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pumpkin

Easy to make Sweet and Salty Maple Pumpkin Pancakes

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This is not just something that is eaten in Netflix Series, nops, it is an actual dish. To be honest, an incredibly delicious brunch!! The mix of salty and sweet, unexpectedly,just works in such great harmony. If you have never tried this cross of sweet and salty, then it is high time – and this recipe is perfect to do so!

What is special about this dish?

Well, first of all that there is pumpkin in pancakes. Usually pumpkin would not be the first ingredient I would add to pumpkins but this time we are doing things differently. And really, it is not so odd if you think about it: you would also add apple sauce to pancakes – and after all, pumpkin also is sweet, so why not adding it?

And then, secondly what is not quite usual is the mix of savory and sweet. I get it if you are slightly skeptical towards a fried egg along with maple syrup, but trust me – it unexpectedly is really good! While pumpkin, egg and maple syrup may not be too common, a cross of sweet and salty is. Just think about chocolate with sea salt or fruits in salads or even about fried chicken and waffles.

how healthy is this dish?

Contrary to regular pancakes, these are very much packed with nutrients! Where should we start? Let‘s start at the very base: the pancake batter! It is made out of eggs (high in protein), pumpkin (packed with vitamins, carbs and fibre), wholewheat flour (more carbs and fibre), maple syrup or honey (yep, still a lot of sugar but with a few nutrients), cinnamon, salt & baking powder as well as (plant based) yoghurt (contains probiotics and protein!). It definitely can be said that despite the sugar, the pancakes still are quite nutritious and definitely better for you than regular pancakes!

What else? The toppings! Here it really is up to you what you are adding on top, you can choose to go for savory to have a fun and different experience (which tastes amazing, really!) or you can also go for sweet if you want something more classic. Depending on what you choose, the nutrients will vary. If you, as in this recipe, go for goat’s cheese, avocado and fried egg, you‘ll have a great combo of protein, healthy fats and vitamins. Those will also contribute to satisfying you and making you feel full. And of course we cannot skip that maple on top of pancakes 🙂 and that is good for your soul!

Are they prepared differently from regular pancakes?

No, they are not different. What it really comes down to is mixing eggs with honey, (plant based) yoghurt, pumpkin purée, cinnamon and salt until combined. Now we mix in the flour and baking powder with a whisk until a batter forms where there are no lumps left. This batter will now sit for 5 minutes while we prepare the toppings (slice avocado, prep cheese and prepare the egg). Now the batter has to be fried in hot butter, margarine or oil. It is best to measure out the amount with an ice cream scoop and add it into the pan on medium heat. They will now cook and once you see bubbles forming in the batter, it is time to flip them and cook them on the other side for about 3 minutes until golden brown.

To make the cooked ones stay warm while the rest is cooking, it is best to place them in the oven with a cover at like 60°C. Since they are covered, they will not dry out and they‘ll also stay warm. Well now just fry the remaining ones, fry the egg, stack them onto a plate, top with the avo, cheese, egg and a gooood drizzle of maple syrup! That‘s it!

What about the pumpkin purée? Where do I get it?

So the first option is to make it yourself. That really is super easy – I even have an instruction video for this on my Instagram (find it here). All that needs to be done is steaming the pumpkin and mashing it into purée with either a mixer, a blender or a hand blender.

The other option would be to buy it at the store. Depending on where you live, this may be easier or more difficult. I know in Austria you can find it at the baby-food section and sometimes even next to the canned goods in the super market. However, making it yourself is really no big deal!

Freeze them for a 5-minute breakfast!

The great thing about making pancakes is the fact that you can batch make and store them. Whenever I make pancakes, it is a challenge to eat them all at once. So what I do is freezing them (first on a tray/ plate (so they do not stick together as they would if you’d place them in a bag right away) and then in a bag). Whenever I crave one for breakfast, I just heat it up in the toaster or the microwave and have a ready to go breakfast! You can perfectly do so with these pancakes!

All in all it can be said that this really is a brunch dish worth trying. In my family they are much loved! Yep, even my grandma loved them and asked for more!! So, grab a pumpkin and get into the kitchen to make your perfect Sunday brunch!

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Sweet and Salty Maple Pumpkin Pancakes with Goat‘s Cheese and Fried Egg

sweet and savory pumpkin pancakes? whaaat?! just saying – yes!! this crossover of fluffy sweet pancakes with savory toppings and maple syrup is an explosion of flavors in your mouth. one you do not want to miss out on! Step away from your regular pancakes and start making those!

Course Breakfast, brunch, lunch
Prep Time 10 Minuten
Cook Time 10 Minuten
Total Time 20 Minuten
Servings 8 pancakes

What you will need

  • 150 g pumpkin purée
  • 100 g honey or maple syrup
  • 100 g (plant based) yoghurt
  • 50 ml plant based milk
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 150 g whole wheat flour
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 avocado
  • 2 eggs
  • more honey or maple syrup to top

How to

  1. Mix the egg, yoghurt, honey, plant based milk, cinnamon and salt until well combined. Mix the flour with the baking powder, then mix into the liquid batter with a whisk until there are no lumps left. Let sit for 5 minutes.

  2. In the meantime slice the avocado and crack the eggs into a bowl.

  3. In a large pan heat up some margarine or butter on medium-high heat. Turk down to medium heat and add about 2-3tbsp of the batter at a time into the pan (it is easiest to do so with an ice cream scoop). Fry them for about 3 minutes until bubbles start to form in the batter. Then flip them and cook for another 3-4 minutes until golden brown and cooked through. Take them aside and keep them warm in the oven (see notes). Repeat with the rest.

  4. Heat up more oil in another pan and fry the eggs on medium high heat.

    Once everything is cooked, stack the pancakes on a plate, top with the goat‘s cream cheese, avocado slices, fried eggs, a sprinkle of salt and maple syrup! Enjoy!!!

Have fun cooking,
Enjoy,
Katie // Une Petite Cuisinière

Quick Roasted Pumpkin & Quinoa Salad with enjoy by NENI red cabbage

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If there is any season that calls for cozy, roasted food, it is fall! That comforting flavor of softly roasted pumpkin in combination with the freshness of the Orange and the crunch of the red cabbage with pomegranate seeds is just unique. A perfect balance of fall comfort for those cloudy days while still keeping some freshness! A very, very underrated combination that you definitely NEED to try!

What is special about this dish?

It is not quite a salad, neither is it really a bowl. It is something inbetween – something really tasty though. What is more, it actually is super simple to make and does not take long. And what is really soecial is the combination of orange and pumpkin. Normally you would probably not combine these two but surprisingly they do taste really good in combination!

In addition to that, we are using the new NENI cabbage with pomegranate seeds in this bowl with just is the dot on the I. This addition adds a lot of flavour, nutrients and crunch while it does not take any additional work or preparation because we can just get it from the supermarket.

Is this dish healthy?

Definitely! This bowl is a bowl full of goodies for you! Where should we start? With the base maybe: the quinoa is loaded with nutrients. In here we have got some protein, fibre, amino acids, vitamins, and and and. You can read more about why quinoa si so healthy in my January Top 5! The rest of the base is spinach or another salad, which not only makes you feel full but also is a great source of vitamins, fibre and water!

The rest of the bowl also has some decent nutritional value: the pumpkin has a solid amount of fibre to keep you full for long as well as several vitamins, including Vitamin A, C, E and Iron, which have shown to improve the immune system. This is great for the colder months ahead of us! In the dressing we can find more vitamin C from the orange, which also will keep your immune system healthy. The pumpkin seeds to top it off are a great source of healthy fats, which are essential for several functions in your body including your brain to work properly.

isn‘t red cabbage a lot of work?

It definitely is more work than just chopping cucumbers. However, we want to keep this dish as simple, easy and quick as possible so we are taking the easy and delicious way out! How? With enjoy by NENI Red Cabbage! You can find it at SPAR in Austria! It is pre-made and ready to eat! I love it in this dish, however you can really add it to everything you like, have it as a salad or a side! It is super tasty, not expensive and a great quick solution to making red cabbage!

How to make this dish?

What is so great about this recipe is that it really does not take long to make. It is best if we start by preparing quinoa and pumpkin since this is what takes the longest to make. The quinoa just needs to be brought to a boil with water and salt and then reduced to a simmer. The pumpkin on the other hand, needs to be cut into about 1cm thick slices and we also need to remove the seeds. The reason for why we cut it into about 1cm thick slices is that those do not take this long to cook! If you prefer otherwise you could also cut them into cubes or half circles or any other shape of your preference! The pumpkin now is tossed in olive oil, salt, pepper and herbs before it can be fried in a pan. Here we do not need any additional oil since the pumpkin has been marinated in olive oil anyway.

While this is cooking, we can start making the dressing for which we just combine some orange juice, olive oil, and vinegar and prepare the remaining ingredients for the bowl. For the yoghurt dip, we can solely combine some greek yoghurt, sour cream and parsley, we can prepare the pomegranate and take the red cabbage out of the fridge. Once the pumpkin and quinoa is done cooking, we can already assemble everything and enjoy it!

Ideal for mealprep!

This salad is great for meal prep! When you keep it in the fridge, it soaks up the flavours of the dressing even more and gets even more delicious! It kind of turns into a tabouleh, which tastes amazing! You can take it to work, to school or uni and it‘ll still taste great after 2-3 days! Plus, you do not need to heat it up!

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Quick Roasted Delicata Squash & Quinoa Salad with enjoy by NENI Red Cabbage

a bowl full of fall goodness, and definitely not your average salad! the combination of warm roasted pumpkin and fresh orange quinoa along with crunchy red cabbage will not only keep you full for long but also satisfied and happy!

Course bowl, lunch, mealprep, Salad
Prep Time 10 Minuten
Cook Time 15 Minuten
Total Time 25 Minuten
Servings 2 servings

What you will need

For the pumpkin:

  • 1 medium sized delicata squash (about 400g)
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tsp mediterranean dried herbs or oregano
  • salt & pepper

For the rest:

  • 120 g Quinoa
  • 2-3 handful spinach or other salad
  • 50 g sour cream
  • 50 g greek yoghurt
  • 1 tbsp chopped parsley
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 50 ml orange juice (from about 1/2 orange if you are using fresh one)
  • 1 tbsp white wine vinegar
  • 1 package enjoy by NENI Rotkrautsalat mit Granatapfelkerne (red cabbage)
  • pomegranate & pumpkin seeds

How to

  1. Start by adding the quinoa to a pot along with a pinch of salt and twice the amount of water. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and let simmer on medium heat until the liquid is absorbed. Turn down to low heat and let sit for another 5ish minutes until the quinoa is light and fluffy.

  2. In the meantime cut the delicata squash into about 1cm thick rings and remove the seeds. You can leave the skin on if you wash the pumpkin before. Add it to a bowl along with the olive oil, salt, pepper and herbs. Then fry in a pan on medium-high heat for about 4-5 minutes on each side until golden brown and soft.

  3. In the meantime mix the olive oil, white wine vinegar and orange juice and toss it with the quinoa and spinach.

  4. In another bowl combine the greek yoghurt, sour cream, parsley and a little salt to make the dip.

  5. Once the pumpkin is finished, divide the quinoa-spinach mix onto bowls, top with the pumpkin, the dip, fresh pomegranate and pumpkin seeds and enjoy!

I genuinely hope that you will enjoy this recipe as much as we do and have an amazing time cooking!
Enjoy,
Katie // Une Petite Cuisinière

Super Simple Roasted Sage Pumpkin Tagliatelle Aglio e Oglio

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To be fair, this name sounds way more complicated than this dish actually is!! It seems fancy, however, it is super easy to make! You have got that soft and warm roasted pumpkin, spiced with sage, the al dente cooked pasta tossed in some olive oil flavored with garlic and then that parmesan cheese on top for some cheesy contrast! All in all: pure comfort heaven! My friend’s mom would make that day in day out during fall and we‘d go to her house and have it in every lunch break. Seriously, it was SO good and we literally could never wait to get there. So, there was no way around making a recipe of this!

What is Aglio e Oglio?

Very good question. Aglio e Oglio is Italian and literally translated means garlic and oil. In Italy Spaghetti Aglio e Oglio is a very typical dish since it is easy to make (you only need pasta, oil, garlic and chili) and is super affordable. If you have never tried it, it may seem a bit boring but when prepared with some good olive and al dente pasta it tastes amazing!! Sometimes the simplest things are the best.

What is special about this dish?

However, we are leveling it up a bit and are creating a fall version of this Italian classic. We are skipping the chili and instead are adding roasted pumpkin to the pasta. The pumpkin is spiced with a little sage and then baked in the oven before it is being added to the pasta since it takes longer to cook than the rest. Also, instead of spaghetti, tagliatelle are used in here. The flat and wider shape of them just works better with the roasted pumpkin! These little changes transform the classic into a seasonal, cozy, delicious meal!

Which pumpkin should be used?

In this dish I prefer to use butternut squash. This is the pear-shaped light orange pumpkin. Contrary to hokkaido squash it has a lighter and buttery taste to it and a little sweet note that is enhanced when baked. In my opinion these flavors work in great harmony with the pasta and give a nice contrast to the sage! However, if you have another pumpkin favorite, feel free to use that!

Is this dish healthy?

First of all, this meal is very healthy for the soul. This cozy, warm, carby goodness is pure comfort food!! Besides, it definitely can be said that it contains a lot of nutritional value. The pumpkin, for example, is a great source of Vitamin A, C and E as well as fibre and iron, which benefits your immune system (great for the cold months ahead) and your digestive system!

What is more, the oil for example is an amazing source of unsaturated, healthy fat. These fats are essential for your brain and many other aspects in your body. The pasta makes a great source of carbohydrates, making sure you stay energized and also comes with a decent amount of protein. If you want to make it even healthier, you could substitute it for wholegrain pasta, although I need to say that the flavor definitely is better with “regular” pasta.

Ready in 25 minutes (max)!

Not only does this dish take very little time to make, but it also is super easy!

To make it, start by removing the peel and seeds from the pumpkin. After, it needs to be chopped into about 1cm sized cubes (makes it easier to toss with the pasta and allows for a reduced cooking time) before being tossed with a little olive oil, salt and finely minced sage. The mix then is baked at 220°C for 15-20 minutes until the pumpkin is nice and golden brown and soft.

In the meantime the pasta can be cooked according to package instructions, the garlic can already be finely sliced and the parmesan can be grated. Just before pumpkin and pasta are done, a little olive oil can be heated up in a pan and the garlic and sage can be fried in there for a minute before taking it off the heat. Now the cooked pasta, pumpkin cubes and parmesan can be added and everything can be tossed. And that already is it! Pretty simple right?

Meal-prep-options:

Pre-making and storing the entire dish, I would not recommend. Reheated pasta just does not taste as good! Instead, you can premake (essentially preroast) the pumpkin and store this, since the pumpkin is what is time consuming. Whenever you then want to make this dish, you solely need to cook the pasta and start from there. This already saved you a bunch of time!

All in all I hope that you will love this dish as much as we do and that you will have lots and lots of cozy fall evenings!!

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Super Simple Roasted Sage Pumpkin Tagliatelle Aglio e Oglio

This seasonal twist on the Italian all-time classic takes fall comfort food next level! Roasted sage-pumpkin along with some cheesy, garlicy pasta equals heaven! Plus, it is super easy to make and ready in 25 minutes!

Course dinner, lunch, Main Course, pasta
Cuisine Italian
Prep Time 10 Minuten
Cook Time 15 Minuten
Total Time 25 Minuten
Servings 4 servings

What you will need

  • 500 g tagliatelle
  • 600 g butternut squash
  • 1 tbsp chopped parsley + 6-8 extra leaves
  • 1/4 tsp nutmeg
  • 1/2 tsp sea salt
  • 6-8 tbsp olive oil
  • 50 g finely grated parmesan cheese
  • 2 cloves of garlic

How to

  1. Start by preheating the oven to 220°C. Remove the peel and seeds of the pumpkin and then chop it into about 1cm sized cubes. Toss with nutmeg, salt, sage and about 2 tbsp of the olive oil before placing it on a baking tray and baking it for 15-20 minutes until golden brown and soft.

  2. In the meantime finely slice the garlic and prepare the pasta according to package instructions. Once the pasta is done cooking, drain it and take the pumpkin put of the oven. Only then heat up the oil and fry the garlic and sage leaves in it for about a minute before taking it off the heat and mixing it with the pumpkin cubes, grated parmesan and pasta.

  3. Serve with fresh sage, more parmesan and a drizzle of olive oil and enjoy!

Enjoy,
Katie

Bolognese Stuffed Spaghetti Squash with Swirled Pesto Ricotta

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A very long name for a very simple dish. Comfort food at its finest but make it healthy. A little bit like Lasagna, but with a fall twist to it. Roasted pumpkin with creamy ricotta-bolognese filling, tangy pesto and a little molten cheese on top! Sounds pretty good right? 

What is Spaghetti Squash?

Spaghetti Squash is a type of squash (or pumpkin) that originated in North and Central America. The US also is where it became very famous first! Why? What it is being baked, you can basically scrap the pumpkin „meat“ with a fork and get a texture very similar to spaghetti. These pumpkin spaghetti also look very similar to the real ones. The similarities are what made this pumpkin be so popular. It is commonly used as a replacement for pasta in many dishes, since it is incredibly low in calories, and therefore gained popularity! 

What is special about this dish?

You have to know, it is like a pasta bake kind of dish. Just without the pasta. You still have a similar texture as in pasta, and get that whole pasta feeling because of the looks and the sauce, the spaghetti squash comes with but it is a much lighter version of a pasta bake. More vitamins and fibre, less calories and carbohydrates. It is really fun to switch this up a little once in a while.

And also, there is not just pumpkin, bolognese and cheese, but we have this amazing pesto ricotta swirl that really does take this dish next level. It adds so much flavour, creaminess and goodness to this whole dish, which is just amazing!

Is this dish healthy? 

Yes-ish. As a base we have a vegetable, with lots of Vitamin B, C and fibre. This already makes it really nutritious! (You can read more about pumpkin in my November top 5 blog post!). I would definitely say that any dish that has a vegetable as a base is healthy (at least healthyish) because it is nutritious.

Veggie Bolognese?

Then the filling: this is not super duper nutritious but it is not unhealthy. The sauce. I love to use a vegetarian bolognese because it is more nutritious in most cases. Also, I feel like it lightens up the dish plus it tastes amazing. I know, you may now be thinking, hm not sure about that! And I agree, there can be boring pasta sauces! Definitely! But not the one I like to use! If you have been following me for a while, you know that I have been moving to use the products from Pastafani because they produce delicious, high quality pasta products with Austrian ingredients. I tried out their vegan Bolognese and I need to say, with honestly, that it really is delicious! You can find it here and even get 10% discount on it with the code UNEPETITE10 ! I can only say that it definitely is worth a try!

Picture by Pastafani

So back to whether it is healthy or not. The base, yes. The sauce, depends on what you are using. A veggie bolognese, yes! A meat bolognese I would say healthy-ish. Then we have the ricotta and pesto (which you by the way can also get a super delicious one at Pastafani!)! Ricotta I would say is not super nutritious but also not unhealthy. It is higher in protein and lower in calories than regular cream cheese. Plus, super good for the soul 🙂 The pesto is high in vitamins and healthy fats, and it is green (doesn’t that basically already mean that it is healthy?). Then we just top it off with some cheese, not very nutrient dense but you know, a little cheese never hurt nobody.

How to make this?

This is not challenging at all. We start by preparing the spaghetti squash. For this cut it into half, season with a bit of olive oil, salt & pepper and roast in the oven. In the meantime we heat up the sauce. When the squash is done, we need to tear the „spaghettis“ from it. This is done by taking a fork and scrapping the pumpkin meat off the sides.

Now we just pour in the sauce, add a few dollops of ricotta and pesto, swirl everything around so it looks nice and marbled, top it with some cheese and bake it again. That’s all it takes to make this super delicious meal!

I genuinely hope that you will enjoy this recipe at least as much as I do and that you will make it on repeat! It is a delicious, comforting meal for cozy weeknights and weekends!

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Oven Roasted Bolognese Stuffed Spaghetti Squash with Swirled Pesto Ricotta

Comforting, Healthy, easy & delicious! A lighter version of a pasta bake, with seasonal ingredients: Baked pumpkin with a creamy bolognese, ricotta and pesto filling!

Course dinner, Main Course
Prep Time 15 Minuten
Cook Time 50 Minuten
Total Time 1 Stunde 5 Minuten
Calories 567 kcal

What you will need

  • 1 kg spaghetti squash
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • salt & pepper
  • 300 g (veggie) bolognese sauce
  • 100 g ricotta
  • 3 tbsp pesto
  • 50 g cheese

How to

  1. Preheat the oven to 180°C. Cut the spaghetti squash in half lengthwise. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake for 35-40 minutes until the meat is soft.

  2. In the meantime heat up the bolognese and season the ricotta with salt and pepper.

  3. When the squash is done baking, take it out of the oven. Grab a fork and scratch off the pumpkin "meat" from the edges. This will create a spaghtti like look.

  4. Pour in the bolognese sauce, divide the ricotta and add the pesto. Swirl everything together, so it is all combined and creates a marble-like look. Top with the cheese and bake for another 5-q0 minutes at 200°C until the cheese has molten.

  5. Serve & Enjoy!

Happy cooking,
Enjoy,
Katie // Une Petite Cuisinière