I love it's versatility to be used in both sweet and savoury and I love all the different textures that you can get from it too. Whilst I've been on this I Quit Sugar Program, I have had to give up my beloved fruit smoothies and other delicious fruity concoctions (temporarily only) so I decided to make some pumpkin butter. This pumpkin butter is so creamy and thick and naturally sweet, so no added sweetener is required. I must say, my tastebuds have changed since doing the I Quit Sugar Program so if you find that you need some added sweetness, please feel free to add your fave, just stay away from nasty refined sugar and opt for some natural sugar instead.
Pumpkin Butter
Makes 500 Mls
Ingredients
2 cups of baked pumpkin*
1/2 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
1 tsp of ground cinnamon
1 tsp of xantham gum (optional but will make it THICK)
2 TBS homemade almond butter
Method
Blend all ingredients in a high speed blender until smooth and creamy.
Adjust sweetness if you need to.
Store in a glas container with a tight fitting lid.
Enjoy on top of pancakes, folded through banana ice cream, or on top of your oats for breakfast. Or, you can eat it just as it is, like I do. YUM!
*I just stuffed the baked pumpkin pieces in the cup, because it's so soft, you can pack it in. I also dry bake them, which means I don't use any oil.
Hi Deirdre,that was meant to be unsweetened vanilla almond milk! Gee, thanks for that, how silly I am. Definitely had almond butter on my brain. Hope it wasn't a disaster! with the almond butter, yes, just add a tsp to your almond butter whilst it's still in the food processor but has started to form into a butter xx
ReplyDeleteHow long and at what temperature do you bake the pumpkin for?
ReplyDeleteI would really love to try this! Thank you!
Hi, I baked the pumpkin at 180 degrees celcius for about 25 minutes. It depends how big the pieces are as to how fast they will bake so i just had approx. 2x2cm pieces in there. Hope that helps x
Deletei've just started the i quit sugar program and i was really glad to find your blog. As you seem to be much more firm and secure about than I am, could you give me some advice? is it possible use rice/almond milk in the program or is it too sugary(even if naturally so..)? when are sweeteners like stevia allowed? what's your opinion about them?
ReplyDeletei must say admitting that fruit can be a 'poison' to my body makes me question all of my beliefs on what we should be eating... what do you think about it?
i'll be exploring your previous posts and start to follow, your philosophy on nutrition looks very inspiring!
Laura.
HI Laura,
ReplyDeleteThank you for your feedback on the blog, it's nice to hear that people are getting something out of my ramblings!
Regarding the rice and almond milk, yes they are fine to use and you can get unsweetened almond milk know. A rule of thumb for those on the program is to aim for less than 10g of sugar per 100mg. If you are wanting more information on the ins and outs, I suggest you read Sarah Wilson's book, I Quit Sugar. You can get it from her blog of the same name.
I am not opposed to using stevia, it is a natural sugar and has no fructose, I use it from time to time. You can get ground up stevia leaves from any good health food store and it's green in colour, a little darker than matcha powder.
You can also buy them in drops, although I've only found them in drops in the USA, but you can order it through iHerb.
Stevia is allowed when you are doing the program but only after the initial 4 week detox.
I actually don't believe that fruit is 'poison', I love fruit, it's one of the best foods around and I plan to eat it again as soon as I finish the program. My reasons for doing the program were not because I don't think fruit is good for you. I did the program as an experiment on the theory, just for my own interest. It's been fun coming up with fruit free recipes!
I think if I had fructose malabsorption syndrome, which a lot of people do, I would have no qualms giving up fruit but I don't, lucky me!
Hope that helps.
xxb
I really REALLY appreciate your answer. I'm so lost, having to give up on fruit... I used to gave a healthy weight and in less then 6months gained 11kilos, i am now insulin resistance and can't seem to find the way to get back on track..! And with this program i find myself having to eat rye crackers and cheese, wich is not the way i feel i should be going.. Any advice or menu plans you'd like to share?
DeleteSorry for disturbing you with this..
Laura.