This is one of my go-to fall dinners – it comes together super quickly, it’s dinner-party impressive, and because it’s both gluten free and vegan, it can please any number of people with any number of dietary restrictions.  This week marks the beginning of the official #virtualpumpkinparty, started by the lovely Sara Cornelia of Cake over Steak.  What is a virtual pumpkin party, you ask? It basically means a bunch of us foodie types get together and share our absolute favorite pumpkin recipes.  It’s an gourd-gy orgy.  We put the kibosh on a life with no squash.  We … okay, I’ll stop now.  Onto the pumpkin!

As you all know, I love pumpkin.  It tastes like fall on a fork (or spoon! or your fingers!) and fall is my absolute favorite season.  It might come from having been raised in seasonless California, but there’s something about the brilliant orange and red leaves drifting from the trees, the crisp bite in the air, the cozy sweaters and evenings spent reading with flickering candles, the ciders and scents of cinnamon and nutmeg that fill the air…and, of course, the food.  I’ve been eating Pumpkin Pie Chia Pudding (my absolute favorite fall breakfast) almost every day, and I’m so excited to experiment with the insane-looking pumpkin offerings that my fellow bloggers have shared.  I have my eye on The Pig and Quill’s Pumpkin Pie Milkshakes with Pumpkin Spice Caramel + Coconut Cream, and the gluten free Pumpkin Flatbread with Gruyère and Crispy Sage from The Bojon Gourmet sounds too good to pass up.  

Here’s the full list of deliciousness, if you want to spiral into a pumpkin black hole that may or may not lead to a pumpkin coma.  Honestly, not a horrible way to go.

Cake Over Steak • Pumpkin Ginger Cookies with a Vanilla Glaze

Britnell • Pumpkin & Goat Cheese Macaroni

A Couple Cooks • Pumpkin Spice Almond Butter

I Am a Food Blog • Roasted Pumpkin and Pork Stuffed Shells

Well and Full • Harissa-Spiced Pumpkin Gnocchi

Loves Food, Loves to Eat • Pumpkin Pork Burrito Bowls

Girl Versus Dough • Pumpkin Challah

Snixy Kitchen • Black Sesame Pumpkin Mochi Cake

Hungry Girl por Vida • Pumpkin Chocolate Crumb Cake

Donuts, Dresses and Dirt • Pumpkin Spice Latte Truffles

Two Red Bowls • Pumpkin & Caramelized Onion Galette

The Frosted Vegan • Dark Chocolate Pumpkin Gingersnaps

Warm Vanilla Sugar • Dulce de Leche Pumpkin Ice Cream + Affogato

An Edible Mosaic • Pumpkin Spice Latte Snack Cake with Brown Butter Buttercream

Kitchen Konfidence • Yeasted Pumpkin Waffles with Candied Ginger

Chocolate + Marrow • Pumpkin Scones with Cinnamon Butter Swirl

Salt & Wind • Apple Cinnamon Pumpkin Muffins with Pepita Streusel

With Food + Love • Creamy Pumpkin Polenta with Balsamic Roasted Beets

A Cookie Named Desire • Pumpkin Crepes with Cinnamon Ginger Cheesecake

Nommable • Pumpkin Moon Pies

Feed Me Phoebe • Thai Pumpkin Curry with Shrimp and Bok Choy

The Yellow Table • Coconut-Curry Pumpkin Soup

Ginger & Toasted Sesame • Pumpkin Ricotta Gnudi

The Crepes of Wrath • Pumpkin Pie Cake

The Swirling Spoon • Pumpkin Hand Pies

Erin Made This • Pumpkin Rye Waffles with Coconut Caramel

Beard and Bonnet • Pumpkin Spice Pizzelle Ice Cream Sandwiches

My Name is Yeh • Pumpkin Slice and Bake Cookies

Earthy Feast • Pumpkin-Stuffed Turnip-Ravioli with Pepita Pesto

Broma Bakery • Pumpkin Pie White Chocolate Brownies

Floating Kitchen • Pumpkin Beertail with Tequila and Spiced Rum

The Sugar Hit • Pumpkin Everything Bagels

Sprinkled with Jules • Pumpkin Spice French Macarons

Feast + West • Dark Chocolate Pumpkin Seed Toffee Bark

Jojotastic • Pumpkin Cinnamon Rimming Sugar

Fix Feast Flair • Pumpkin Spice Japanese Cheesecake

Appeasing a Food Geek • Pumpkin Ale Cake

Tending the Table • Roasted Pumpkin with Tamarind and Coriander Chutney

Long Distance Baking • Pumpkin Pie Ice Cream + Pumpkin Pancakes

My Blue & White Kitchen • Roasted Pumpkin Risotto with Crispy Prosciutto

Fork Vs. Spoon • Pumpkin Buttermilk Pudding

Alyssa & Carla • Pumpkin Tea Bread (in a Coffee Can!)

Twin Stripe • Pumpkin Spice Toffee

Le Jus d’Orange • Lentil-Stuffed Acorn Squash, Crispy King Oyster Bacon + Aged Goat Cheese

The Scratch Artist • Japanese Pumpkin Temaki with Ginger Kale Chips

Brewing Happiness • Caramelized Apple Pumpkin Muffins

Blogging Over Thyme • Homemade Candied Pecan Pumpkin Ice Cream Drumsticks

Heartbeet Kitchen • Pumpkin Swirled Mashed Potatoes

The Speckled Palate • Pumpkin Brown Butter Streusel Muffins with Maple Cream Cheese Glaze

Cookie Dough and Oven Mitt • Pumpkin Gingersnap Pie

Style Sweet CA • Chocolate Stout and Pumpkin Checkerboard Cake

Fork to Belly • Pumpkin Orange Brulee Pie

Tasty Yummies • Grain-Free Pumpkin Spice Pancakes

Påte á Chew • Pumpkin Almond Cake with Almond Butter Frosting

Holly & Flora • Pumpkin Pie Martini with Coconut Cream + Homemade Pumpkin Spice Syrup

Southern Soufflé • Sorghum Pumpkin Soufflés

Okie Dokie Artichokie • Creamy Pumpkin and Chorizo Pasta Bake, Cheese Tortellini, Sage-Mascarpone Sauce, Toasted Hazelnuts

Kale & Caramel • Pumpkin Goat Cheese Polenta with Brown Butter Thyme Mushrooms & Kale

The Little Epicurean • Maple Pumpkin Butter Brioche Toast

Vigor and Sage • Maple Pumpkin Harvest Smoothie

Tried and Tasty • Whole Wheat Pumpkin Sugar Cookies

The Fauxmartha • Baked Pumpkin Donuts

So… Let’s Hang Out • Grain-Free Apple Crumble Pumpkin Pie

Wit & Vinegar • Pumpkin Flaxseed Dog Treats

Dunk & Crumble • Pumpkin Roundup

Biscuits and Such • Pumpkin Pound Cake

SugarHero! • Cinnamon Swirl Pumpkin Pound Cake

A Little Saffron • Spiced Pepita Brittle

And now, onto my contribution:  the Creamy Vegan Pumpkin Risotto with Sweet and Spicy Pepitas.  The risotto is savory and rich, with the starch from the (gluten free!) risotto releasing and making cheese utterly unnecessary.  A quick tip:  when cooking with wine, I always recommend you a kind that you’d be willing to drink.  A lot of people buy the cheapest possible bottles to cook with, assuming that the flavor doesn’t matter nearly as much as when drinking it straight from a glass, but in fact, the opposite is true: when you’re cooking with wine, you’re generally reducing it, making the flavor much more concentrated and noticeable than when you’re sipping it.  You don’t have to go all out and dump a $50 sauvignon blanc in your risotto, but it is worth spending $10 or $15 or so to get a bottle you’d be happy drinking.  Trust me, you’ll notice the difference in the risotto’s flavor.

This risotto is topped with pepitas, one of my favorite fall foods.  They’re wonderful for adding texture and crunch to creamy dishes, like risotto, polenta, oatmeal and chia pudding, but they’re so packed with flavor and health benefits that I often just keep a baggie of them in my purse to eat on the go.

Pepitas (or Pumpkin Seeds – they’re the same thing)

Pepitas are one of nature’s richest sources in a number of minerals – a quarter of a cup boasts 75% of your daily manganese requirements, and more than half of your daily magnesium, zinc, copper and phosphorous needs.  They’re also a rich source of antioxidants, stemming largely from their Vitamin E content, which is unique in that it’s broad-spectrum – alpha-tocopherol, gamma-tocopherol, delta-tocopherol, alpha-tocomonoenol and gamma-tocomonoenol are all forms of vitamin E found in pumpkin seeds.  All of the forms of Vitamin E are absorbed differently and made use of differently in your body, and pumpkin seeds’ large variety makes it easy for your body to get all the Vitamin E you need.

This recipe was originally published over on A Double Dose, as part of a collab with the lovely Alexis.  She has tons of yummy recipes – go check her out!

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