Save the Pumpkin Guts!

If you're decorating with pumpkins this season, don't be so hasty to throw those Jack O' Lantern guts in the compost bin. While cooking with pumpkin can be intimdating it is well worth it. Check out these great nutritional benefits!

• Pumpkin Seeds contain about 7 grams of protein per ounce! They're great in trail mix or on salads.
• Free-radicals aren't safe around pumpkin thanks to the high amounts of carotenoids that neutrialize those devious free-radicals.
• Your eye sight benefits from the Leutein and Zeaxanthin slowing down free-radicals specific to the eyes and helping to prevent degenerative diseases.
• Pumpkin is a strong source for Iron, Zinc, and Fiber.

Here are links to some of my favorite recipes using pumpkin. I have made or taste-tested each. I love Chai so most of these recipes include it but another black tea or liquid could be substituted.

• Pumpkin Chai Coffee Cake
• Vegan Pumpkin Scones
• Spiced Roast Pumpkin Soup
• Pumpkin Chai Cookies
• Pumpkin Banana Chai Smoothie

What's your favorite way to incorporate pumpkin into cooking?

Recipe Review: Pumpkin Chai Cookies

Photo Courtesy of Patty Van Dorin

I have been trying to come up with the perfect cookie to send to loved ones during late summer time but nothing really stood out. Then when I got the craving for Pumpkin Chai Coffee Cake I thought, mmmm....pumpkin chai cookies! Luckily I googled rather than trying to create my own from scratch and found the perfect recipe.

Oddly enough, the original recipe called for a regular sweet glaze however the author, Patty Van Dorin, ran out of milk and didn't feel like going to the grocery store and substituted chai.

This recipe bakes about 3 1/2 dozen cookies that are soft and almost like a scone in consistency without being dry. The cookie itself is not very sweet and the glaze adds a kick while complimenting the autumn flavors in the cookie. Enjoy!


Cookies

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1 1/2 cups white sugar
• 1 cup canned pumpkin puree
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

 Glaze 

• 1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
• Approximately 2 tablespoons strong chai (I used concentrate)
• 1 tablespoon melted butter
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, ground cloves, and salt; set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, cream together the 1/2 cup of butter and white sugar. Add pumpkin, egg, and 1 teaspoon vanilla to butter mixture, and beat until creamy. Mix in dry ingredients. Drop on cookie sheet by tablespoonfuls; flatten slightly.
3. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes in the preheated oven. Cool cookies, then drizzle glaze with fork.
4. To Make Glaze: Combine confectioners' sugar, chai, 1 tablespoon melted butter, and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Add chai as needed, to achieve drizzling consistency.

Recipe: Pumpkin Chai Coffee Cake

After making Hungry Girl's delicious Caramel Pudding Pumpkin Cupcakes I was feeling a bit like Betty Crocker. I had a bunch of leftover ingredients but not everything I would need for another batch of cupcakes so I improvised and came up with this Pumpkin Chai Coffee Cake. I baked mine in a 9 x9 baking pan but I imagine it would bake nicely in a loaf pan as well. This recipe can easily be made vegan with the right product choices.

Ingredients
2 cups moist-style yellow cake mix
1/2 cup canned pure pumpkin
1/2 cup fat-free liquid egg substitute
3/4 cup Chai Concentrate
2 teaspoons cinnamon plus 1 tablespoon for topping
1 tablespoon of brown sugar for topping (more or less based on your own preference)
Non-stick Cooking Spray

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Spray Baking 9 x 9 baking pan with Non-stick Cooking Spray and set aside.

Combine all ingredients and blend thoroughly, making sure to remove all lumps. Pour batter into pan. Combine 1 tablespoon cinnamon and 1 tablespoon brown sugar for topping. Lightly sift topping over batter.

Bake for approximately 30 minutes. Use the toothpick method to determine if thoroughly cooked. Can be served warm or cooled.