Pumpkin Rocks

With the upcoming Halloween holiday a few R.D.’s on twitter asked for pumpkin recipes for their upcoming radio shows and I submitted the Pumpkin Custard from A Recipe for Life.  Since it is my own recipe I thought a pumpkin blog apropos for this week.

Canned pumpkin is actually an underused food.  One of my clients told me last week she uses a few spoonfuls to flavor her Greek Yogurt in the morning with some cinnamon and nutmeg and I thought – why not?

High in Vitamins A and K, and the phytochemicals alpha and beta carotene it is a nutrient dense food.  With only 41 calories per half cup serving, 3.5 grams of protein, no fat and 10 grams of carbohydrate it is a good flavor enhancer for a recipe.

Here is the Pumpkin Custard from A Recipe for Life.  It is a reasonable dessert for any night of the week and can satisfy a sweet craving without breaking your health bank.

Pumpkin Custard

Serves:  6

Prep Time:      15 minutes
Cook Time:     25-30 minutes                                                                      

Ingredients:

1½ cups canned pumpkin
¼ cup plain yogurt
¼ cup whole milk ricotta cheese
3 tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
⅛ teaspoon ground ginger
⅛ teaspoon ground allspice
2 large eggs, separated

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a medium mixing bowl, stir together canned pumpkin, yogurt and ricotta cheese until blended.  Stir in honey and spices.

Separate egg yolks from whites and stir egg yolks into pumpkin mixture.  Beat egg whites until stiff peaks form and fold into mixture.

Pour into 6 ramekins and bake at 350 degrees 25-30 minutes until puffed and rounded.  Serve immediately.

Variation:  May put a dollop of whipped cream on each ramekin.

Nutritional Analysis per serving:

103 calories
5 grams of protein
14 grams of carbohydrate
3 grams of fat
2.7 grams of fiber
40 mg. of sodium

Comments

[Maura]

I'm going to make this tomorrow! Can't wait!!! Thanks for sharing! YUM!