Tag Archives: #pumpkin

By popular demand: Fresh Pumpkin Cookies

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After making these pumpkin cookies for a friend that really digs pumpkin, and wanting to make a healthier version of pumpkin chocolate chip cookies, I think I have pretty much perfected the recipe.  I do use coconut palm sugar as a sweetener, and chocolate chips, but I buy the least processed I can find! Since so many have requested the recipe, here it is for all to enjoy:

Nurse Bridgid’s pumpkin chocolate chip cookies!

2 cups freshly roasted pumpkin

1 cup coconut palm sugar ( I use coconut palm sugar but I’ve also made these with raw sugar and decreased to 3/4 cup)

1/2 cup vegetable oil (I use pumpkin, flaxseed, chia, or grape seed oil instead of traditional vegetable oil)

1 egg

2 cups flour (I make my own oat flour as a base, but I have made them with white flour and wheat flour too)

2 teaspoons baking powder

4 teaspoons ground cinnamon

4 teaspoons allspice

4 teaspoons ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon milk

1 tablespoon vanilla extract (pure vanilla)

2 cups chocolate chips

1. Combine pumpkin, sugar, vegetable oil, and egg with a mixer.

2. In a separate bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, ground cinnamon/allspice/ginger, and salt. Dissolve the baking soda with the milk and stir in.

3. Add flour mixture to pumpkin mixture and mix well.

4. Add vanilla and chocolate chips (you could probably add nuts too!)

5. Drop by spoonful on a parchment paper covered cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees F for approximately 12 minutes or until lightly brown.

*They don’t really firm up like “regular” cookies due to their pumpkin base and because they are made with pumpkin, I refrigerate them instead of leaving them out and just reheat for a few minutes before serving….unless they are fresh out of the oven!

Give them a try and let me know what you think, and enjoy those fresh fall pumpkins!

Yours in Good Health

B

A few reasons Pumpkin is a True Super Food!

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I love summer, and I always get really bummed when the weather starts to cool off, and I know that Fall will be here…and then the dreaded winter. I digress. The fall can be such a great time and some of my most favorite foods are available: Macintosh apples, apple cider, pumpkins, and tons of different squashes pop up at my local farms. I love pumpkin baked goods, but I don’t like fake pumpkin, so I get really excited when sugar pumpkins are available so I can roast them and use fresh pumpkin in my recipes and get all of the nutritional benefits! Pumpkins aren’t only pretty and yummy, they really are good for you.

What makes Pumpkin a Super Food?

For one thing, it is low in calories: 49 calories in a cup of pumpkin, which also contains 3 grams of fiber, 2 grams of protein, and lots of vitamins and nutrients!  One serving of pumpkin contains almost double the recommended daily dose of beta-carotene, also known as Vitamin A, which can help to prevent free radicals (presumable prevent certain types of cancer), improve eye sight/vision, tighten skin (or prevent wrinkles), and also protect against heart disease. They are also rich in Zinc, Magnesium, Calcium, Folate, Vitamin C, and Potassium (way more than bananas which can help to replace electrolytes lost during workouts.)

That whopping dose of fiber can help to make you feel fuller faster, and with lower calories in the pumpkin, it can also help with weight loss.  That much fiber can also help keep your bowels more regular (if you are in need of that!)

One of the amino acids present in pumpkins, and pumpkin seeds, can boost your serotonin. Serotonin is the neurotransmitter that improves your mood and makes you feel happier. Maybe there is some reason I feel like I am a pumpkin addict: it makes me happy! I do feel like people who like pumpkin go pumpkin crazy as soon as it’s available, and maybe there is some science to that.

How to Roast Your Own?

pumpkin collageIt couldn’t be easier:

1.  Get a sugar pumpkin and wash the outside to remove all dirt.

2. Cut your pumpkin in half.

3. Scoop out the seeds and inside strings with a spoon. You can save the seeds, dry them and roast them separately or just toss them.

4. Flip the pumpkins so the skin side is up, and poke a few fork holes in the skin to allow steam to escape when roasting and roast in your oven, in a roasting pan, for around 45-50 minutes on 375F.

When they are done roasting, let them cool, and the pumpkin flesh should be really soft and scoop right out. You can add this to any dish that calls for canned pumpkin in the same amount, and just add your own spices.  It is SO easy, and so much better tasting, plus there are no preservatives…I see no negatives!

So feel good about it, go get your pumpkin on, and feel good about indulging in Fall’s favorite Super Food!

Yours in Good Health

B