly.

I promise that the pizza is nearly as fun to make as it is to eat....but maybe I'm biased. If you want, adding a balsamic glaze or balsamic reduction (accomplished by cooking balsamic vinaigrette) to your pizza adds a tangy-ness that nicely compliments the sweet sauce. We found that Gorgonzola cheese was also the perfect addition to the pumpkin flavor. 

As Katy is studying nutritional science, I was elated when she informed me how healthy pumpkin filling is for you (not the spiced one with sugar). She also packed in the nutrition with extra greens to top the pizza. I gobbled every cheesy bite with a mouth full of baby kale, chard, and spinach, and I loved every moment of it. Of course, I quenched my thirst with a Stone Pale Ale, which might not be too healthy for my body, but I insist that it's good for my heart.

If you want some fantastic and healthy recipes and advice, or if you just want to go check out some food porn, please visit Katy's blog here! It's totally safe for work!

-Ianna

Pumpkin Spice Wontons

 It's that time of year again. And by that, I mean it's that time when pumpkins are in abundance! We're off to a belated start for October, but here's the first recipe to introduce the PUMPKIN flavor of the month!

Pumpkin Spice Wontons

This has got to be one of the easiest and quickest recipes I have done to date for Love Handling Food. I'm not big on frying foods, but hey, the taste of these eliminates my fried food guilt. And I do like a good treat around Halloween season.

I was inspired to make these after recently trying those fried cream cheese wontons you can get at Chinese restaurants (I know right...how have I never tried these before?!). My thought was that these would be very good as a sweeter dessert, so that's where the pumpkin pie filling came in handy.

Ingredients
6 oz cream cheese (softened)
8 oz pumpkin pie filling (I used plain pumpkin and spiced it myself, but it
             could be even more simple if you purchased already spiced filling)
Wonton wrappers
Canola oil (you can also use shortening, or any other oil you prefer to fry in)
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1/2 tsp vanilla
2 tbs brown sugar
            *You can change up proportions, because these measurements make a
             lot of wontons! I didn't end up using the whole can of pumpkin pie
            filling, or the whole package of cream cheese

Instructions
This will seriously take about 10-15 minutes to make! First off, fill a small pot with about 2 inches of oil, and put on a high heat. Then, continue by mixing your softened cream cheese and pumpkin pie filling in a bowl until smooth. Next, mix in your spices, sugar and vanila. Once blended, you are now ready to create your wontons!

Put about a teaspoon sized amount of your filling in the middle of each wonton wrapper. After this, wet the edges of the wrapper with water, and press together. I made triangular shaped wontons, because I found it was much more difficult to fold into different shapes. Once you're done creating your wontons, simply put each one, one by one, into the hot oil. If the oil is hot enough, they should brown in just a couple of seconds. You can test if the oil is hot enough with a test wrapper, or with a candy thermometer (should be about 350 degrees). Have a drying tray with a paper towel ready to place the fried wontons. They're now ready to eat!

I found that they are complimented greatly by whipped cream and a dash of cinnamon. They were a hit with my friend Sarah (who made a yummy cashew tofu) and her family.

Happy pumpkin season!

Ianna