Pumpkin!!!

Oh, and nutritionally, it's like eating winter squash (because it essentially is a variety of winter squash) (I'm assuming you're eating plain canned pumpkin, not the stuff called pumpkin pie filling). It's a vegetable. Why would you think a vegetable is "empty calories"?

I have a baked pumpkin pudding recipe that I love and make for dessert every couple of weeks. Tastes like the pie, but without the crust. Yummers.

AngryViking1970 wrote: »

I make pie or pancakes and then give the rest to my dog. It's good for his digestion.

so good for them! My friend has a golden retriever with, ewwww, anal gland issues and the vet said feed him an apple and a scoop of pumpkin from the can and all the problems went away!

I'm so glad you asked about this. Now I want some oatmeal with pumpkin and spices for breakfast. Cold weather will get here before too long and I'll want something besides the ever present Greek yogurt.

I give it to my dog. He's fat so while my other dogs are getting kongs full of peanut butter, he gets one with pumpkin in it.

anewell28 wrote: »

? Or will it be empty calories?

If you want some pumpkin, and if fits your macros, have pumpkin. Don't worry about nebulous terms like "empty calories".

Not empty calories... Pumpkin has a lot of vitamins & minerals, not just carbs & water:

http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/vegetables-and-vegetable-products/2602/2

crazyravr wrote: »

ZoneFive wrote: »

I have a baked pumpkin pudding recipe that I love and make for dessert every couple of weeks. Tastes like the pie, but without the crust. Yummers.

Share?

So -- the baked pumpkin pudding is borrowed (and barely tweaked) from the Smitten Kitchen website. She's a bit chatty in her posts, so here's the recipe straight up, with my tweaks noted.

Pumpkin and Sour Cream Puddings

Yield: 7 to 8 half-cup puddings (or four one-cup puddings, which is how I do it)

Pudding
1 3/4 cups (from a 15-ounce can, 415 grams) pumpkin puree (unsweetened; not pumpkin pie filling
1/2 cup (100 grams) granulated sugar (or the equivalent in bulk Splenda; you could use Swerve but I don't like stevia)
1 teaspoon (2 grams) ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon (3 grams) table salt
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1 cup (237 ml) whole milk
1/2 cup (118 ml) heavy cream
2 large eggs, lightly beaten

Topping
1 cup (227 grams) sour cream
1 tablespoon (13 grams) granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon (1 ml) vanilla extract
(I've never made the topping; I like my pudding naked)

Preheat oven to 350°F.

The quickest method: In a medium bowl, whisk together all of the pudding ingredients.

For creamier, silkier pudding: Combine pumpkin, sugar, salt and spices in a food processor and blend for 30 seconds. Transfer to a saucepan and heat over medium-high. Once glurping and simmering in the pot, cook for another 5 minutes, stirring frequently. The mixture will thicken and get a bit darker. Reduce heat slightly and whisk in milk and cream. Off the heat, slowly whisk in eggs.

Both methods: Divide between 7 to 8 ovenproof 6-ounce (or four 8-ounce) pudding cups or ramekins on a baking sheet. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until puddings barely jiggle when shimmied and/or a knife tip inserted into the center of puddings comes out clean. Try not to overbake.

While they bake, combine topping ingredients in a small bowl. When the puddings are cooked through, transfer to a cooling rack on the counter and leave oven on. Spoon 2 tablespoons of sour cream mixture onto first pudding and use a small offset spatula, butter knife or spoon to quickly (it will get melty fast) spread it over the top of the first pudding. Repeat with remaining puddings.

Return puddings to oven for 5 more minutes, then cool completely at room temperature, about 1 to 2 hours. Chill until ready to serve. (Personally I like them better warm.)

Nutrition for 4 one-cup servings:

calories 192
Total Fat 14 g
Saturated Fat 8 g
Monounsaturated Fat 4g
Polyunsaturated Fat 1 g
Trans Fat 0 g
Cholesterol 135 mg
Sodium 253 mg
Potassium 419 mg
Total Carbohydrate 11 g
Dietary Fiber 3 g
Sugars 5 g
Protein 5 g
Vitamin A 189 %
Vitamin C 4 %
Calcium 14 %
Iron 7 %

In the pumpkin category, I made mini pumpkin pies with pumpkin Greek yogurt, mini graham cracker crust and low-fat whipped cream.