No-Bake Pumpkin Cheesecake

November 19, 2012 by

I’ve got one more Thanksgiving post for you guys! No doubt your oven is going to be working overtime this week. Between the turkey, stuffing, sweet potatoes, and who knows what else, oven space is often limited. And for those of you with double ovens, I am totally jealous, bt dubs.

How about a little dessert that comes together in less than 20 minutes and requires no baking? Yeah, that’s what I thought you would say! These little cheesecakes are rich and full of pumpkin flavor.  They can also be made the night before. In fact, I recommend you make them the night before. I’m all about making things the night before!

The perfect ending to your meal before all that tryptophan kicks in!

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No-Bake Pumpkin Cheesecake

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 15 minutes

Yield: about 6 servings

Ingredients

  • 2/3 cup graham cracker crumbs
  • 3 tbs. unsalted butter, melted
  • 1 (8-ounce) block reduced-fat cream cheese, softened
  • 1 (8-ounce) container light whipped topping thawed
  • 1 cup pumpkin puree
  • 1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
    • Toppings:
  • whipped topping (optional)
  • nuts (optional)
  • caramel (optional)
  • graham cracker crumbs (optional)

Instructions

  1. Melt the butter in a small microwave-safe bowl. Divide the graham cracker crumbs evenly amongst individual serving bowls or ramekins and press down to make a crust. Drizzle some of the butter over the crumbs in each dish. Place the bowls in the freezer.
  2. In a large mixing bowl, beat together the cream cheese, whipped topping, pumpkin puree, and the pumpkin pie spice until well-combined.
  3. Remove the bowls from the freezer. Pipe or spoon the filling into each bowl. Add additional whipped topping and other desired toppings. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving.

Notes

Depending on the size of your serving bowls, you made need to add more or less of the graham cracker crumbs.

http://eat-drink-love.com/2012/11/no-bake-pumpkin-cheesecake/
Filed Under: Desserts · Tagged With: , , , , 27 Comments

Apple Pumpkintini

November 9, 2012 by

It’s Friday! I am back home in Florida for my friend’s wedding this weekend. It’s nice to see my family again. My little brother has been calling me a “ditcher” since we moved to Arizona. He also thinks I moved 5,000 miles away. In my birthday card that he gave me right before we moved, he wrote, “Happy Birthday, Sis. You’re a ditcher. See you in the year 2020.”

It’s okay. We are going to spend the whole day together today. I ain’t no ditcher!

In celebration of it being the weekend, I have created a yummy martini for you. Apple and pumpkin in one awesome drink! This drink is the perfect drink to serve your Thanksgiving dinner guests…or you could be like a certain someone and drink one and a half of them at 11:30 in the morning because you made them to photograph and you don’t want it to go to waste so you drink them and then end up with a raging headache for the rest of your day…

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Apple Pumpkintini

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Yield: 2 martinis

Ingredients

  • 2 1/2 tbs. pumpkin puree
  • 3 ounces apple cider (I used the Spiced Cider from Trader Joes)
  • 2 ounces vanilla vodka
  • 1 ounce ginger ale
  • cinnamon and sugar (for the rim)

Instructions

  1. In a shallow dish, mix together a couple of tablespoons of sugar and about 1/2 tsp. cinnamon. Rub some apple cider along the rim of each martini glass. Dip the rim in the cinnamon sugar mixture to coat.
  2. In a cocktail shaker, add about 3-4 ice cubes. Add in the pumpkin puree, apple cider, vodka, and ginger ale. Shake well and pour into the martini glasses and serve.
http://eat-drink-love.com/2012/11/apple-pumpkintini/
Filed Under: Drinks · Tagged With: , , , , , , , 24 Comments

Pumpkin Banana Bread

October 16, 2012 by

Happy Tuesday, internet friends! Before I get to today’s post, I found out that I was nominated as one of the Top 25 blogs on Skinny Scoop! I would so appreciate it if you guys could take a minute to click on over and vote for meeee!! Just click the icon below and then scroll down the list to find Eat. Drink. Love. and “like”!

Ok, now the recipe…Since we moved from one hot place to another hot place, it certainly hasn’t felt like Fall to me, but that has not stopped me from going pumpkin crazy in my house. The pumpkin candles are out and I think I bought every pumpkin product that Trader Joe’s sells this past weekend. Seriously, I can’t even tell you how happy I am to have TJ’s back in my life! So after buying crap tons of pumpkin, it was time to put it to good use!

First up, pumpkin meets banana meets bread. Pumpkin Banana Bread. Yes, it totally works. Trust. This bread is made with whole wheat flour and flax. It is not overly sweet, so you can eat it any time of the day! Yeah!

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Pumpkin Banana Bread

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 60 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour, 15 minutes

Yield: about 12 slices

Ingredients

  • 1 large overripe banana, mashed
  • 1 cup pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
  • 5 tbs. unsalted butter, melted
  • 1/3 cup low-fat or fat-free plain yogurt
  • 3/4 cup brown sugar plus about 2 tbs. for sprinkling on top
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 cups whole wheat flour
  • 1/4 cup ground flaxseed
  • 1 tsp. baking soda
  • 1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
  • 1/8 tsp. salt
  • nuts and/or chocolate chips, if desired

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Stir together the butter and brown sugar. Mix in the mashed banana, pumpkin puree, and eggs.
  3. In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, ground flaxseed, baking soda, salt, and the pumpkin pie spice.
  4. Combine the flour mixture in with the wet mixture until just combined. If you are using nuts or chocolate chips, stir them into the batter. Pour the batter into a greased loaf pan. Sprinkle the extra brown sugar on top. Bake for 60-65 minutes or until a knife inserted comes out clean.
http://eat-drink-love.com/2012/10/pumpkin-banana-bread/
Filed Under: Breakfast, Desserts, Kid-Friendly, Snacks · Tagged With: , , , , , , , , 21 Comments

Skinny Bitch Tuesdays: Apple Pumpkin Soup

October 2, 2012 by

Well, friends, we finally got to our new place in Arizona! We love it. It’s so much nicer than where we used to live. All of our stuff should be arriving in a day or two so we are busy getting the place ready and doing some shopping.

But first, today is our last Skinny Bitch Tuesday post! I know! I will miss these posts too. It’s been such a blast cooking out of the Skinny Bitch cookbook. I am not good with cookbooks. I tend to only try one or two recipes and then forget about the book, so this was a great experience for me to actually try more than a few recipes from one book.

For our last post, I chose the Curried Pumpkin soup. As always though, I changed up the recipe. One ingredient really stuck out to me and that was apples! I’m not usually a sweet soup person, but the thought of apples and pumpkin together just sounded so wonderful! So I swapped out the curry flavors and added more apple flavor. The soup was so comforting and delicious and not too sweet at all! I served it with some cheddar rolls, but serve it with any kind of nice, crusty bread and you have yourself the perfect fall dinner!!

OH! And since this is the last Skinny Bitch Tuesday post, we wanted to go out with a bang, so all four of us are giving away a copy of the Skinny Bitch cookbook! That is 4 opportunities to win your own copy! Scroll down after the recipe to enter the giveaway!

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Skinny Bitch Tuesdays: Apple Pumpkin Soup

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes

Yield: 4-6 servings

Ingredients

  • 3 tbs. unsalted butter
  • 1/2 medium yellow onion, diced
  • 2 granny smith apples, peeled and diced
  • 1 tbs. flour
  • 4 cups vegetable broth
  • 2 tbs. brown sugar (can omit if you don't want a sweet flavor)
  • 1/2 cup unsweetened apple juice
  • salt to taste
  • cinnamon, nutmeg, ground ginger (optional and to taste)
  • 2 cups pumpkin puree
  • 1/2 cup skim milk
  • toasted walnuts or pumpkin seeds, for garnishing

Instructions

  1. Heat a large saucepan over medium heat, add the butter, apples, and onion and saute for about 3 minutes or until the apples and onions are tender. Stir in the flour.
  2. Add the broth, apple juice, brown sugar, salt (and cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, if using). Once the mixture is hot, stir in the pumpkin puree. Simmer for about 20 minutes.
  3. Add about half of the mixture into a blender and blend until smooth. Remove and add the remaining soup mixture and blend until smooth. Add the pureed soup back into the pot. Or, use an immersion blender if you have one.
  4. Stir in the milk and heat until hot. Add more salt or other seasonings if desired. Garnish with toasted pumpkin seeds or walnuts.

Notes

Adapted from Skinny Bitch

http://eat-drink-love.com/2012/10/skinny-bitch-tuesdays-apple-pumpkin-soup/

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Don’t forget to check out what the other Skinny Bitch gals made AND to enter for more chances to win the cookbook!!

Claire of The Realistic Nutritionist

Jennifer of Peanut Butter and Peppers

Michelle of The Healthy Bites
Filed Under: Sides, skinny bitch tuesday, Soups, Vegetarian/Vegan · Tagged With: , , , , , , , 29 Comments

Low-Carb Pumpkin Muffins

October 20, 2011 by

I noticed last night that it seems like I am posting a pumpkin recipe every week lately. This was not intentional, but see, when I kept hearing about pumpkin shortages, I got scared. I’m not sure why because I live in the South. But, that didn’t really matter to me. I HAD to get to the store to get as much pumpkin as possible. So, see, I have a lot of cans of pumpkin puree in my pantry and they need to be used to make way for my husband’s cans of Chef Boyardee….

I’ve been having a craving for a good muffin lately. But, at the same time, I’ve also been feeling pretty carb-heavy the past few days. Perhaps it was those gooey chocolate drop cookies I made over the weekend. I had to compromise. A muffin loaded with white flour and sugar was not an option. A low-carb muffin was the way to go. I actually attempted (yeah, attempted) to make these muffins earlier in the week. I tried to make them using flax seed meal as my “flour” and I added way, WAY too much pumpkin. And let me tell you folks, they were NOT good. I had an entire batch of yuck on my hands. I couldn’t eat them, so in the trash they went. Now, I’m not the type that likes to give up, no, not me.

I think the big issue with my first batch was that the batter was too wet. It needed something other than just the flax seeds, so I opted to use some almond flour. Almond flour is a wonderful alternative for low-carbers and it’s gluten-free! I had hoped that these muffins would have risen a little more than they did, but they were still pretty good and I would make them again. These muffins are not only tasty, but because of the almonds, flax seeds, and pumpkin, they are also really healthy so you can enjoy these little guys any time of the day! If you want to kick these up a bit, you can add nuts, raisins, or cranberries. Or enjoy them with some cream cheese spread on top! Either way, these are muffins you can feel good about eating!

 

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Low-Carb Pumpkin Muffins

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 35 minutes

Yield: 12 muffins

Serving Size: 1 muffin

Calories per serving: 230

Ingredients

  • 2 1/2 cups almond flour
  • 1/2 cup flax seed meal
  • 1 tsp. baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp. baking powder
  • pinch of salt
  • 2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
  • 1/2 stick unsalted butter, softened
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tsp. vanilla extract
  • 3/4 cup pumpkin puree
  • 1/3 cup Splenda granular
  • Optional: walnuts, pecans, sliced almonds, fat-free cream cheese

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a bowl, mix together the almond flour, flax seeds, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and pumpkin pie spice. Set aside. In a separate bowl, mix together the butter, pumpkin puree and Splenda. Then mix in the eggs and vanilla extract until well-combined. Slowly add in the dry mixture until it is fully incorporated with the wet ingredients.
  2. Use cupcake liners or spray a muffin tin with non-stick spray. Evenly distribute the batter amongst each cup. Bake for approximately 15-20 minutes until the tops of the muffins have turned golden brown.

Notes

Approx. 7.4 grams of carbs per muffin.

http://eat-drink-love.com/2011/10/low-carb-pumpkin-muffins/

 
Filed Under: Breakfast, Desserts, Low-Carb, Low-Sugar/Sugar-Free, Snacks · Tagged With: , , , 50 Comments

Roasted Butternut Squash and Pumpkin Soup

October 11, 2011 by


I’ve been on a total soup kick lately. I guess it’s the change in season, but really, I love soups year ’round. I hope you all aren’t getting sick of soup recipes because I’m gonna keep it going! I love soup because the possibilities for recipes are endless! I’ve actually never cooked with butternut squash until now (I know, for shame!!). I really didn’t know what I was doing with this soup, but it turned out really good. Since I made this on the fly and didn’t have a pumpkin handy, I used canned pumpkin, but you can roast your own pumpkin along with the squash if you wanted to. This soup is thick and filling, but without all the calories! I froze it in individual containers so I can take some to work every day this week!

Roasted Butternut Squash and Pumpkin Soup

Serves 4-6

Ingredients:

– 1 1/2 lbs. butternut squash

– 1 can pumpkin puree

– 4 cups (2 cans) chicken broth

– 1/2 cup chopped onion

– 2 garlic cloves, minced

– 2 tbs. extra virgin olive oil (plus extra for roasting)

– 1/2 tsp. cinnamon

– 1/4 tsp. nutmeg

– 1/4 tsp. ground cloves

– 1/2 tsp. cayenne (add more for more heat if you prefer)

– salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Peel squash and remove seeds. Chop into smaller pieces. Add squash onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. Drizzle with some extra virgin olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. If you want, you can also sprinkle some cinnamon, nutmeg, and ground cloves on top (I did, and it was yummy!). Roast squash for approximately 20-25 minutes or until tender.

2. In a food processor or blender (remove the top part of the lid if using a blender), puree the roasted butternut squash with the chicken broth. Add pumpkin and mix until well combined.

2. In a large pot, heat 2 tbs. of extra virgin olive oil. Add onions and garlic. Saute for 2 minutes. Add squash and pumpkin mixture. Add cinnamon, nutmeg, ground cloves, cayenne pepper, and salt and pepper to taste. Simmer soup for 20 minutes before serving.

Notes:
- I like this soup to be on the thicker side. If you don’t want it to be as thick, add additional broth, water, or even some milk.
- If you would prefer this soup to not have a sweet taste to it, omit cinnamon, nutmeg, and ground cloves.
Filed Under: Entrees, Low-Carb, Low-Fat, Sides, Soups · Tagged With: , , , , 22 Comments