It’s officially fall. And fall often means it’s time for some delicious pumpkin goodies. But, if you’re trying to indulge in the pumpkin season and still watch your nutrition, it can be a hard balance to strike. Pumpkin spice lattes. Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins. Pumpkin Rolls. They all scream out from the nearest coffee shop counter, luring you in with their heavenly seasonal aroma. So, instead of abstaining from pumpkin treats all together, I offer you a lovely little pumpkin recipe that is sure to indulge that craving for pumpkin goodness while still fitting into a healthier, more nutritionally-sound lifestyle. This “bread” is naturally gluten free and dairy free, contains only natural sugars, and uses healthy fats from almonds. Whip a pan of these beauties up today and enjoy the new taste of fall.
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
1/2 cup almond butter (I made my own)*
¼ cup honey
2 eggs
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp ginger
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp teaspoon baking soda
Preheat your oven to 350*. Lightly grease an 8×8″ pan with coconut oil or butter. Toss all of your ingredients into a medium-sized bowl and whisk until smooth. Pour into the greased pan and bake for about 20-25 minutes. The edges should be just turning golden brown and the center should be slightly firm.
Remove pan from oven and let cool on a cooling rack in pan until completely cool. Cut into squares 16, 2”x2”squares and enjoy. For a perfect snack portion, try 2 squares of “bread” with a hot cup of tea.
*to make your own almond butter, all you need are almonds, a food processor, and patience. Plop some almonds (skins and all) into your food processor. Mix/blend/chop. For a long time. Scraping sides as necessary. It will look crumbly and like it will never come together or form anything resembling a smooth, creamy nut butter. Keep going. It will. (I think it took me somewhere between 15 and 20 minutes; I used two and a half handfuls of almonds and ended up with just under a cup)
Two 2”x2” squares provide 142 calories, 8 grams of healthy fat, 14g of carbohydrate, 5 grams of protein, 40% of your daily vitamin A, 5% of your daily iron, and 5% of your daily calcium
