Spice | I Can Cook That

Pumpkin Cake Bites

I’ve waited long enough. It’s time to give in to the most wonderful time of year. No, not Christmas. Autumn! And the best way to really dive in to the season? Pumpkins, of course!

I love pumpkin. Like, really love pumpkin. I actually hoard Green Mountain Pumpkin Spice K-Cups around this time of year so that I can drink them year-round. From sweet to savory, pumpkin is just the best. I have so many pumpkin recipes on here so if you’re a pumpkin aficionado like myself, be sure to check them all out! (Just a sample of some pumpkin-filled recipes: Cheesecake bars, Flan, Whoopie Pies, Eggnog, Trifle, Ravioli, Bread, Soup… you get the idea)

So, I came across this recipe looking for a Pumpkin Brownie. Despite this recipe being called Pumpkin Brownies in the original recipe, it is most certainly cake. But who am I to worry about semantics? It’s still delicious! I added more pumpkin-y spices to give the pumpkin flavor a boost and added in some dark chocolate chips because, why not?

Ingredients:

1 (15 oz) can solid-pack pumpkin
4 eggs
3/4 cup canola oil
1/2 tablespoon vanilla powder (can substitute in 1/2 tablespoon vanilla extract)
2 cups all purpose flour
2 cups sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground allsplice
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup dark chocolate chips

Frosting:

6 tablespoons butter, softened
3 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla powder or vanilla extract
1 teaspoon 1% milk (can substitute whatever milk you have)
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 cups confectioners’ (powdered) sugar

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Spice Roasted Salmon

So sorry for the lack of posts! I just moved and finally dug out my pots and pans, spices, and pantry items and am ready to get cooking again! Because unpacking is still taking up most of my nights, expect a few quick recipe posts in the coming days. I thought I’d get started with my favorite meal: salmon! This recipe for Spice Roasted Salmon takes just fifteen minutes!

This recipe from Cooking Light is so simple but packs a ton of flavor. The salmon is sprinkled with garam masala, a spice mixture commonly used in Indian cooking. The ingredients can vary, but typically include ground pepper, cumin, cloves, and cardamom. There is a slight heat to garam masala, so the salmon is topped off with a cooling yogurt mixture.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
4 (6-ounce) sustainable salmon fillets
3/4 teaspoon garam masala
5/8 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
1/3 cup plain 2% reduced-fat Greek yogurt
2 tablespoons chopped chives
2 tablespoons crème fraîche or sour cream
1 teaspoon fresh lime juice
1 lemon, cut into wedges

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Vegetable Couscous Salad

The weather in Philadelphia decided to take a break from the cold and give us two days of summer! We hit temperatures above 80 degrees so I wanted to prepare a light meal that didn’t involve much time over a stove. This Vegetable Couscous Salad from Cooking Light is perfect for summer dinners. It also travels well, so it would be a great addition to a barbecue, just make it ahead of time and bring it with you!

Ingredients:

Dressing:

1/3 cup water
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 (.6 ounce envelope Italian dressing mix) or Italian spice blend

Salad:

1 1/2 cups water
1 cup uncooked couscous
2 cups chopped red bell pepper (I used two peppers)
2 cups chopped tomato (I used two beefsteak tomatoes)
1/2 cup (2 ounces) crumbled feta cheese
1/2 cup finely chopped green onions
1/4 cup chopped pitted kalamata olives
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

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Sauteed Spiced Pears with Pecans Over Ice Cream

This recipe is a result of having all of the ingredients in my kitchen, and my endless sweet tooth. Pears hold up really well to being cooked so I thought they would be great with traditional baking spices (cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves) and some pecans for crunch. I also had a bit of ice cream left in my freezer so I used the pears and pecans as a topping.

Ingredients:

1 bosc pear, peel, cored, and cut into slices

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

1/8 teaspoon cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon nutmeg

A pinch of cloves

1/4 cup pecans

1 scoop French vanilla ice cream

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Spice Rubbed Salmon with Lemon-Garlic Spinach

If you’re like me, you can never have too many salmon recipes. If I could, I’d eat salmon every day, so I prefer some variety with how it’s prepared. Cooking Light had a recipe that incorporated some really interesting spices: coriander, cinnamon, cumin and paprika. I was excited to see how this would turn out. The recipe also pairs the salmon with a wilted spinach, one of my favorite sides.

Ingredients (this makes one serving)

Salmon:
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
1/8 teaspoon paprika
a pinch of ground cinnamon
a pinch of freshly ground black pepper

1 5 oz salmon fillet
1/2 white onion, thinly sliced
Cooking spray

chopped cilantro, for garnish

lemon wedges
Spinach:
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced
2 large handfuls uncooked baby spinach
zest from one lemon
1/4 teaspoon salt
the juice of half a lemon

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. To prepare the spice rub, combine the salt, cumin, coriander, paprika, cinnamon, and pepper in a bowl.

Rub the mixture evenly over the salmon.

Thinly slice your onion. Add the onion to a baking dish coated with cooking spray.

Add the salmon on top of the onions. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes or until flaky.

When there is about 5-10 minutes left on the salmon, prepare the spinach. Heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and saute for 1 minute.

Add one handful of spinach.

Cook for one minute, stirring. Add the remaining handful of spinach and cook for 4 minutes or until wilted, stirring frequently.

Add lemon zest and salt. Stir in juice and remove from heat.

Serve the salmon with the onions and spinach.

Sprinkle salmon with cilantro. Serve with lemon wedges.

You’d think all of those powerful spices would overwhelm the salmon. Not at all. The flavor was fantastic!

I can’t even describe it. But my taste buds did a little dance.

The lemon added a nice tanginess to the spinach, which was a great contrast to the sweet caramelized onions.

I think the next time I make this, I will check the salmon after 15 minutes of cooking. The salmon was slightly overcooked for my liking. Past that, this recipe is a definite keeper!

Pumpkin Spice Bread

I was really hoping to make actual pumpkin bread using Dogfish Head’s Punkin Ale, but I couldn’t find pumpkin puree anywhere! Two years in a row of crop shortages are making it very difficult for me to enjoy my favorite ingredient. Anyways, I instead made a Pumpkin Spice Bread.

Ingredients:

1 Dogfish Head Punkin Ale (or other Pumpkin Beer)

1/2 cup brown sugar

3 cups flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ginger

1/4teaspoon nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon allspice

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup chocolate chips

1/2 cup walnuts

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Add the brown sugar, flour, baking powder, spices and salt to a medium sized bowl.

Mix to combine. Make a well in the center of the mixture. Add the beer. It will fizz up a lot!

Fold the dry ingredients into the beer until just combined. You do not want to over stir it, or the bread will not rise.

Add the chocolate chips and walnuts and stir to combine.

Spray a bread pan with cooking spray and add the dough to the pan.

Cook for 50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Allow to cool and then remove from the pan using a knife to loosen the edges.

Serve with butter sprinkled with cinnamon.

The bread has a subtle sweetness to it which makes it perfect for breakfast. I love crunch from the walnuts and the extra pop of sweetness from the chocolate chips.

Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes

I am so excited that pumpkin season is back, and to share this recipe for Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting! I eat/drink pumpkin flavored things all year, but September through December are when I can truly indulge in my pumpkin obsession.

To kick off the season in style, I decided to make pumpkin cupcakes.

The cupcake recipe is adapted slightly from Annie’s Eats recipe for Spiced Pumpkin Cupcakes and the icing is an adaptation of a Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting from Kraft.

Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes:

2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon pumpkin spice
1/8 teaspoon grated nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon salt
2 Green Mountain Pumpkin Spice K-Cups (about 3 tablespoons?)
1 15 oz can pumpkin puree
1 cup sugar
1 cup packed dark brown sugar
1 cup canola oil
4 large eggs, at room temperature

Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting:

1 8 oz. package of Cream Cheese, softened
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 16 oz package of powdered sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

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