Healthy Pumpkin Recipes for Halloween

Happy Halloween! Pumpkin Season is upon us, but that doesn’t mean we have to raid the trick or treat buckets and consume our body weight in e-numbers.  Here’s some healthy pumpkin recipes to keep your diet on track this October.

Pumpkin Cheesecake with Glazed Hazelnuts

Ingredients

• Crust:
• 1 cup graham cracker crumbs (about 7 cookie sheets)
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted
• Cooking spray
• Filling:
• 2 (8-ounce) blocks Neufchâtel cheese
• 2 (8-ounce) blocks fat-free cream cheese
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin-pie spice
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
• 4 large eggs
• 1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin
• Topping:
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1/3 cup chopped hazelnuts

Let’s Cook!

Step 1

Preheat oven to 325°.

Step 2

To prepare crust, combine first 3 ingredients in a medium bowl, and toss with a fork. Press mixture into the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan coated with cooking spray. Set aside.

Step 3

To prepare filling, beat cheeses with a mixer at high speed until smooth. Add 1 cup granulated sugar and next 6 ingredients (through cardamom), beating well. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Add pumpkin; beat well. Pour mixture into prepared pan.

Step 4

Bake at 325° for 1 hour and 20 minutes or until center of the cheesecake barely moves when the pan is touched. Remove cheesecake from oven; run a knife around outside edge. Cool to room temperature. Cover and chill at least 8 hours.

Step 5

To prepare topping, combine brown sugar and butter in a small skillet over medium heat; cook 3 minutes or until mixture melts, stirring occasionally. Add nuts, stirring to coat; cool to room temperature. Crumble and sprinkle over cake.

Pumpkin Pie Protein Cookies

Ingredients 

• ¼ cup (28g) coconut flour
• 2 scoops (84g) vanilla whey protein powder
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
• ¾ tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp xanthan gum
• ¼ tsp salt
• 1 ½ tbsp (21g) coconut oil or unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• ¾ cup (183g) pumpkin purée
• ¼ cup (60mL) agave
• 2 tbsp granulated Swerve
• 2 tbsp Truvia

Let’s Cook!

Step 1

In a small bowl, whisk together the coconut flour, protein powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking powder, xanthan gum, and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together the coconut oil and vanilla. Stir in the pumpkin purée. Stir in the agave. Mix in the Swerve and Truvia until completely dissolved. Stir in the coconut flour mixture until completely incorporated. Let the cookie dough rest for at least 10 minutes.

Step 2

While the cookie dough rests, preheat the oven to 325°F, and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.

Step 3

Drop the cookie dough into 12 rounded scoops onto the prepared baking sheet, and flatten to the desired thickness and width using a spatula. (Between ¼” to ½” is best.) Bake at 325°F for 11-13 minutes. Cool the cookies on the baking sheet for at least 10 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack.

Easy Pumpkin Dip

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup low-fat cream cheese
• /2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup canned pumpkin
• 2 teaspoons maple syrup
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Let’s Cook!

Step One

Beat cream cheese, brown sugar, and canned pumpkin together with an electric mixer on medium speed in a bowl until light and creamy, 3 to 5 minutes. Add maple syrup and cinnamon and beat until smooth, 1 to 2 minutes. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Healthy Pumpkin Pancakes

Ingredients

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons firmly packed brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
• Pinch of ground cloves
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup skim milk
• 1/2 cup canned pumpkin
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 egg
• 2 tablespoons unsweetened applesauce

Cooking spray

Lets Cook!

Step 1

In a large bowl, mix flour, sugar, baking powder, spices and salt.

Step 2

In another bowl, beat the milk, pumpkin, vanilla, egg and applesauce to blend. Stir it into the flour mixture until just incorporated.

Step 3

Place a nonstick griddle or a large nonstick frying pan over medium heat, coat lightly with cooking spray. Pour batter in 1/4-cup portions onto griddle, spreading slightly with the back of a spoon, and cook until pancakes are browned on the bottom and edges begin to look dry, about 2 minutes; turn with a wide spatula and brown other sides, 1 to 2 minutes longer. Adjust heat as needed to maintain an even temperature.

Step 4

Serve pancakes as they’re cooked, or keep warm in a single layer on baking sheets in a 200° oven, up to 15 minutes. Top with Greek yogurt and toasted nuts, or your favorite pancake toppings.

Pumpkin Pie Protein Smoothie Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 cup unsweetened almond milk
• 1 packet (2 scoops) DailyBurn Fuel-6 Protein in vanilla
• 1 banana, frozen
• 3 tablespoons pumpkin puree
• 1/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

Lets Cook!

Step 1

Combine all ingredients in a blender and mix until smooth.

Bakes Pumpkin Falafel Bowls with Tahini Dressing

Ingredients

For the Pumpkin Falafel

• 2 olive oil divided
• 1medium onion quartered
• 3garlic cloves
• 1cup cooked or canned chickpeas drained and rinsed
• 1/2cup canned pumpkin puree
• 1/4cup fresh cilantro
• 1 1/2 lemon juice about 1/2 lemon
• 1 ground cumin
• 1 ground coriander seed
• 1/2 ground cinnamon
• 1/2 salt
• 1/4 pepper
• 3/4cup panko

For the Maple Tahini Dressing

• 1/4cup tahini
• 1 1/2 lemon juice about 1/2 lemon
• 1 soy sauce
• 1 water
• 1/2 sriracha
• 1/2 maple syrup

For the Bowls

• 6cups salad greens of choice
• 1/2cup cherry tomatoes
• 1/2cucumber sliced
• 2scallions chopped

Let’s Cook!

Make the Pumpkin Falafel

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Coat a baking sheet or cast iron skillet with about 1/2 tablespoon of olive oil.
2. Place onion, garlic and chickpeas in food processor and pulse a few times to break up everything.
3. Add pumpkin, cilantro, 1 tablespoon olive oil, lemon juice, cumin, coriander, cinnamon, salt, pepper and panko. Pulse a few more times, until a coarse paste forms. Be careful not to overdo it.
4. Form mixture into 16-20 balls or small patties. Mixture will be soft, so handle it gently and use wet hands to avoid sticking.
5. Arrange falafels on baking sheet or skillet and brush with remaining olive oil. Bake about 35 minutes, turning once or twice to ensure even baking.

Make the Maple Tahini Dressing

1. Whisk all ingredients together in a small bowl, adding a bit more water if the mixture seems too thick.

Make the Bowls

1. Divide salad greens, cucumber slices, cherry tomatoes and falafels among 4 bowls. Top with maple-tahini dressing, followed by scallions.

Pumpkin-Sage Baked Ziti

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons + 2 teaspoons olive oil, divided
• 2 large shallots, diced
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 1/2 cups reduced-fat (2%) or whole milk
• 1 cup pumpkin puree
• 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 1/2 cup thinly sliced sage leaves, divided
• Pinch of nutmeg
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 8 ounces whole wheat penne, cooked al dente
• 3/4 cup shredded sharp white cheddar cheese

Let’s cook!

Step 1

Preheat oven to 350ºF and spray a square baking dish with an oil mister or cooking spray.

Step 2

Heat 3 tablespoons of oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the shallots and cook, stirring often, until just beginning to brown, about 7 minutes. Sprinkle the flour into the skillet and give it a good stir. Cook, continuing to stir often, until golden brown, about 3 minutes. Grab a whisk and slowly pour the milk into the skillet, whisking it into the flour mixture. Once the milk is incorporated and the sauce is smooth, add the pumpkin to the skillet and whisk that in. Let the sauce cook on medium heat until it’s thickened, about 7 minutes, continuing to whisk often.

Step 3

Remove the sauce from the heat and stir in the parmesan cheese, 1/4 cup of the sage leaves and a pinch of nutmeg. Season to taste with salt and pepper, then fold in the penne. Transfer to the prepared baking dish and top with the shredded cheese. Cover the baking dish with foil and place it in the oven. Bake for 10 minutes covered, then uncover and cook for 10 minutes more. If you want a browned top, broil for about 5 minutes or until the cheese is golden brown.

Step 4

While the casserole is baking, make the crispy sage topping. Heat the remaining 2 teaspoons of olive oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Add the remaining sage to the skillet and cook, stirring often, until crispy, about 3 minutes. Keep a close eye on the sage because it will go from crispy to burnt really quickly! When the sage is done, transfer it to a paper towel to soak up some of the excess oil. Sprinkle the crispy sage onto the baked ziti before serving.