Easy Pumpkin Pasta – Single Serving

Easy Pumpkin Pasta – Single Serving

by | Oct 30, 2017 | Health, Home, Recipes

Y’all know I’m hardcore into pumpkin these days.  I just love my orange vegetables and fall produce is chock full of them.  Sweet potatoes, acorn squash, pumpkin, butternut squash—I like them all.   

Fun fact: at a recent doctor’s appointment, I was told that my skin color looked a bit orange.  The doctor asked if I drink a lot of carrot juice.  I haven’t had carrot juice in years but I do eat A LOT of orangey fruit and veg.  I tried abstaining from beta carotene rich plants for, like, a week and then luteal phase happened.  Soooo I’m in squash heaven right now and will get back to human civilization (aka skin color) sometime in the future. 

For now, we have pumpkin pasta to enjoy! 

Just like my Broccoli and Carrot Pasta with Parlsey-Cilantro Pesto, this pasta recipe is also adaptable.  I like using sage or thyme in this recipe but italian seasoning or curry powder would probably taste really good, as well! 

I served mine with some fresh salad greens (as shown) but try mixing in 2 handfuls of spinach!  The greens wilt slightly from the heat of the pasta and there is definitely enough pumpkin sauce to go around.  It’s super creamy without any milk!   

As a finishing touch, I like to toast some walnuts to add a bit of a savory crumble to the dish.  You could also just sprinkle more nutritional yeast or some hemp seeds to pump up the protein.  Whatever spin you take on this, let me know by tagging me on Instagram or leaving a comment down below.  I greatly value your feedback 🙂 

Recipe time!  

Pumpkin Pasta
Recipe Type: Entree
Cuisine: American
Author: Melanie
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 1 serving
Ingredients
  • A 2 or 3 oz serving of pasta
  • 1 ½ cup pumpkin puree
  • 1 tbsp nutritional yeast
  • ¼ tsp onion powder
  • ½ tsp ground sage or thyme
  • ¼ to ½ tsp salt
  • 1 tbsp toasted walnuts, for topping
Instructions
  1. Boil a serving of pasta (2 or 3 oz works) until al dente.
  2. In a bowl, mix up 1/2 cup pumpkin puree, 1 tbsp nutritional yeast, 1/4 tsp onion powder, 1/2 tsp ground sage, and salt (I like a scant 1/2 tsp).
  3. When pasta is cooked, reserve half a cup of water before draining.
  4. In the bowl, or the pot you boiled the pasta, add the pumpkin mixture to the pasta. Add 3-4 tbsp of reserved cooking water to create a saucey texture. And you’re finished!
  5. I like to add toasted walnuts to the top but this pasta also tastes delish with spinach mixed in. Feel free to sprinkle extra nutritional yeast, too 😉

This recipe is made in participation of the #Banzaplus5 recipe contest on Instagram.  See my other entry here.

Pumpkin Coconut Treat Bars

Pumpkin Coconut Treat Bars

by | Oct 18, 2017 | Health, Home, Recipes

Pumpkin Spice and everything nice is what makes fall feel like FALL for me.  Please, hold the eye roll.  Evidently, the internet is all hyped about fall these days but let me tell you: I’ve been a fan of fall before it was trendy.  Yes, I went there. Fall holds meaning for me even without the glamorized PSL which may actually have a new flavor competitor around—see here.  Basically, winter and spring are almost nonexistent in southern California.  And summer?  No thank you, 120 degree weather. 

My dear fall, you are what I look forward to each year.  All I need are some breezy cool days where I can wear my cardigan and scarf and sip on my eat my pumpkin coconut treats.  HOORAY!

Throwback moment: my favorite childhood snack was the packaged rice krispy treats.  Not even the homemade kind!  The rice krispy treats in the blue packaging were perfect because of their balance of sweetness and textures—crunchy yet soft!  As you know, I like healthifying sweet treats.  So, I put a spin on my fave classic WITHOUT marshmallows for some pumpkin coconut NOT SCARY treat fun.  I know, it almost sounds sacrilegious.  Still, I think you’ll find that these are sweet and satisfying on their own and healthier than the sugar-laden original. 

Also, this recipe is a good use for date puree, or, date caramel as Minimalist Baker calls it.  Honestly, date caramel is what sweet dreams are made of and I highly recommend making some.  Although, if you want to substitute whole dates, you can try 2 (take out the pits!) and blend them up with the pumpkin and coconut oil until smooth. 

I know fall is all about baking but make room in your freezer for this no-bake treat!  You can thank me later.pumpkin coconut treat bars

Pumpkin Coconut Treat Bars
Recipe Type: Snacks
Author: Melanie
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 8 bars
These Pumpkin Coconut Not Scary Treat Bars are made with ingredients you can recognize. They’re wholesome, satisfying, and no marshmallows are required!
Ingredients
  • ¼ cup pumpkin puree
  • ¼ cup melted coconut oil
  • 2 tbsp almond butter
  • 3 tbsp date caramel
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • ½ tsp nutmeg
  • ½ tsp allspice
  • 1/8 tsp salt
  • 2 cups Erewhon cinnamon brown rice cereal or other brown rice cereal
  • 2 tbsp sweetened shredded coconut, plus more for topping
Instructions
  1. First up, grease a loaf pan with coconut oil or line with wax paper so that the bars will be easy to remove.
  2. In a medium bowl, combine the pumpkin, coconut oil, almond butter, date caramel, and spices. Stir in the brown rice cereal and shredded coconut. Adjust to taste by adding a pinch of salt or a sprinkle of granulated sugar, if needed.
  3. Press the mixture into the loaf pan, making sure to fill the corners. Then, place in the freezer for 2 hours to solidify.
  4. Remove from freezer and cut into 8 squares. The bars taste best when stored in the freezer. Just leave them out to thaw for a minute before you are ready to eat one!
Notes
I used sweetened shredded coconut because I ran out of the unsweetened kind. You could definitely use unsweetened shredded coconut and perhaps add a teaspoon of granulated sweetener like coconut or brown sugar to make the bars sweeter. I just don’t recommend coconut flakes because those will be too thick and chunky for the bars.[br]Additionally, “cook time” reflects time in the freezer. This is a no-bake recipe.
1 Bowl GF + V Pumpkin Cookies

1 Bowl GF + V Pumpkin Cookies

by | Jun 23, 2017 | Health, Home, Recipes

When I was younger, my mom used to bake up cookies every few weeks to feed the sweet tooth that my sister and I had.  As a kid, nothing was better than a glass of milk and a belly full of cookies.  YES.  I had no self-restraint and never stopped at just one.  Homemade cookies are best when fresh so I would eat 4-5 that first day…and the second day…and maybe just two or three after that…if there were still any cookies left.

pumpkin cookies

Sadly, traditional cookies have several cups of sugar, white flour, butter, plus additional sugary add-ins.  Yupp, I don’t know how young Melanie did it!  If I tried to recreate my old 4-5 cookies indulgence these days I would definitely end up with a stomach ache.  Nowadays, I don’t crave cookies in the same way.  Though, sometimes your girl gets a craving for healthified versions of old favorites.  Thus, I whipped up some cookies that I consider to be more nutritionally balanced.

pumpkin cookies

Ingredients breakdown:

We’ve got banana and pumpkin to soften up the cookies and a mere ½ cup of sugar to sweeten them up.  I am extremely cautious about my sugar intake and, ever since reading Woman Code, I try to avoid adding excess sugar unless absolutely necessary (sidenote: possible post on this in the upcoming future).  The fact is: cookies just don’t taste like cookies without some kind of sweetener.  These are just lightly sweetened with a mixture of brown and coconut sugar.  Of course, you could add an extra ¼ cup of sugar for sweeter cookies.  Feel free taste-test the batter 😉  Though, I think you’ll find there is something nice about the subtle level of sweetness in these.

Also, let’s not forget about fats.  I know there are some cookie recipes out there that might bake up with simply banana but I like incorporating healthy fats into my food.  Why, you ask?  Well, fat helps slow the absorption of sugar and keeps me satiated.  Not to mention, it helps make the cookies crisp up on the outside and stay fluffy on the inside.

In addition, you can include up to a cup worth of dried fruit, nuts, ALOHA brand chopped chocolate, or whatever you like.  I went with a small amount of chocolate and walnuts to add a bit more healthy fats and protein.  Speaking of protein, definitely try adding a scoop of your favorite protein powder, if you’d like.  Sometimes my family can taste the protein powder in baked goods so I went with an unflavored plant-based protein powder from The Natural Citizen.  That is totally optional, though.  I’ll provide alternatives to the protein powder in the recipe!

pumpkin cookies

 

pumpkin cookies

Without further ado, here is the recipe for the pumpkin cookies:

 

GF + V Pumpkin Cookies
Recipe Type: Snacks, Dessert
Cuisine: Cookies
Author: Melanie
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 24
I call these cookies while my sister likes to call them muffins. Whatever you call them, they are good. My sister is hard to please but I got a thumbs up from her with these cookies (or muffins). They are lightly sweet but still delicious!
Ingredients
  • ¼ cup mashed banana (about ½ a banana)
  • ¾ cup pumpkin puree
  • ¼ cup coconut sugar
  • ¼ cup brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon allspice
  • ½ teaspoon cinnamon
  • ½ cup melted warm coconut oil
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ½ cup of almonds, ground into meal/flour
  • 1½ cups oat flour (blend from 1½ cups whole rolled oats)
  • ½ cup whole rolled oats
  • 2 servings of unflavored plant-based protein powder (½ cup worth)*
  • 1/3 cup chopped dark chocolate
  • ½ cup chopped walnuts, save some for topping
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 375°F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or baking mat.
  2. In a medium bowl, combine the banana and pumpkin puree. Then, stir in the sugars, baking soda, spices, coconut oil, and vanilla extract.
  3. Use a food processor or blender to process the almonds to make a fine flour. Repeat for the oat flour.
  4. To the wet ingredients, add the processed almond and oat flour, along with the whole rolled oats and protein powder.
  5. Next, fold in the chocolate chips and half of the walnuts. Use a large cookie scoop to drop dollops of the cookie dough onto the baking sheet. Place a few walnut crumbs on top of each cookie.
  6. Bake for 13 to 14 minutes or until the tops have browned (don’t under-bake). Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for a minute before moving to a wire rack to cool for 10 to 15 minutes more. Bake the remaining cookie dough until all is finished.
  7. I know cookies are irresistible out of the oven but if you wait for them to cool, they will be much better. They won’t be as fall-apart delicate and their flavor will be more visible.
  8. When cookies are completely cool, they can be stored in an airtight container or frozen.
Notes
*I use The Natural Citizen’s unflavored Organic Protein in this recipe. A flavored protein may mess with the taste so I recommend this one. Alternatively, you can easily substitute the ½ cup of protein powder for more oat flour or almond flour.[br]Evidently, if any of the ingredients are cold, that will make the coconut oil clump up. Small specks are okay but large clumps need to be dissolved. You can lightly warm the batter in a microwave safe bowl and proceed with the recipe.[br]Instead of grinding almonds yourself (which I recommend for the freshest taste), you can also use ½ cup almond or peanut flour.

Cookie recipe adapted from Love and Lemon’s Pumpkin Oatmeal Chocolate Chip recipe.

As always, please let me know what you think if you give this recipe a try!  Leave a comment below or tag me on Instagram.