On the Lighter Side: Pumpkin Pudding

I’ve been struggling with my diet lately. Not with what I’m eating, but with how much I’m eating. Apparently. I say apparently because I’ve gained a few pounds since October. I think I never got out of vacation mode from our road trip to PA. I tried not to get into vacation mode in the first place, but with so many Whole Foods everywhere we went, I couldn’t help myself! Well, that and the car-sickness that required pretzels. Lots and lots of pretzels. Regardless of the cause, here I am. And the only way I know to rectify the situation is to track my caloric intake for a while. I have a range of calories I try to stay between, and for months and months, I was naturally doing that. (I know because I was spot checking my intake.) So, for the next few weeks (or maybe even months), I’ll be tracking calories…again. And part of that includes lightening up some of my new favorite dishes – and reducing my fat intake. (I added some oils into my diet a while ago and increased my nut and seed butter intake.) I’m also considering adding in some beans and legumes and maybe a few gluten-free grains like quinoa (really a seed) and wild rice (really a grass). [I'll have a post soon on the current state of my diet: raw, high-fat raw, low-fat raw, cooked, grain-free, bean-free, etc.]

To restart the lighter side of my diet, I lightened up one of my new favorite breakfasts. This recipe is full of vitamin A and beta carotene from the pumpkin (and absorbed nicely thanks to the fat in the chia seeds and almonds); gives you a nice dose of protein and EFA’s from the chia seeds (Can you say Omega 3′s?); and selenium from the almonds (in the almond milk – a mineral that can be hard to get in a primarily raw or grain-free-vegan diet). This powerhouse breakfast can be made the night before and comes in at around 200 calories for a giant bowl of goodness.

Lightened Up Pumpkin Pudding

2 TBSP chia seeds (I like to use white, but brown are fine)

1/2 c almond milk (plain or vanilla, unsweetened)

1 tsp vanilla

1 c (not packed) pumpkin puree

1 TBSP maple syrup (optional) or 1 pkt (about 1/4 tsp) stevia

Combine the almond milk, chia seeds, vanilla, and sweetener. Allow to sit for about a half hour (or longer) for the seeds to gel/thicken. Stir in pumpkin before eating. (Or, make everything ahead and eat when you’re ready.)

Notes:

Keepin’ it Raw: To make this dish completely raw, make your own almond milk from raw almonds (It only takes 5 minutes; try it!); peel, seed, grate and process the raw pumpkin into a puree; use a raw sweetener such as date paste; and sprinkle in a little vanilla powder or raw vanilla extract.

Alcohol-free Vanilla: I’ve been using TJ’s brand alcohol-free vanilla for about a year, and I love it! I’ve yet to find a cheaper source for it, either. If anyone knows of  one, please share! It’s still pretty expensive (but worth it…so far – ha!)

This recipe is a lot lighter than the pumpkin pudding I was eating a couple of weeks ago – the filling for my Raw Pumpkin Cheesecake, which is great for a treat, but probably not the best idea for a daily breakfast. (But boy oh boy, cashew cream makes everything so delicious!)

Left over pumpkin? No worries. It keeps well in the fridge, OR use some of the left-over in a Pumpkin Spice Latte!

Sharing the love at Raw Food Thursdays, Healthy Vegan Fridays and Wellness Weekends.

Raw Oatmeal

It’s definitely fall in my area, and that means cooler temps. A lot cooler temps. And cooler temperatures means I want heartier food. Notice I didn’t say warmer. That doesn’t seems to affect me much, but when I’m chilled, I want hearty, super filling foods. Instead of reaching for breads and pastas, this year, I’m reaching for raw grains. And the first little treasure on my list is oat groats.

I got the idea for this recipe from Rawfully Tempting’s Fabulous Living Oatmeal.

Raw Oatmeal

1 c soaked oat groats

1 lg or 2 sm apples, chopped

1/2 c goji berries, soaked

1/2 c raisins (red or golden – soaked if necessary)

2 TBSP hemp seeds, heaping

Additional sweetener as needed (try stevia, maple syrup, dates or date paste, coconut or maple sugar, etc)

Soak the oat groats over night. Drain and rinse thoroughly. Add groats to mini-chopper. Pulse to breakup the groats so they’re easier to chew, or blend until they’re mushy like regular oatmeal. Remove groats and place in a bowl. Sprinkle groats with hemp seeds. Top with goji berries and raisins. Place bowl in dehydrator for a few hours to warm or eat at room temperature.

Add-ons: Try adding seasonal fruit such as apples, dates, or pumpkin puree. Use your favorite nuts and/or seeds instead of pumpkin seeds. Give your breakfast a tropical flair by adding banana (sliced or mashed/blended), coconut shreds, coconut milk, pineapple, etc. If you like your oats a little more like cereal, add your favorite non-dairy milk. Try blending it with the groats. (I find the water from the soaked groats and the soaked pumpkin seeds adds enough moisture.)

Recipe Review: Happy Herbivore’s Cinnamon Buns

Christmas morning I was determined to make cinnamon rolls for breakfast. So I did. And they were delicious!

HH Cinnamon Roll

This was the first time I’ve ever made homemade cinnamon rolls, having only made the tube kind before, (All those trans fats from back in the day are still haunting my hips me.) so I’m really glad they turned out well!

I made Happy Herbivore’s Whole Wheat, Fat Free Vegan Cinnamon Buns (You can find this recipe online or in The Happy Herbivore Cookbook); I did have to make a few alterations, including using only 2 cups of flour instead of 2.5 (the dough was already pretty dry with the 2 cups, so adding that additional 1/2 cup would have made the dough WAY too dry), and using 5 tsp of almond milk in the glaze instead of 1 (1 didn’t even touch the 1 cup of powdered sugar). (I also added a dab of vanilla). I didn’t mind making the alterations because the final product was so delicious.

HH Cinnamon Rolls swimming in glaze

I ended up with 7 giant rolls instead of 6 as the recipe indicated, but that’s fine with me! After Mr. M and I each ate cinnamon rolls until we were in sugar comas (I call them rolls, but Mr. M and Lindsay both call them buns – interesting), I ended up freezing the left-overs in individual portions for one of those I-need-sugar mornings.