Yesterday was a very exciting Friday. Not just because I watched a marathon of the Tiny House version of House Hunters with my roommate but because I stopped at Sur La Table on my way home from work. I had a gift card for a while but haven’t had a chance to use it so when I was heading towards the train home, I spotted it and knew what had to happen. Only I would go into a cooking store at 6p.m. on a Friday night and be enthusiastic about it. #foodbloggerprobs

I ended up walking out with a beautiful marble cutting board on sale for $20, two sets of striped straws and a matching bowl and plate set. All for under $50. Now of course my creative juices are flowing and I want to post up in my kitchen, whipping up a thousand recipes to photograph with my new props. My first chance to photograph with my cutting board was an opportunity I couldn’t let go to waste so naturally, I had to prepare something wild for breakfast. This month, any time I think of a “wild” recipe, it most likely means adding pumpkin to it.

Any time I glance at social media lately, all I see are towers of pumpkin-based products in shopping carts, pumpkin spiced granola lining grocery store shelves and my classmates holding pumpkin spiced lattes in class. So much pumpkin I sometimes think my head might explode. Don’t get me wrong here, I LOVE my fair share of pumpkin but when it is the real deal. No fake synthetic flavors and artificial colors or “pumpkin syrup” pumped into my coffee. When it is so easy to just buy a can of pumpkin puree, I just spoon it into a tupperware container and have it handy in my fridge anytime I want to blend it into my coffee or oatmeal. Easy peezy.

This morning I figured instead of mixing my pumpkin with coffee or oatmeal, why not attempt to create something I’ve seen at grocery stores but assume is excessively processed and artificially colored? PUMPKIN CREAM CHEESE! Duh. Before I knew that bagels and cream cheese were a total slap in the face to one’s health, I was your basic bagel and cream cheese fan. At my high school, all of us girls would get a bagel and cream cheese every morning before our first classes started. We would endlessly complain about how there never was enough cream cheese. “Can I have an extra cream cheese?” “Yeah that will be an extra 50 cents.” Welcome to my high school life.

Now, instead of binging on simple carbohydrates that weigh me down, I’m all about feeding my body those complex carbohydrates that give me the energy and fuel to power me through my mornings. I haven’t found a sprouted wheat bagel yet, but I thought I could use Food For Life baking english muffins (so chewy and delicious) instead.

Being the topping queen I am, I wanted to make the “bagel” more festive by adding cinnamon roasted apples on top of my pumpkin infused cream cheese. The finished product was a magical pumpkin dream unfolding before my taste buds.

Cinnamon Roasted Apples with Pumpkin-Infused Cream Cheese

 

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Prep time

5 mins

Cook time

25 mins

Total time

30 mins

 

A fall twist on the classic pumpkin cream cheese and bagel you often see at bagel retailers during the holidays!

Author: Addie Martanovic

Cuisine: Breakfast

Serves: 1

Ingredients

• 1 sprouted wheat english muffin (I use Food For Life baking)
• 2 tbsp Kite Hill Plain Cream Cheese (dairy-free brand)
• 2 tbsp pure pumpkin puree
• 1 fuji apple
• 1 tbsp cinnamon
• ½ tbsp organic coconut oil

Instructions

1. Begin by slicing your english muffin in half and cutting a small hole in the center of each muffin half.
2. Toast the bagel to your liking.
3. Pre-heat your oven to 350º. Cut your apple into thin slices, toss in cinnamon and coconut oil and place on a baking sheet.
4. Place apple slices in oven for 10 minutes, take out to flip apples and put back in for another 15.
5. In a small bowl, incorporate cream cheese and pumpkin puree together until well blended.
6. Spread the pumpkin cream cheese on toasted bagel evenly.
7. Take out your baked apple pieces and let cool for about a minute or so. Top on your bagel.
8. Enjoy this pure pumpkin magic! 🙂

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The longer you cook your apples in low heat, the crispier they will be and have that baked apple chip texture. Mine were in between a little squishy and roasted, a perfect combo reminiscent of apple pie or sauteed apples my mom used to make me as a kid.

I’ve been a huge fan of Kite Hill’s cream cheese style spread for a few weeks now and every time I’m craving something cheesy on my toast or for a veggie dip, I pick up a tub of this. The chive variety is equally as awesome but if you want to blend it with different ingredients, as I did with pumpkin, you should pick the plain flavor.

 After eating this make-shift pumpkin cream cheese and “homemade” bagel, I now am enticed to roast all of my apples in cinnamon, throw pumpkin pie spice on every smoothie I blend together and if you’re feeling it, why not add a few pumpkin seeds on top of your slices? Maybe some spiced granola? I’ve been reaching for my Whole Foods autumn harvest granola lately, sweetened with apple sauce. I can snack on that endlessly.

Can it be fall forever so we can just eat fall produce every day? Yes? Sounds good.

-Addie

*This post was not sponsored by either brand but I only promote products on my blog which I love and trust.*