Pumpkin Pie Oatmeal

Its fall! Its time for pumpkin everything! I already did a post on Pumpkin Spice Latte Oatmeal. If you're not much of a coffee fan, but love pumpkin, this recipe is for you :)

Prep Time: 5 min

Ingredients (Serves 1):

1. 1/2 cup Old-Fashioned (Rolled) Oats
2. 1 cup Almond Milk (Unsweetened Vanilla) 
3. 1/2 cup Canned Pumpkin puree
4. 1 tbsp Chia Seeds
5. 1 tbsp Slivered Almonds
6. 1 tsp Pepitas (Pumpkin Seeds)
7. 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice 
8. 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
9. 1 tbsp Maple syrup (optional, to taste)

Directions:

Mix almond milk (or any other non-dairy milk), oats, Pumpkin puree, almonds and Chia seeds in a microwave safe bowl. I usually use a large glass measuring cup. Microwave on high for 3-4 minutes. Remove carefully. Add pumpkin pie spice* and vanilla extract (and maple syrup, to taste). Mix well. Transfer to a bowl, add another splash of milk, top off with pepitas and enjoy!!

*Pumpkin pie spice is basically a mix of cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and allspice. If you don't have the mix, feel free to use the individual spices to taste :)

Nutrition Facts (Per Serving): Calories 331 (Fat Calories 122)
Total Fat 13.5 g; Carbohydrates 45.1 g; Fiber 14.4 g; Sugars 4.6 g; Protein 11.8 g.


If you liked this recipe, be sure to check out my Recipe Index for more Whole-Food, Plant-Based, No-Added-Oil recipes. You can also like Rugrat Chow! on Facebook. Thanks!

Pumpkin Spice Latte Oatmeal

Another weekend .. another dirth of fresh fruits and ... another quest for the perfect oatmeal recipe with pantry ingredients. And guess what? Another visit with The Oatmeal Artist!!! She's got some amazing ideas and she works with Old fashioned (Rolled) Oats which I'm come to prefer over Steel-cut simply because of the timing involved in cooking SC Oats. I still use the latter on occasion (and I love the texture of SC oats) but for my daily breakfast, I've reverted to the ease of Old fashioned Oats. 

This recipe was a winner on sight!! I love fall and I love all fall foods!! And pumpkin spice lattes were my own personal indulgence during those last few months of the year. But I'm also one of those weirdos that loves pumpkin spice so much - I eat it all year!! Like Lauren says in her post - those drinks from gourmet coffee shops are loaded with calories - mostly from fats and sugars. My adaptation has fats as well but they're good fats derived from nuts (almonds) & seeds (flax and chia), so its a lot more healthier and a lot more nutritious. Also, I've found (after I went plant-based) that the Pumpkin Spice mix (at least the one used by Starbucks) has dairy in it. So even if I wanted to get a Soy Pumpkin Spice Latte - it would still have dairy in it!! Obviously, when I saw Lauren's version of the same awesome PSL - in a bowl - I knew I had to try it!!

Adapted from: Pumpkin Spice Latte Oatmeal, The Oatmeal Artist

Prep Time: 5 min

Ingredients (Serves 1):

1. 1/2 cup Old-Fashioned (Rolled) Oats
2. 2/3 cup Brewed coffee (I used a Folgers Classic K-cup)
3. 1/3 cup Almond Milk (Unsweetened Vanilla) 
4. 1/4 cup Canned Pumpkin puree
5. 1/2 tbsp Flax Seed Meal
6. 1 tbsp Chia Seeds
7. 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice 
8. 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
9. 1 tbsp Maple syrup (to taste)
10. A pinch of Sea salt
11. 8-10 Raw Almonds, crushed. 

Directions:

Mix Coffee, Oats, Pumpkin puree, almond milk, flax seed meal and chia seeds in a microwave safe bowl and microwave on high for 3 minutes. Remove bowl carefully as it will be quite hot, add pumpkin pie spice, vanilla extract, a pinch of sea salt, maple syrup (to taste) and mix well. Do a quick taste test for sweetness (I added 1 tsp of syrup as the original recipe called for and I needed about three times that amount to make it perfect for my tastes). Transfer to a bowl, add another splash of milk, top off with crushed almonds and enjoy your little taste of heaven!!  

Nutrition Facts (Per Serving): Calories 391 (Fat Calories 141)
Total Fat 15.7 g; Carbohydrates 54.2 g; Fiber 14.1 g; Sugars 14.7 g; Protein 12.8 g

Baby Kale & Chickpeas

It is amazing to me that at this time last year, I sincerely believed, with all my heart, that God intended Kale to be bunny food. And now, I eat it several times a week, in various different dishes. Today, I decided to make a quick dinner with Kale and Red Lentils. I thought I was reaching for a can of diced tomatoes and it wasn't until the can was already moving on the electric can opener that I realized that in my absentmindedness - I had opened a can of chickpeas instead. Oh well, slight change of plans. Kale and Chickpeas are now on the  dinner menu! 

Baby Kale & Chickpeas

Prep Time: 20 min

Ingredients:

1. 2 x 15 oz cans of Chickpeas (about 2.5 cups of boiled chickpeas) 
2. 6 oz of fresh Baby Kale (1 small box of pre-washed greens from the store)
3. 1 can of Hunt's Flame Roasted, Garlic Diced Tomatoes, or 2 large fresh tomatoes
4. 2 tbsp Garlic
5. 3 tbsp 100% Pure Pumpkin Puree (I had leftovers, optional)
6. 1 tsp Roasted Cumin powder
7. 2 tsp Garam Masala
8. 2 cups of water, or vegetable broth
9. Salt and Pepper, to taste
10. Fresh Cilantro/Coriander leaves for garnish

Directions:

Mix all ingredients (except for garam masala and Cilantro) together in a pan and bring to a boil, simmer for 10 minutes until kale is wilted and ingredients combine together. Or, pressure cook under high pressure for 3-5 minutes. If starting with raw chickpeas, pressure cook for as long as you normally cook chickpeas. Open immediately, mix well. Add garam masala, and garnish with cilantro and serve over brown rice. 

My Assessment: The extra pumpkin puree that I had sitting around gave the dish a faint sweetness which was countered really well by the roasted cumin. I liked it.

Julie Southwell's Tip: Top it off with some Marie Sharp's Habañero sauce. Thank you Julie!! :)

Overnight Pumpkin Oats

Oatmeal has been described as some as the Breakfast of Champions. Unlike my DH who thinks Oats are for horses, I actually like Oatmeal but have often avoided eating it for breakfast mainly because of the convenience of my green smoothie. This weekend, I decided that it was high time I got back to oats, if only for the weekends :) !!! Here's an excellent blog post about Oats and Avenanthramides - polyphenolic antioxidants found in oats which have been shown to have anti-inflammatory, anti-proliferative, and anti-itching activity, and have been implicated to provide additional protection against coronary heart disease, colon cancer, and skin irritation. Here's another peer-reviewed article which discusses the effect of avenanthramide on inhibition of vascular smooth muscle cell proliferation.

Here's a recipe that's been floating around the New Herbies Page on Facebook. Don't know who to credit for it, but its great!! 

Overnight Oats

Prep Time: 2 min

Ingredients:

1. 1/2 cup Rolled Oats
2. 1 cup Non-Dairy Milk (unsweetened)
3. 2-3 tbsp 100% Pure Pumpkin puree
4. 1 banana
5. 1/2 tsp Pumpkin Pie Spice Mix
6. 1 tbsp Vegan Chocolate chips (optional)
7. 1 tbsp Dried berries (blueberries, raisins, craisins) (optional)

Directions: 

Mix the first 3 ingredients and store overnight in the refrigerator. Next morning, mix well, add Pumpkin Pie spice mix and sliced banana. Add the chocolate chips and berries (optional). Enjoy!! 

Pumpkin Hummus

So in the past several weeks, I've seen quite a few references on Facebook and other social media about Pumpkin Hummus. Being a hummus fiend that I am, I knew I had to try it. I decided to take it along as one -of my contributions to my mother-in-law's Thanksgiving Dinner. According to her, all she knows how to cook is Southern, Fattening and Unhealthy. Honestly, she must use about 2 lbs of butter on that day alone. But, she's a doll. Ever since she found out about my eating habits, she's been really really attentive and always makes sure she has something made for me. Either a baked potato, or a sweet potato and she's always added a veggie tray and a salad to help provide me with a better choice for dinner. The past few times, I've carried a bowl of hummus with me to dip my veggies in. Since it was Thanksgiving, I decided to add a fall twist and try out one of the recipes for Pumpkin Hummus available online. The one that intrigued me the most was from Dreena Burton's Plant Powered Kitchen. I followed the recipe to a tee and then simply added some salt and lemon juice, to taste.

Dreena Burton's Pumpkin Hummus

Recipe (as published by Dreena Burton)

Prep Time: 10 min

Ingredients:

1. 1 can Chick peas, drained and rinsed
2. 1 can Cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
3. 1 cup pure pumpkin puree
4. 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice (Dreena's comment - try not to substitute lemon juice, the lime flavor really works here). I only had bottled Lime juice so I used that. 
5. 1 medium-large clove garlic (Dreena's comment - adjust to taste, use smaller clove for kid-friendly). I used a teaspoon of minced garlic.
6. 1 tsp sea salt
7. 1 – 2 tbsp Tahini (to taste)
8. 3/4 tsp ground cumin
9. 1/4 tsp (rounded) ground allspice
10. 1/4 – 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
11. 1/2 tsp pure maple syrup
12. 1/3 cup toasted pumpkin seeds (see note for toasting; reserve about 2-3 tbsp for garnish)

Directions:

Pulse all ingredients in a food processor (except pumpkin seeds), and starting with 1 tbsp tahini, until smooth.  After taste testing, I added an additional tbsp of tahini, maybe another 1/8 cup of Lime juice and 2 tbsp Maple syrup. Garnish with pumpkin seeds (Dreena's recipe called for pulsing the pumpkin seeds into the hummus but I don't like large chunks in my hummus so I only used the toasted seeds as a garnish. I served with whole-grain Wasa crackers and fresh veggies (red and green peppers, celery, cucumbers and carrots). 

My Assessment: I liked it. I liked the smokiness of the paprika but I think that the cumin overpowers a lot of the flavors. While I am a big fan of cumin and use it a lot I think it is a strong spice and should not be used for delicately flavored dishes like this one. The pumpkin flavor was somewhat hidden by the cumin. Overall, a pretty good hit with the Omni family!!

Hot & Sweet Pumpkin Spice

Fall is perhaps my favorite time of year. I'll say that often over the next few weeks :) after which it will be an endless season of annoyance (I hate winter!). As for fall, I love the food, the festivities and of course, the rustle of falling leaves as they blow in the wind. Most of all I love the color. To me a crisp fall day has more beautiful colors than any flower-filled spring.

Hot & Sweet Pumpkin Spice

While I love pumpkin spice and all things made with pumpkin spice, I must admit (rather shamefully) that I have never cooked pumpkin myself. Growing up it wasn't my favorite vegetable. I never understood the concept of a 'sweet' vegetable - I always told my mom that sweet vegetables (carrots, turnips, pumpkins) weren't meant to be made into curries and stews .... aah! ... the ignorance of youth!! Today, the lovely pumpkin becomes New Veggie #46. Even though I named this concoction 'pumpkin spice' - it is quite different from the standard American version.



Prep Time: 20 min

Ingredients:

1. 1 Pie Pumpkin (~3lbs)
2. 1 small Red Onion
3. 1 tsp minced Garlic
4. 1/2 cup Vegetable broth
5. 2 tsp Mustard seeds, or 2 tsp Indian Five Spice mix* 
6. 1 cup frozen Peas
7. 2 tsp of Cayenne Pepper
8. 2 tbsp Maple Syrup (or brown sugar) 
9. Salt to taste

Directions: 

Wash all dirt from the outside of the pumpkin and remove any blemished skin with a sharp paring knife. Then cut the pumpkin in half down the stem and remove seeds and pulp from the cavity (set aside seeds to roast separately as a snack). 

Cut wedges out of each half and cut into 1" pieces.  Leaving the skin on provides extra nutrition and also ensures that once cooked, the pumpkin pieces retain some of their shape. Else, everything it will cook down into a pulp. 

Line a stock pot with  vegetable broth and add garlic and mustard seeds (or 5 spice mix if available). Bring it all to a boil and add the onion and cook until the onion becomes translucent. 

Add diced pumpkin and mix well together. Cover and cook until pumpkin is tender and almost mushy. Make sure that there is enough water in the pan so that the pumpkin remains nicely moist.  The extra moisture makes sure that the skin cooks well and doesn't become hard during cooking, which makes it quite unpleasant in the end. 

When the pumpkin is almost done, add thawed peas and mix well so that the peas are coated in the thick sauce surrounding the pumpkin. Cover and cook until both the peas and the pumpkin are nice and soft under a spoon. 

Finally, add the cayenne pepper and maple syrup (or brown sugar), to taste until the dish has a nice sweet flavor with a lasting zip ;) at the end. Enjoy over brown rice!!

* Indian Five Spice Mix - Combine equal quantities of nigella (black onion), mustard, fenugreek, fennel and cumin seeds and use as needed. If you're missing one or two, its not a big deal. I've often used only one or two alone.

My Assessment: Yumm!! This dish reminded me of younger days. It makes for a great sweet and spicy  one-pot dinner - but the cayenne pepper makes sure that it is not for the weak of heart ;)

Veggie Fact of the Day

In India, a pumpkin is called a Kaddoo (Hindi: कद्दू)!! I was pretty chubby and medium height through most of high school and was often called by this name. Oh well .. I survived high school and still love pumpkins :) so it couldn't have been that bad afterall ... !! Pumpkins belong to the squash family (Cucurbitaceae) and the term pumpkin is a common name for a variety of plants in this family. In general, to be called a pumpkin, the fruit has to have a thick orange, or yellow shell, which is edible. Once cut, the fruit is mostly hollow with a thick fleshy outer shell which is typically the same color as the shell ... with shades between orange to yellow. Seeds are present by the thousands within each cavity. Pumpkins are a great source of beta-carotene and are absolutely loaded with Vitamin A with a 100g serving of pumpkin having greater than 200% of the RDA. Pumpkins are rich in dietary fiber and anti-oxidants such as vitamins A, C and E as well as many natural polyphenols such as the aforementioned beta-carotene, lutein, cryptoxanthin and zeaxanthin. Dietary experts often recommend that pumpkin be included as a regular part of the diet for patients looking to control their weight as well as cholesterol levels. Zeaxanthin has been reported to be helpful in protecting against age-related macular degeneration in the elderly. Pumpkins are also a good source of Vitamin B1 (thiamine), B3 (niacin), B5 (pantothenic acid), B6 (pyridoxine) and B9 (Folic acid). Pumpkin seeds are a good source of dietary fiber and are high in minerals such as iron, selenium and zinc and are an excellent source of the amino acid Tryptophan. Although pumpkin seeds are lacking in cholesterol, they are pretty high in fat (~14g of fat/oz). When cooked without added fats, pumpkin seeds more than make up for their fat content by providing a lot of good stuff alongside the fat. Chomp away.