fftf: it's pumpkin dip time of year! 🎃

Hi friend!

It was a perfect fall day today in San Francisco and since it's halfway through October, it's time I remind you of (or introduce you to) one of my favorite Fall recipes of all time - pumpkin almond dip!

If you've been following me for a while, then you've heard about this. In that case, consider this your reminder that it's the time of year to make it!

If you've never heard of it, then let me introduce you to one of my easiest and best recipes of all time. Four ingredients, 5 minutes, simply a spoon required - you gotta try it!

Backstory on this recipe: When I was in second grade, a classmate's mom (Mrs. Dapper) sent all the kids home with a photo-copied recipe for pumpkin dip - pumpkin mixed with cream cheese and spices and sugar blended together and served with apples and nilla wafers. I can still picture the print-out with her handwriting and a big pumpkin drawn around the ingredient list - crazy how certain memories stick around like that!

This is my recreated adult version (although kids are sure to like it too). I eliminated the dairy, although yogurt would be really good mixed into this too. I prefer to make this in a half-eaten jar of almond butter, and if you happen to have an iced-tea spoon (a small-ish spoon with a long handle), that works perfectly to make sure you blend in all the almond butter bits on the side of the jar.

Per my usual style, this is more of a "guideline for mixing" than a recipe with specific quantities. Sometimes I make it thicker (less pumpkin, less or no almond milk), and sometimes I make it lighter, more like a whippy dip (more pumpkin, more almond milk). Experiment with different nut butters and different milks (I don't like peanut butter with pumpkin so that's the only one I don't recommend but, you do you!). Though I've found almond to be my favorite, I've heard from some fans that cashew-butter pumpkin dip is also delish. Always remember to taste and adjust until it tastes really good to you! Enjoy!!

Love,
Jess

Pumpkin Almond Dip by Jessica Lioon // Garlic Press Jess
Takes ~5 minutes, makes about 1.5 cups

Ingredients:

about half a jar of almond butter
about 1/3 - 1/2 of a 15oz can of pumpkin
dash of cinnamon OR pumpkin pie spice OR cinnamon + nutmeg + cloves
1 tsp/dash of almond milk (or any other kind of milk)
(optional) 1-2 tsp maple syrup, to taste
*if using unsalted almond butter, add a sprinkle of salt

Instructions:

I usually make this in a half-empty jar of almond butter, but you can make it in whatever container you wish to store it. Select your container (a bowl works just fine).
Add the almond butter, a few spoonfuls of pumpkin (about 1/3 of the can), a dash of almond milk, and spices to your container.
Stir gently until well blended, making sure you scrape up all the almond butter and blend it in.
Taste and add more pumpkin and/or other ingredients as you like.
Store in the fridge for up to a week. Spread on toast, crackers, or apple/pear slices. Or just eat it by the spoonful, as I most often do!

All photos are taken by me and recipes written by me, unless otherwise noted.

If you like this email, it would mean so much to me if you'd forward it along to your favorite food-loving friends. Wannabe subscribers can sign up here. Thanks for reading!

In case you missed out, here are a few past issues to check out:

October 8: delicata squash with surprise crunchy insides 🍂
October 1: crispy✨ roasted cabbage: if you don't know, now you know!
September 24: stewwwwwwed tomatoes 🍅 and clean-out-the-fridge soup
September 17: next on the chopping 🪓 block ... plastic wrap!

September 10: when you're lost - spice, sauce, or toss!
August 13: eliminate this annoying task from your cooking 🙅‍♀️
August 6: hold the cutting board 🍑 save the JUICE 🍅
July 23: finding a FLOW state in cooking ✨
April 2: I gasped when I looked in the mirror and saw this

March 5: the tinder message I'm still thinking about 1 year later 🔥

Hi, I'm Jess! I help health-conscious, busy people transform their cooking from chore to lifestyle through intuitive cooking, which I teach through online classes, free content, coaching and more. This is my newsletter, Food for Thought Fridays, where I share highly actionable tips and inspiration to help you cook more intuitively (which makes cooking feel easier and SO much more fun!). Once a month, I share a recipe that's really worth making, and I only share those with my email subscribers. Sometimes the text above may include affiliate links, meaning (at no additional cost to you) I get a commission if you click through and make a purchase. This helps me to continue to share free content, so I would love it if you buy through my link! Thank you for supporting Garlic Press Jess!

I currently work + live on land that is the unceded territory of the Ramaytush Ohlone. And I can't wait to eat at Cafe Ohlone! Check out this article about them.