How much pumpkin is too much pumpkin? The limit does not exist – which is why I’ve been gobbling up pumpkin morning, noon and night, with no end in sight. Usually pumpkin is relegated to sweet dishes like pies, puddings and pastries. But I’ve been determined to explore all the facets of pumpkin, including a slew of healthy breakfast options like pumpkin chia pudding and slow cooker overnight oats, along with the savory side with dishes like pumpkin quinoa chili and pumpkin alfredo. Read on for my all-time favorite, healthified pumpkin dishes!

It’s quite possible that pumpkin is my favorite ingredient. The only other fruit (yes, it’s a fruit!) that comes close to competing – the avocado. But it’s fall y’all…which means everything pumpkin! There’s just something about the flavor that makes you feel all cozy inside. Plus, there’s the scarcity effect that Starbucks created with the PSL craze. Worth it. I don’t care how basic. But don’t look at the sugar count…it will ruin PSL forever. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.

Anywho…in pulling together some of my favorite pumpkin recipes, I thought it would be fun to scour the Web for some fun facts about the great pumpkin. If there’s a Halloween trivia night near you, you’ll double your chances of winning with these factoids.

Everything You Didn’t Know About Pumpkins:

1.) Watch Out Butter, Pumpkin is Perfect Swaperoo! In baking recipes, you can swap butter in a 1: 3/4 ratio. So if a recipe calls for 1 cup of butter, you can swap 3/4 cup pumpkin puree to cut down on the fat and calories. It’s also a 1:1 substitute for oils for added nutrients that still maintain the moisture.

2.) Pumpkin Will Have You Seeing Stars: Why? Because the ample beta carotene in pumpkin is converted by your body into Vitamin A. And Vitamin A helps keep eyes healthy and also acts as a natural sunscreen. Don’t give up the sunscreen – just eat up and lube up for maximum protection.

3.) The OG Jack-O-Lantern Was a Turnip: Turns out the Irish used to use turnips and potatoes to ward off spirits and the English used beets. When the Irish immigrated to the U.S., they found pumpkins much easier to carve.

4.) October ‘Tis the Season for Pumpkins: According to Good Housekeeping, 1.5 billion pounds of pumpkin are produced each year and 80% of that is sold in the month of October. So there IS a reason PSL is limited edition.

5.) Trader Joe’s Is BACK with a New Slew of Pumpkin Products: Real Simple put together this list of the newest pumpkin products to hit the shelves at Trader Joe’s this year. It’s missing my ultimate favorite, which happens to be on-shelf year long because it’s that good: Trader Joe’s Pumpkin Pancake Mix. It’s whole wheat, so you can feel slightly better about downing a stack and has the perfect amount of sweet & spice.

You’re welcome for all the pumpkin wisdom. I hope you at least think of me when you win Halloween trivia night!

Now onto the good stuff: my 5 favorite pumpkin recipes that I’ll be making all fall long! Who am I kidding? All year long if I can get my hands on some pumpkin. While I’ve always been one for a sweet pumpkin dish, I’ve always been a teensy bit skeptical about savory dishes. This year, I decided to take the plunge. And not only was this experimentation successful, but I think I found my new favorite pasta dish! The pumpkin fettuccine alfredo is rich and creamy like mac & cheese. But it’s not nearly as decadent as it tastes because it’s made with a base of cauliflower and pumpkin. And the pumpkin chili is unbelievably easy to make in a slow cooker for nights when you just want dinner done when you walk in the door.

So, drumroll…here are some of the best pumpkin recipes out there according to me, myself and I!

Top 5 Unbelievably Good Pumpkin Recipes (in no particular order):

Healthier Pumpkin Fettuccine Alfred
Serves: 4

Ingredients:
-1 head of cauliflower, trimmed and cut into florets
– 32oz of broth of choice (option to sub water, but won’t be quite as flavorful)
-3 T Vital Farms pasture-raised butter or ghee
-1 tsp garlic, minced
-1 bunch of fresh sage leaves
-1/3 C Libby’s Pumpkin Puree 
-1/3 C half & half
-1/3 C freshly grated Parmesan cheese (do not use the dried stuff in the canister)
-1 tsp salt
-1/4 black pepper
-1 package of fettuccine noodles, cooked according to box directions
-optional toppings: additional Parmesan cheese and pecan pieces

Directions:
Step 1: Steam the cauliflower by bringing about 1-inch of broth or water to a boil in a large pot with a steamer insert. Add the cauliflower once the liquid is boiling and cover the pot. Allow it to steam for about 15 minutes, or until the florets are soft when pierced with a fork, but not completely falling apart and mushy (very technical). Remove the cauliflower and reserve about 3/4 of the liquid from the pot.
Step 2: Place half the cauliflower in a food processor with 1/4 of the reserved liquid. Puree until smooth. Add the remaining cauliflower and pumpkin. Continue to puree, adding more liquid as needed. The goal is to add as little liquid as possible since you don’t want it to be soup, so you likely won’t need the full 3/4 C.
Step 3: Start to cook your pasta in the meantime if you’ haven’t already. While the pasta cooks, heat a large saute pan to medium heat, adding the butter, garlic and a few sage leaves. Stir continuously for 30 seconds to a minute, or until the butter is melted and fragrant. Then, add the cauliflower and pumpkin puree to the pan along with the half and half. Stir to combine. Lastly, add in the grated parmesan cheese just before you’re ready to serve. Once the noodles are ready, add them to the pan and toss to combine with a tongs. Option to top with additional Parmesan cheese and pecan pieces. Enjoy!

Pumpkin Chia Pudding:
Serves: 3

Ingredients:
– 1 C of Libby’s Pumpkin Puree (about 1/2 the can)
– 1 1/2 C of unsweetened vanilla almond milk
– 1/4 C of chia seeds
– 1/2 tsp of pumpkin pie spice
-optional toppings: bananas, whipped coconut cream or yogurt, pecans

Directions:
Step 1: Make the chia pudding by placing the pumpkin puree, almond milk and pumpkin pie seasoning in a large glass mason jar or bowl. Stir to combine. Add the chia seeds and stir again. The chia seeds will very quickly start to bind together, which is why I like to ensure all the other ingredients are mixed together before adding the chia seeds. Place the mason jar or bowl in the fridge overnight.
Step 2: Remove from the fridge and enjoy as-is. Or, make a single serve parfait as shown by layering 1/3 of the pumpkin chia pudding in a bowl and topping with 1/2 sliced banana, handful of pecans and whipped coconut cream (check my prior post for the coconut cream recipe used on the sweet potato toast).

Edible Pumpkin Chickpea Cookie Dough Dip
Serves: 10-12

Ingredients: 
-1/4 C Libby’s Pumpkin Puree 
-1 tsp pumpkin spice
-1 can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
-1/8 tsp salt
-2 tsp pure vanilla extract
-1/4 C nut butter of choice (I used Purely Pecan Sweet Potater Pecan Butter)
-1/3 C chocolate chips
– 2-3 T ground flax seed

Directions:
Step 1: Add all of the ingredients, except the chocolate chips, to a food processor. Blend until smooth.
Step 2: Stir in the chocolate chips and enjoy straight with a spoon, or as a dip with your favorite graham crackers or ginger snap cookies.

Pumpkin Quinoa Slow Cooker Chili
Serves: 6-8

Ingredients:
– 1 C uncooked quinoa, rinsed
– 1/2 C water
– 1 small onion, diced
– 1 clove of garlic, minced
– 1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced
– 1 pumpkin or butternut squash, seeded and cut into 1-inch squares
– 1 can of black beans, rinsed and drained
– 1 can of pinto beans, rinsed and drained
– 1 can of red enchilada sauce
– 1 can of diced tomatoes (15 oz)
– 1 can of chopped green chiles (4.5 oz)
– 1 C of frozen corn
– 1 tsp cumin
– 1 T chili powder
– juice of 1 lime
– salt and pepper, to taste
– optional toppings: shredded cheese, cilantro, avocado and sour cream

Directions:
Step 1: Place all of the ingredients, with the exception of the toppings in the slow cooker and stir to combine. Cover and cook on high for 3 hours or on low for 6 hours until the water is absorbed.
Step 2: Option to stir in the cheese, if using, allowing it to melt into the chili. Serve with your favorite toppings!

Slow Cooker Pumpkin Overnight Oats
Serves: 6-8

Ingredients:
-2 C of Quaker steel cut oats
-6 1/2 C of water
-1 1/2 C of Blue Diamond unsweetened vanilla almond milk
-1 can of Libby’s pumpkin puree
-1/4 C of brown sugar, packed (option to sub coconut sugar)
-2 tsp of pumpkin spice
-1 tsp of cinnamon
-1/2 tsp of salt
-1 tsp of vanilla

Directions:
Step 1: Prep the slow cooker by spreading a layer of butter or coconut oil on the sides and bottom of the bowl to avoid the oats sticking. Add all of the ingredients with the exception of the vanilla. Stir to combine.
Step 2: Turn the slow cooker to low for 8 hrs, covered. Get a good night’s rest and awaken to the sweet scents.
Step 3: Stir the oats after 8 hours have passed, adding the vanilla. Enjoy with your favorite toppings (shown: brown sugar, pecans, pomegranate and pumpkin seeds).

Your turn! What are some of your favorite pumpkin recipes?

The post Pumpkin-palooza appeared first on The Shooks Life.

October in sight means everything orange black and white – including this carrot cake cashew cream cheese for a little Halloween tease. Halloween is one of my favorite holidays for the ridiculous amounts of candy, even more ridiculous costumes and scary movie marathons galore. And one thing that’s particularly scary – how a little hocus pocus can turn cashews into a creamy base that’s oh so much better for you than the tubs in the store. It’s also a sly way to sneak in some carrots and can be slathered on your morning bagel or used as a healthy-ish frosting for Halloween treats. Read on to get the dEATs for how magically easy it is to create this crafty concoction. 

Come October 1, I’m officially ready to start the Halloween planning! We never got many trick-or-treaters in our old Chicago neighborhood, so I have high hopes for our new hood in Austin! It’s a teensy bit harder to get in the mood when it’s still 90 degrees outside, but I’m certainly not complaining. In fact, I most definitely will be gloating come January when it’s still 60 degrees. Sorry, mom. It’s gonna be sunny and I’m not gonna try to hide it. But, I do love a recipe that hides some veggies! Not only do I sneak carrots into this carrot cake cream cheese spread, but I also include shredded carrots in the base of these pumpkin muffins to feel a wee bit better about my ghoulish indulgences.

The beauty of this carrot cake cream “cheese” spread is that it can be ready in minutes as long as you soak the raw cashews in advance (i.e. ideally overnight). All that you need is a good food processor to whip it into a creamy spread and a cheese grater for the carrots. And the base of this “cream cheese” can be customized if you want to try some other mix-ins like blueberries for a fresh summery treat, or cacao for something a bit more rich and chocolatey. But why would you do that when carrots and raisins are oh so good and the colors are oh so fall? Because the carrot cake cream “cheese” is only sweetened with a touch of maple syrup, I feel good enough about slathering it on my morning English muffin like the ones from Mikey’s, which are gluten free and only made with a few simple ingredients like almond flour, coconut flour and eggs.

If you’re looking for something more indulgent, I also like oto use the carrot cake cream “cheese” as an icing on muffins and cupcakes. For the carrot cake muffins, I take a shortcut by using a pumpkin baking mix and add in shredded carrots as well as raisins. My favorite baking mix is the Simple Mills Pumpkin baking mix, which is also gluten free, paleo-friendly and made with simple ingredients like almond flour and sweetened with coconut flour, which is lower calorie and won’t make your blood sugar spike as much as refined sugars like cane sugar.

No matter how you spread it, I know you’re going to love this carrot cake cream “cheese” as much as me! Find the recipe below for both the carrot cake cream “cheese” and carrot cake muffins.

Carrot Cake Muffins with Carrot Cake “Cream Cheese”
Makes 12 Muffins

Ingredients:
Carrot Cake “Cream Cheese”
– ½ C cashews (soaked in water overnight)
– ½ C coconut milk, from a can placed in the fridge overnight
– ½ C desiccated coconut
– 2 T maple syrup
– ½ tsp vanilla extract
– 1/4 C shredded carrots
– 3 T raisins
– 1/2 tsp cinnamon
Carrot Cake Muffins
– 1 box of Simple Mills Pumpkin Almond Flour Baking Mix
– 1/2 C shredded carrots
– 1/2 C raisins

Directions:
Step 1: Pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Follow the box instructions, stirring the shredded carrots and raisins into the batter. Pour into a muffin tin or individual silicone baking cups. Bake for
Step 2: Prepare the carrot cake “cream cheese” by adding the soaked cashews (drained of water) to the food processor. Pulse until it forms a creamy paste. Take the can of coconut milk from the fridge and scoop off the cream, adding it to the food processor (the cream and water should have separated overnight). Discard or reserve the coconut water for another recipe (such as a smoothie). While the processor is still running, add the maple syrup, desiccated coconut and vanilla extra. Continue to pulse until a creamy base forms. Place in a small mixing bowl and stir in the shredded carrots as well as the raisins.
Step 3: Once the muffins are cooled, spoon on the “cream cheese” or pipe onto the muffins by placing the “cream cheese” in a plastic zip lock bag, cutting a hole in one corner. Press the plastic bag to squeeze and pipe the “cream cheese” onto the muffins. Enjoy immediately, or place in the fridge. Note the “cream cheese” will melt in warmer temperatures.

And if you have other ideas for healthyish Halloween treats, share in the comments!

The post Healthyish Carrot Cake Cream Cheese appeared first on The Shooks Life.