Pumpkin Millet Porridge with Fresh Figs

If you don’t follow me on Facebook or Twitter then let me preface this by saying Pumpkin Palooza is going on in my kitchen. What I truly love about eating as seasonally as I can is that by the time pumpkins show up in the grocery store, I am ready.

This porridge does not need the figs. I saw them in Whole Foods one day looking so plump and ripe that I was compelled to pick some up despite not having them for ten months thanks to adrenal fatigue. High potassium fruits like figs, dates, and bananas are recommended to be avoided. Along with dried fruit. Coffee is another no-no for those of us with adrenal fatigue, but I’ve been tolerating it without the heart palpitations so I decided trying fresh figs would be a good next step. No reaction.

Oh, figs. How I have missed thee.

I did not try this with dried figs but if you’d rather use dried figs, use less. And if you don’t like figs, omit them. I’ve made this without the figs and it is just fine without them. Also, if you can, keep the maple syrup. It pairs better with the pumpkin.

Pumpkin Millet Porridge with Fresh Figs – serves 1

1/4 cup millet

1/2 cup pumpkin puree

3/4 cup dairy-free milk

2 tablespoons pure maple syrup

4 figs, chopped

Combine all ingredients except the figs in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil then lower heat. Simmer and stir occasionally. Remove from heat once the millet absorbs the liquid to a creamy consistency. Stir in figs and cover for five to ten minutes before eating.

This post is linked to Wellness Weekend at Ricki Heller and Whole Food Fridays at Allergy-Free Alaska.

Flourless Pumpkin Pie Cookies

I’m a bit stunned and proud of myself.  I loved to bake before I had to go gluten-free.  I always used someone else’s recipe, though.  I was never one to come up with baked recipes.  Never.

Since going gluten-free, I enjoy baking, but sometimes the long list of ingredients is a chore.  Plus, I’m not fond of using refined gluten-free flours if I don’t have to.   I am enamored with flourless recipes.  The first one I came across was Carrie Forbes’ Gluten-Free, Grain-Free Peanut Butter Cupcakes.  That was a year ago.  I have the recipe printed off, but I have yet to make the cupcakes.  Yes, I know.  Then there were Shirley Braden’s Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies.  To. Die. For.  And so easy to make.

My first attempts at coming up with a baked goods recipe didn’t fare so well.  I still haven’t gone back to that cake.  Yet.

I picked up two pumpkins the first day I saw them in the grocery this Fall.  I even had a conversation with my cashier about all the different ways she could use pumpkin.  Oh, yes.  Spreading the whole foods love.  I cut them open when I got home, scooped out the seeds and set them aside to roast later and set the pumpkins in the oven to roast.  Once they were cool and I was scooping them out to puree, I started thinking about cookies.  Flourless cookies.  I promptly went through my stash of nut butters, looking for the cashew butter.  I figured since I find it tasteless, it finally has some use.  Only I was down to about a tablespoon of it.  I decided to use Sunbutter instead.  I knew it was a risk, but if it worked, my cookie could be completely allergen-free.

It really was a long shot.  The Sunbutter overpowered the pumpkin and the spices.  Completely.  So, if you are nut-free and want to use Sunbutter, it can be done, but it won’t taste more like Sunbutter than pumpkin pie.

Today, I made another attempt using cashew butter and totally fell in love.  This cookie is completely grain-free, egg-free, dairy-free, soy-free, refined sugar-free.  Pretty much everything but nut-free.  And, it’s easier than pie.

Flourless Pumpkin Pie Cookies – makes 12 or more cookies (depending on size)

1 cup cashew butter

1/2 cup pumpkin puree

1/3 cup coconut crystals or palm sugar

2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice (I use a 2:1 ratio of ground cinnamon to ground allspice, clove, ginger, and nutmeg)

1 teaspoon gluten-free vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350.  Line a baking sheet (or two if making the cookies small) with Silpat or parchment paper.  Place all ingredients in a medium bowl and mix together thoroughly.  Drop by small spoonfuls onto the cookie sheet(s) – the smaller the cookie, the better it stays together.  Try to flatten out the dough as much as possible.  The dough will be extremely sticky.  Don’t worry if it’s not perfectly flat or round.  Bake for 10 minutes.  Remove from the oven immediately.  Take a spatula and flatten the cookies more as soon as you take them out.  Let them sit on the pan for a few minutes, then transfer to a rack.  They are delicious right out of the oven, but will hold better if you let them cool before trying.  The texture inside the cookie will be moist just like pumpkin pie.

This post is linked to Wellness Weekend at Diet, Dessert & Dogs. 

Pumpkin Pie “Milk” Shake

Pumpkin Pie "Milk" Shake

I’ve been drinking pumpkin pie smoothies since pumpkins arrived in the markets this Fall.  I love me some pumpkin but in past years, I haven’t bought much because Chaz doesn’t like pumpkin.  Shirley Braden’s Crustless Gluten-free Pumpkin Pie has made him like pumpkin pie though.  You know what I’m making for Thanksgiving!

Earlier this week, I made some horchata.  In Mexico, horchata is typically made from rice.  In other Hispanic countries, it is made from almonds, sesame seeds, barley, or tigernuts.  I prefer the Mexican type made from rice.  Good horchata is full of cinnamon goodness.  In my opinion.  I’ve had horchata that had just a pinch of cinnamon and a ton of sugar.   That stuff was only good for sugar shock.  I made mine the easy way with store-bought rice milk, but I will be using this recipe to make it from scratch in the future.

I decided to use the horchata to make a milkshake with my pumpkin puree.  Heaven.  I’ve made the milkshake with almond milk and it just tastes better with the horchata.

Easy Horchata

32 ounce box of rice milk (I used 365)

4 cinnamon sticks, broken into pieces

1/4 cup raw local honey (or other sweetener) if your rice milk is unsweetened

Place rice milk in a container with the cinnamon stick and allow to sit overnight.  You can let it sit on the counter for a while before going to bed, then put in the fridge.  Next morning, remove the cinnamon pieces and add sweetener.  Stir and enjoy!

Pumpkin Pie “Milk” Shake

1/4 cup pumpkin puree

1/2 to 1 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice (I used this mix: 1 teaspoon cinnamon and 1/2 teaspoon each ground clove, ground nutmeg, ground ginger, and ground allspice)

horchata

Place pumpkin puree and pumpkin pie spice to a blender.  Pour horchata in the blender until just before the 2 cup mark.  Blend for 1 minute on low.

If pumpkin pie smoothies are more your style, check out these smoothie recipes from gluten-free easily, She Let Them Eat Cake, and Lexie’s Kitchen.

After I posted this blog, Gigi posted a wonderful Side of Science blog on the nutritional benefits of pumpkin. Check it out!

This post is linked to Wellness Weekends at Diet, Dessert and Dogs.