pumpkin kale patties with coconut cilantro rice | willfrolicforfood.com

Charlottesville is particularly lovely right now.

We're located right at the edge of the Blue Ridge Parkway, one of the best places to take a long, sinuous drive and see the fireworks show of autumn leaves. It's 65 degrees all the time, perfect for drowning yourself in sweaters and fluffy hats.

We're encircled by breweries, craft distilleries and cideries. And the fine-dining scene is like hi hello yes everything on the menu is local and heirloom and lovingly caressed into submission.

So if you like getting cider-drunk, eating oysters harvested from the Rappahanock river and seeing deciduous trees light up in bonfire colors, you'll like Charlottesville.

That being said, people are friggin stoked about pumpkin everything here.

Is that everywhere? Please enlighten me. I spend a lot of time alone editing photos in dark rooms full of plants and la croix. Or surrounded by my hippy friends who are way too busy raising their own Thanksgiving turkeys to be bothered with pumpkin spice lattes.

Just kidding those are just my friends roommates. All my friends are like um why are you raising turkeys when there's perfectly good kale to munch on instead???

AND THEN I GO TO WHOLE FOODS AND PUMPKIN IS EVERYTHING LITERALLY EVERYTHING ITS A SEA OF PUMPKIN A TIDAL WAVE OF PUMPKIN DEAR GOD THINK OF THE CHILDREN!!!

I take a deep breath. Fondle an ornamental arrangement of wine-dark peonies, averting my eyes from the pumpkin pancake mix display.

And yet... I can't help but be enlivened by that glow of pumpkin-y things. It's terrible... and fun! At the same time! I'm smiling and crying all at once! How did I get here?!

The point is, whether I like it or not, my whole life is pumpkin right now. October through November the whole damn internet froths at the mouth over that globular orange squash. How did we get here? How are we still here?

You know there was a time, long long ago when I was but a wee elfen child ... back then pumpkins were just this enormous unwieldy squash you carved smiles and eyes onto, trying your best not to get pumpkin seed goo all over your scooping-arm.

But those days are long gone.

Not that I'm, um, complaining or anything. I'll eat as many pumpkin things as I can get to come into my general orbit. Pumpkin is cool, nothing wrong with it. I definitely think there are better, sweeter, more delicious and generally better looking squashies out there. Kabocha, hubbard, delicata, acorn, butternut. To name a few.

But occasionally you just need that classic, relaxed sugar pumpkin flavor. Mild and starchy and plain. Plain in the way potatoes are plain. They harbor infinite potential. And I like that about pumpkin.

So today I have for you a really simple and positively delicious recipe for pumpkin patties with coconut cilantro rice. I like eating them as part of a big nourishing grain bowl with greens and a generous dollop of vegan chipotle mayo.

But they make for really great burgers as well! Layered with avocado and crispy mushrooms and crisp micro greens!

The pumpkin patties are really simple to make with pretty common ingredients. Smokey roasted pumpkin flesh + kale + ground tortilla chips + garbanzo beans + spices & things. That's the gist of it. You throw it all together in your blender, roll into balls, smooth into patties then bake and serve.

The coconut rice is super basic. I cooked my basmati rice with a knob of ghee, then stirred in unsweetened coconut flakes, fresh cilantro and salt. It's buttery, fluffy and aromatic.

I made my pumpkin seeds into a crunchy topping by tossing them with oil, salt and spices and tossing them in the oven with my pumpkin while it roasted. I gave them a stir then let them dehydrate in the oven as it cooled after roasting the pumpkin. It took about an hour for them to get crispy. That's just my set-it-and-forget-it method. There are probably better (faster) ways to make pumpkin seeds. Anyone have any killer pumpkin seed recipes?

This post is part of a #virtualpumpkinparty!Check out all of the new pumpkin recipes (there are almost 100!) on Sara and Aimee's blogs! And follow along on instagram and beyond via the hashtag.

Pumpkin Kale Patties

Created by Renee on October 23, 2016

Prep Time: 5m
Cook Time: 1h
Total Time: 1h 5m

Ingredients

Pumpkin

1 medium sugar pumpkin
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika

Pumpkin Kale Patties

4 1/2 cups corn tortilla chips
1/2 cooked pumpkin, skin removed and discarded (~1.5 cups cooked pumpkin)
1 cup chickpeas
2 cloves garlic
1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 medjool date, pitted
1 tablespoon vegan mayonaise
2 cups loosely packed kale, stems removed

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 400F. Line a medium baking sheet with parchment paper.
Cut your pumpkin in half, scoop out the guts and remove the seeds (or reserve and roast the seeds with tamari and oil until crispy, as you like). Rub the cut side of the two pumpkin halves with olive oil. Sprinkle equally with salt, pepper and smoked paprika. Set the halves cut side down on your parchment lined baking sheet.
Set the pumpkin on the middle rack of the oven. Bake for 20-25 minutes.
Once cooked, remove the pumpkin (a fork plunged into the pumpkin will reveal soft, tender squash when done). Let cool on the counter until easy to handle with your hands.
Make the pumpkin kale patties: Set the oven to 350F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
Add the corn tortilla chips to the bowl of a food processor fitted with an S blade. Grind the chips until they’ve become a semi-fine flour. Add the pumpkin flesh and the chickpeas and blend again until well combined. Then add the garlic, salt, pepper, paprika, vinegar, olive oil, date and mayo. Blend again until well combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl to incorporate any bits gone astray. Then add the kale and combine until everything comes together. It will become pliable like a malleable dough, and will form a dough ball in the machine as it runs.
Using your hands, form balls of dough (around 12) and set them on your parchment lined baking sheets. Flatten into 3/4” thick rounds. Rub the tops with just a little bit of olive oil.
Bake for 25 minutes, flip the patties and bake 8-12 minutes more or until golden brown.
Serve hot alongside cilantro coconut rice, slices of the rest of the roasted pumpkin, baby greens or arugula and some vegan mayo (I used an aquafaba-based chipotle mayo).

Cilantro Coconut Rice

Created by Renee on October 23, 2016

Cook Time: 30m
Total Time: 30m

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups uncooked basmati white rice
knob of ghee or tablespoon coconut oil
3 cups water or vegetable stock
1 cup unsweetened coconut flakes or chips
1 1/2 cups fresh cilantro, chopped finely
salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions

Add the rice, ghee/coconut oil and water to a large pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer, cover and cook for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and let steam for another 10-15 minutes with the top on. Remove the top, fluff with a fork and stir in the coconut flakes, cilantro and salt/pepper to taste.

Check out the rest of the Virtual Pumpkin Party recipes!

Cake Over Steak • Quick Pumpkin and Kale Risotto + Arancini

Twigg Studios • Sausage Stuffing Baked in a Pumpkin

Donuts, Dresses and Dirt • Pumpkin Spice Latte Popsicles

Cloudy Kitchen • Pumpkin Cake with Vanilla German Buttercream

Vegetarian Ventures • Smoky Pumpkin & Black Sesame Hummus

Eat Boutique • Pumpkin Scallion Dumplings

A Little Saffron • Pumpkin Stuffed Shells

Two Red Bowls • Pumpkin & Maple Caramel Baked French Toast

Wallflower Kitchen • Mini Pumpkin & Cinnamon Sugar Donuts

Wit & Vinegar • Pumpkin Butterscotch Banana Split

Style Sweet CA • Pumpkin Creme Brulee Cake