Pumpkin Smoothies

Pumpkin smoothies are my new favorite thing! It's a quick and easy way to get your daily dose of vitamins A, B-complex, C and E, as well as using up the canned pumpkin you have left over from baking muffins. While pumpkin has a wonderful creamy texture that makes it a natural for preparing desserts, it lacks natural sweetness. You can resolve this issue by adding the sweetener of your choice (I use stevia) and you can add a variety of other ingredients to make it thicker and more satisfying. I like to add vanilla whey protein powder for a nutritious breakfast drink, but if you prefer a more dessert-like smoothie, you can add yogurt, Neufchatel, ricotta, or cream cheese, along with a bit of cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and cloves to mimic a pumpkin-pie flavor. Either way, it's delicious. 

It's a matter of preference when it comes to drink temperatures - I'm sensitive to cold, so when I make my smoothies I use pumpkin I've stored in the fridge. If you want your smoothies to be colder, you  can always add ice or you can store 1/4 C portions in airtight containers in the freezer.

Basic Pumpkin Smoothie

Ingredients:

1/4 C canned pumpkin

1 C unsweetened vanilla almond milk

or

1/4 C heavy cream

3/4 C water

sweetener of choice 

Optional (add any of the following):

*1 scoop vanilla whey protein powder

*1/4 C ricotta cheese

*1/4 C unsweetened yogurt

*1 oz Neufchatel

*1 oz cream cheese

*1/4 tsp ground cinnamon, plus a dash of ginger, nutmeg and cloves.

*Ice

I'll give you the nutritional information on my favorites:

Pumpkin Protein Smoothie (1 C almond milk, 1/4 C canned pumpkin, vanilla whey protein powder) has 148 cal, 8.46 g total carbs, 6.66 g net carbs, 2.67 g fat, 1.8 g fiber and 19.5 g protein.

Pumpkin Ricotta Smoothie (1 C almond milk, 1/4 C canned pumpkin, 1/4 C ricotta cheese, 1 drop liquid stevia) has 171 cal,   8.96 g total carbs, 7.16 net carbs, 10.67 g fat, 1.8 g fiber and 8.68 g protein.

Pumpkin Neufchatel Smoothie (1 C almond milk, 1/4 C canned pumpkin, 1 oz Neufchatel, 1 drop liquid stevia) has 221 cal, 8.96 total carbs,  7.16 net carbs, 14.67 g fat, 1.8 g fiber and 5.68 g protein.

I'm Back...with Pumpkin Muffins

It's been a while since I've posted anything - approximately seven months, but who's counting?! I didn't get lost at sea or sustain a head injury resulting in temporary amnesia. While I haven't felt particularly healthy, I have been pursuing better health. I began a new treatment for Fibromyalgia, known as the Guaifenesin Protocol, which was designed by Dr. R. Paul St. Amand,  a Los Angeles-based medical practitioner, who himself has Fibromyalgia. I won't go into any great detail about the protocol, other than to say that guaifenesin is the active ingredient in Mucinex and that once you begin to take it, your Fibromyalgia symptoms initially get worse (if you're interested in finding out more about the protocol, check out this website: http://www.fibromyalgiatreatment.com). It can take six months to a year before you begin to start feeling better, and here I am, living proof that if done properly, you can start to see your health improve. I have begun to feel better, so it's time to start blogging again!

Even though I wasn't feeling well enough to write (I was both too fatigued and too brain-fogged to concentrate), on my better days I continued to cook, bake and look for new recipes. In addition to playing around with some old favorites, I've experimented with some new ingredients. I know it's a bit late in the season to be getting excited about pumpkin (pumpkin-mania usually begins in October), but I have fallen in love with the orange gourd and  have several recipes that I want to share. The next several posts will  be pumpkin-related, with some non-pumpkin dishes to break the monotony. I'll start with one of my favorites: Pumpkin Muffins.

My current pumpkin mania was inspired by a couple of recipes from one of the low-carb, gluten-free food blogs I follow. While doing some research I found that it's low in calories and it's packed with minerals (copper, calcium, potassium and phosphorus) and anti-oxidant vitamins - particularly vitamins A, B-complex, C, and E. I haven't worked up the courage to work with fresh pumpkin yet, but I've learned a few things about working with the canned variety. It can be refrigerated in an airtight container for three or four days but you can also freeze it. Of all the recipes I'll be posting, the muffins are my favorite - the flavor reminds me of gingerbread, but the texture isn't as dense. They're perfect for breakfast or a quick snack and can be stored in the fridge in an airtight container for several days - if they last that long! You can also keep them in the freezer - either let them sit in the fridge overnight or microwave them for 10 - 20 minutes.

Pumpkin Muffins (LC/GF)

Ingredients:

3/4 C almond flour (84 g)
1/8 tsp sea salt

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

1/4 tsp ground ginger

1/16 tsp ground cloves

1 T butter, melted (can substitute coconut oil)

1/4 C erythritol

1/4 tsp stevia glycerite

1 1/2  eggs

1/2 C canned pumpkin

*Preheat oven to 350º F.

*Whisk together dry ingredients in a medium-sized bowl.

*Add egg, butter, and pumpkin  and stir until well blended.

*Fill silicone muffins cups with batter and place them on a baking sheet, evenly spaced.

*Bake for 30  minutes (rotate baking sheet halfway through), or until muffins are firm and lightly browned. Keep on eye on the bottoms to make sure they don't burn.

*Remove from oven, transfer to wire rack and allow to cool.

Total: 617 cal, 29.26 g total carbs, 16.66 g net carbs, 49.25 g fat, 12.6 g fiber and 23.85 g protein.

Makes 6 and each has 102.83 cal, 4.88 g total carbs, 2.78 g net carbs, 8.21 g fat,  2.1 g fiber and 3.98 g protein.

Vegan Mashed Cauliflower with Marinated Mushrooms or Mushroom Spinach Marsala- How I Learned To Live Without Take-Out, Part 3

When I began to convert the take-out recipes I loved to low carb, my initial attempt was Mushroom and Spinach Marsala. I was weaning myself off of the take-out, but was still relying on the few low carb options available in Berkeley, CA. One of these was a grilled chicken breast topped with mushroom and spinach marsala. While I couldn't be certain, I suspected the restaurant had prepared this dish using corn starch and/or white flour as thickeners. I didn't even want to guess what other ingredients might be involved so I started researching marsala recipes on the internet. It was easy enough to convert the recipe substituting xanthan gum as the thickening agent. A small amount yields the same results as the other thickeners, with fewer calories and net carbs.

When I stopped eating meat, I kept the veggies and the sauce because the taste is really great - in fact, it can stand alone as a side dish, but I wanted to pair it with a side dish to turn it into a main dish. It has a distinctive and rich flavor so you'll want to pair it with some thing relatively bland. You can pair it with cauliflower rice, but I decided I wanted to focus on perfecting a vegan cauliflower mash recipe. After trying just cauliflower, a mixture of cauliflower and celery root (which was pretty good), I came up with the idea to add nutritional yeast with mashed cauliflower. Lo and behold, the recipe achieved the desired texture and tastes wonderful. I use it as the base for the marsala and it also works well with a simple marinated mushroom recipe, which I'm including in this post.






Mashed Cauliflower with Nutritional Yeast (LC/Vegan/Gluten Free)

Ingredients:

200 g cauliflower florets (or you can also use 150 g cauliflower)
10 g nutritional yeast
1 clove garlic, forced through press
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper



Preparation:


*Steam cauliflower florets for about 6 - 9 minutes. Remove from steamer and using paper towels, gently squeeze out the excess water. Put cauliflower in a medium-sized bowl and using an emersion blender, pulse the vegetables until smooth. Stir in garlic and nutritional yeast until well blended. Season with salt and pepper to taste.



Makes 1-2 serving and has 126.5, 5.5 net carbs, .5 g fat, 8 g fiber and 8 g protein.




Mushroom & Spinach Marsala (LC/Vegan/Gluten Free)

Ingredients:


1 clove garlic, forced through press
3 oz sliced mushrooms
1 T olive oil
1/4 C mushroom broth ( can substitute water for broth)
1/4 C dry Marsala wine
2 oz raw spinach
sea salt & freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1/8 tsp xanthum gum


Preparation:


*Heat oil in a large skillet over a medium-high heat. Add garlic and mushrooms and sauté for about 2-3 minutes.

*Add wine and mushroom broth to the skillet and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer for another 2 -3 minutes. Add the xanthum gum and stir well. Add spinach and and stir until just wilted. Remove from heat and eat immediately. Can be served over cauliflower rice or mashed cauliflower.

Makes 1 serving and has 216.33 cal, 6.7 net carbs, 13.6 g fat, 1.33 g fiber and 3.83 g protein.

Marinated Mushrooms (LC/Vegan/Gluten Free)

The great thing about this dish is that you either grill or saute´ the mushrooms, or keep them raw.


Ingredients:


3 oz white or crimini mushrooms, sliced (you can also use sliced portobello mushrooms)
1 T cold pressed olive oil
1 T balsamic vinegar

Optional:

1 clove garlic forced through press


Preparation:


*Mix together olive oil and balsamic vinegar (and garlic, if you're using it).

*Place mushroom slices in a bowl and pour the oil and vinegar mixture over them, stirring making sure they're well-coated. Allow to sit for an hour. If you're doing the cooked version, heat a grill pan (or any skillet) and saute´ for about 4 - 5 minutes. Serve over cauliflower mash.


Makes 1 serving and has 155 cal, 7 net carbs, 13.5 g fat, .1 g fiber and 2.5 g protein.