Fall will forever have my heart, and whatever anyone says, pumpkin spice lattes are fall encapsulated inside a mug of joy. Why? Because this season is all about the feels. Trading in bathing suits for cozy sweaters is the first blissful gift that fall gives us mamas. Then there’s the seasonal produce; pumpkins, crisp apples, sweet potatoes and pears make autumn worth savoring until we hang the Christmas lights.
This year, I’m taking a page from a few fabulous mom friends who can whip up the most deliciously creative dishes you have ever seen in their “spare time.”
Here are five recipes that remind these mamas of fall:
Pumpkin Dip
Corri, Glitter and Bubbles
Ingredients
3-4 Apples, Sliced
¾ Cup Low Fat Cream Cheese
½ Cup Packed Brown Sugar
½ Cup Canned Pumpkin
2 Teaspoons Maple Syrup
½ Teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
Directions
1 Place the cream cheese, brown sugar and pumpkin in a bowl; beat with a mixer until combined.
2 Add the syrup and cinnamon, mix.
3 Cover and chill for 20-30 minutes.
4 Serve with apples, eat and enjoy!
Pumpkin Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting
Sonja, @MrsBouw
Ingredients
Cupcakes
1 cup all purpose plain flour
3/4 cup caster sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground mixed spice
Pinch of salt
50 grams butter at room temperature
1 tablespoon vanilla essence
1/2 cup full cream milk
2 eggs
200 grams canned pumpkin puree (not all shops stock this so it can be a little difficult to track down)
Cream cheese frosting
2 1/3 cups pure icing sugar, sifted
50 grams butter at room temperature
125 grams cream cheese
Directions
Cupcakes
1 Preheat oven to 170° C
2 Place the flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, mixed spice, salt and butter in an electric mixer and beat on a slow speed until combined and of a sandy consistency.
3 Add the milk, eggs and vanilla essence and beat well ensuring you scrape any unmixed ingredients from the side of the bowl.
4 Stir in the pumpkin puree by hand until evenly dispersed.
5 Spoon the mixture into paper cases until two-thirds full and bake in preheated oven for 15-20 minutes or until golden and cooked when tested with a skewer.
6 Leave the cupcakes to cool slightly in the pan before turning out onto a wire rack and covering with a clean tea towel to cool completely.
Cream cheese frosting
1 Beat the icing sugar and butter in an electric mixer on medium-slow speed until mixture comes together.
2 Add the cream cheese in one go and beat until it is completely combined.
3 Turn the mixer up to a medium-high speed and beat until the frosting is light and fluffy. – Be careful not to overbeat.
4 Spread or pipe icing onto cooled cupcakes.
Pumpkin Pie Smoothie
Johanna, @101ThingsILove
Ingredients
1 cups of vanilla Greek Yogurt
1 frozen banana
½ cup pumpkin puree
2/3 cup of almond milk depending on thickness
1 cup of ice
Directions
1 Blend
2 Top with your favorite granola, coconut, chia seeds and more.
Pumpkin Collagen Curry
Carla, @CarlaJian
Ingredients
2 lbs chicken cubed (tenderloins and boneless, skinless thighs)
1 onion, chopped
1 red pepper, sliced
1 med sized tomato, cubed
1/2 cup of chicken bone broth
1 cup of coconut cream
6 tablespoons of pumpkin purée
1 tbsp of tomato paste
1.5 tbsp curry powder
Garlic powder
Salt
Pepper
2 tbsp olive oil
4 scoops of Vital Proteins Bone Broth Collagen Powder
Directions
1 Brown chicken with one tbsp of olive oil and 1 1/4 tblsp of curry powder
2 Remove chicken, add remaining oil, veggies, and remaining curry powder. Sauté until tomato softens and onions slightly caramelize.
3 Remove veggies, add chicken, broth, coconut cream, pumpkin purée, and tomato paste. Mix well and simmer for 30 mins
4 Add veggies, and seasoning. Mix occasionally and summer for 10 mins. Add Vital Proteins Bone Broth Collagen Powder and extra seasoning to your liking.
Urban Costa Pizza
Monika, Monika Dixon PR
Ingredients
Crust
267 grams (1 1/8 cups) room-temperature water
1/4 (heaping) teaspoon instant yeast or 3/4 teaspoon active dry yeast
1 tablespoon olive oil, plus additional for coating the dough
1 teaspoon salt
392 grams (3 1/2 cups) bread flour
Pizza stone (optional)
Simple pizza sauce
1 15-ounce can tomato sauce, unsalted
1 teaspoon sugar (or more, to taste)
1 teaspoon salt (or more, to taste)
Low-moisture mozzarella, cut into thin slices to taste
Toppings
My kids love pepperoni! But add your favorite fall produce like squash, zucchini, or even pumpkin for a festively fabulous fall themed pizza.
Directions
1 Make your dough a day or two before your pizza night! To make good dough add more water to it. Water makes it rise more and it will be crispier. Allow it to rise in the refrigerator before you use it.
2 Make sure you use room temperature dough by the time it reaches the oven.
3. Whatever you do, avoid putting a thick layer of sauce on the pizza as it will result in a less crisp crust. It should be very thin.
4 When it comes to toppings, less is more. Raw tomato sauces are the way to go. They are extremely easy to find! Add a little minced garlic, a touch of olive oil, salt, and pepper for extra flavor. Buy fresh mozzarella, preferably not packed in water. Go to the special cheese section and buy the good stuff. Instead of thinly slicing it and placing several large slices all over your pizza, cut the mozzarella into 1/2-inch cubes and sprinkling it evenly over the pizza. The kids will enjoy that process more too!
If your kids enjoy fresh basil, throw that on top too. I love it, but my kids won’t eat any pizza with green on top!
5 For the best Margherita pizza, you will want to preheat your oven to the highest temperature possible.
6 Allow your baking stone to preheat in the oven for at least 30 minutes.
