Welcome everyone and happy Tuesday! I am very excited to share a guest post with you by Tina from Carrots and Cake. If you have not done so already, I suggest you drop over and pay Tina a visit. Her blog is really informative and very upbeat. It really is a great find and definitely one to bookmark.

Follow along below and make your own Pumpkin Coconut Bars.
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When ZestyCook asked me to do a guest post, I knew I had to come up with something ZESTY enough to be grouped with all his wonderful recipes and amazing pictures. He has inspired me to reach to a higher level with my kitchen experiments and my food photographing skills. I hope you enjoy this recipe for an easy to make skillet meal. This would be the perfect comfort meal for a cool fall night!

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup chopped onion
• 1 1/2 cups uncooked small pasta noodles
• 2 cups water
• 1 cup mashed or canned pumpkin
• 1/2 package frozen chopped spinach, thawed
• 1/2 cup ricotta cheese
• 1/2 tsp sage
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Method

1. Saute onion in a large skillet until tender.
2. Add pasta, water, pumpkin, sage, and nutmeg. Mix until well blended.
3. Bring mixture to a boil.
4. Reduce heat to medium-low and mix in the ricotta and Parmesan cheese.
5. Let the mixture simmer for 15-20 minutes or until pasta is tender and sauce has thickened, stirring frequently.
6. Serve and top with additional Parmesan cheese.

If you enjoy this recipe by all means…. tell me about it and go pay Megan a visit over at her blog.  If you like pumpkin, you will find tons of great pumpkin recipes for all your fall cravings!  Thanks again Megan for a great post….

Sitting in the office the other day I get an email with a bunch of Thai recipes from an office colleague. I decided to whip up this interesting soup that I scrolled through. I always have been a big fan of smooth soups so I am hoping this one will be just as good. The recipe is very simple and has some great flavors that I enjoy.

So I said what the heck, lets give it a whirl and see if it is worth serving to others. Follow below and let me hear what you think.

Ingredients

• 1 15 oz can pumpkin puree
• 1 15 oz can coconut milk
• 2 cups mango nectar
• 3 cups water
• 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 1/4 cup smooth or chunky peanut butter; your preference
• 2 veggie bullion cubes
• 1/2 an inch fresh ginger, minced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 green chilies, minced
• 1/2 bunch of cilantro, chopped
• 3-4 green onions, chopped

Method

1. Add the pumpkin puree, coconut milk, mango nectar, and water to a large pot and bring to a low boil.
2. Meanwhile, you can mince the ginger and green chilies (jalepenos are fine too) and add them to the pot.
3. Chop the cilantro and green onions, and reserve for a garnish.
4. Once the soup is hot, take out a small bowlful and stir in the peanut butter until it is completely incorporated. Add back to the pot.
5. Repeat with another bowlful and incorporate the bullion cubes.
6. Serve in bowls topped with the cilantro and green onions.