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Celebrate Autumn With These Two Healthy Pumpkin Desserts

by | Oct 16, 2020 | ghee recipe tips | 0 comments

What better way to welcome the fall than with a couple of delicious and healthy pumpkin desserts?

Autumn is in full swing here in Western Massachusetts — the hillsides are alive with vibrant leaves, the air is crisp with whispers of frost, and the fields are offering up the last of the season’s bounty, namely pumpkin! Versatile and nutritious, pumpkins lend themselves well to everything from soups to curries to desserts. So, to celebrate the autumn (our very favorite season) and the bounty of pumpkins, here are a couple of recipes for healthy pumpkin desserts everyone can enjoy!

Learn about Full Moon Ghee in Western Massachusetts

Healthy pumpkin desserts that everyone will love

Pumpkins are so much more than a prelude to a jack-o-lantern. Packed full of vitamins and minerals, pumpkins help to strengthen the immune system and fight infections, protect our eyesight, and may even help to reduce the risk of cancer. It’s really quite easy to make healthy pumpkin desserts, especially with the addition of ghee! We’ve included two healthy pumpkin dessert recipes bellow, for variety. Both are gluten-free, and both are delicious! Enjoy!

Check out this blog post to learn about some of ghee’s health benefits.

Pumpkin Halwa

Also called kaddu ka halwa, this sweet treat is often served during festivals in India, and pretty much whenever pumpkin is in abundance. It’s certainly one of the easiest healthy pumpkin desserts to make, requiring only a few ingredients and taking only about a half an hour to prepare.

Ingredients

3 cups grated pumpkin
1 cup sugar
2 tbsp ghee 1 big pinch cardamom powder
5-10 cashews 1 pinch pepper powder
5-10 raisins Pumpkin seeds to garnish (optional)
1 ½ cups milk of your choice, dairy or non
Instructions
  • Grate the pumpkin and keep aside.
  •  Heat ghee in a pan and roast the cashews and raisins for 1-2 minutes until cashews begin to turn golden and raisins begin to puff up. Remove from pan and leave aside.
  • Add the grated pumpkin to the remaining ghee and sauté for 3-4 minutes.
  • Add milk and cook covered until the pumpkin becomes soft.
  • Add the sugar and cook uncovered until the sugar dissolves completely.
  • Cook until the water is completely evaporated and the pumpkin begins to thicken.
  • Add the cashews and raisins, and cardamom powder and pepper powder.
  • Mix well and switch off the flame.
  • Garnish with pumpkin seeds (optional).
  • Serve warm or chilled as you desire.

Pumpkin Pie

Pumpkin pie is synonymous with fall in the US. I mean, who doesn’t look forward to the feast of pies on Thanksgiving? But if you’re gluten-free, dessert can often leave you feeling, perhaps, left out. But not to worry! We’ve left the gluten out of this healthy pumpkin recipe so you can enjoy it to your tummy’s delight!

Ingredients

For the pie crust

1 cup cassava flour ¾ cup cold ghee cut into small cubes
½ cup tapioca flour 1 large egg whisked
1½ tsp xanthan gum 2 tbsp very cold water
1½ tsp kosher salt

For the pie filling

1 15-ounce can of pumpkin puree 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
½ cup full-fat coconut milk ½ tsp vanilla extract
½ cup maple syrup 1 tsp kosher salt
2 large eggs 1 tsp fresh orange zest

Instructions

For the pie crust

  • In a large bowl, combine the cassava flour, tapioca flour, xanthan gum, and kosher salt. Stir until incorporated. Add the cold ghee and use your hands to break it apart into the flour mixture until you have an even and crumbly consistency.
  • Add the whisked egg and knead until you can form the dough into a ball. If your dough is too dry, add 1 or 2 tablespoons of cold water at a time. If your dough is too wet, add 1 or 2 tablespoons of cassava flour at a time. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or overnight.
  • Remove the dough from the fridge and roll it between two pieces of parchment paper dusted with cassava flour. Aim for an even thickness of around ¼-inch thick. If the dough crumbles, patch the cracks by pressing the dough with your fingers.
  • Keep the dough between the parchment paper, place it onto a cutting board or similar surface and refrigerate until ready to use.
  • Preheat the oven to 375˚F.
  • Very carefully transfer the dough to a 10-inch pie dish. You can further mend the cracks directly in the pan. Use a fork to make holes in the bottom of the dough. Bake the unfilled dough for 15 minutes. Remove and let the pie dish cool on a wire rack while you prepare the filling.

For the pie filling

  • Combine all of the ingredients in a large bowl and whisk until combined, trying not to get too much air into the mixture.

Make the pie

  • Lower the oven to 350˚F.
  • Pour the filling into the cooled pie crust. Smooth the surface with the back of a spoon and gently tap the bottom of the dish to get rid of any air bubbles.
  • Bake approximately 60 min or until the edges have firmed and the center has set and no longer jiggly.
  • Remove from oven and let the filling cool fully before serving.

 

Full Moon Ghee comes in a variety of flavors. Check out our shop!

Sources:

Healthline

Madhuri’s Kitchen

Primal Gourmet

Photo by Ylanite Koppens from Pexels

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