Fall is in the air. And you know what that mean….Pumpkins!!! Pumpkins are a staple during Halloween and on the Thanksgiving table. Pumpkins are a very versatile vegetable. They are used in desserts, soups, lattes (Shout out to all those Starbucks fans!), and even breakfast foods. I have tried a couple of recipes in preparation for pumpkin season. The first one that I tried is a healthy version of pumpkin pie without the crust. It was originally made by Taralynn McNitt, who writes the healthy food blog, The Undressed Skeleton. I thought it tastes more like mini pumpkin bread bites, but you can be the judge of that.

Undressed Skeleton’s Crust-less Pumpkin Pies

-1 Can (15 ounces) Pumpkin Puree

-1 Tablespoon Ground Cinnamon

-3/4 Cup Unsweetened Applesauce

-1 Teaspoon Baking Soda

-1 Tablespoon Baking Powder

-1 Packet (Scoop) Vanilla Protein Powder (or 1 tsp vanilla)

-1/4 Cup Ground Flax Seed (1/4 almond or coconut flour can be used)

-1 Egg White (if you want to make these vegan, replace egg white with 3 tablespoons of Chia seeds)

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
2. Add Pumpkin Puree to a large mixing bowl
3. Add egg white or 3 tablespoons of chia seeds into the mixing bowl (I used the chia seeds)
4. Pour in unsweetened apple sauce
5. Add one teaspoon of baking soda and one teaspoon of baking powder
6. Add 1/4 cup ground flax but if you don’t have ground flax you can substitute in 1/4 cup of almond flour or coconut flour (I used the almond flour and it worked well)
7. Mix in vanilla protein powder or 1 teaspoon of vanilla
8. Mix in cinnamon (I used a pumpkin pie spice that was really tasty)
9. Fill a muffin tin with liners and spray them with canola oil
10. Fill each liner up half way with the pumpkin filling
11. Put them in the oven for 20-24 minutes

Recipe Makes 10 Servings

Nutrition Without Topping: 61 Calories, 8 g Carbs, 2 g Fat, 5 g Protein, 4 g Fiber, 3 g Sugar

Another recipe that has always been a hit in my family is my grandmother’s pumpkin bread. One of my favorite foods is actually pumpkin bread, and the kind that she makes is the best. She got the recipe a couple of years ago from Cook Smart magazine, and it has never been a miss.

Cook Smart’s Pumpkin Bread

–      1/2 can of Pumpkin Puree

–      1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon

–      1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg

–      1/2 teaspoon of cloves

–      1/4 cup water

–      1 3/4 cup brown sugar

–      1/2 cup vegetable oil

–      2 large eggs, lightly beaten

–      1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour

–      1 teaspoon baking soda

–      3/4 teaspoon salt

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees
2. Heat pumpkin, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves in a saucepan over medium heat until the mixture is steamy
3. Stir the mixture until the pumpkin starts to stick to the bottom of the pan, this should take about 3 minutes
4. Transfer mixture into a medium bowl
5. Whisk in water, then brown sugar, then oil, then the eggs
6. Stir until smooth
7. Whisk together remaining dry ingredients in a separate bowl
8. Fold into pumpkin mixture until just combined
9. Scrape batter into 1 9 inch pan
10. Bake for 70 minutes
11. Let bread stand for a few minutes
12. Place on wire rack to cool until room temperature
13. Serve or freeze!

Serves 15