Chewy Pumpkin Oat Squares

Chewy Pumpkin Oat Squares - yummy, nutritious, vegan, gluten-free :)

These delicious, chewy oat squares—loaded with fruits, nuts and gluten-free whole grains—do equal service as a hearty breakfast (think muffin minus the cup) or a wholesome dessert cake. Pumpkin puree plus freshly grated honeycrisp apple makes the squares moist; currants and walnuts add a bright burst of flavor to every bite.

Chewy Pumpkin Oat Squares

Dry Ingredients
2 cups whole oats (not instant)
1/4 cup cornmeal
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1.5 teaspoons baking soda
1 Tbs ground flaxseed or chia seed
pinch of salt (optional)

Wet Ingredients
1 cup unsweetened pumpkin puree
1/2 cup almond butter
1/2 cup liquid natural sweetener (honey, maple syrup or agave)
1/2 cup grated apple (packed)
1 Tbs melted coconut oil (optional)

Fold-Ins
1/2 cup currants (or raisins)
1/4 cup finely chopped walnuts

Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease an 8X8 Pyrex baking dish with coconut oil or line it with two sheets of parchment paper. In separate mixing bowls, mix wet ingredients and dry ingredients separately. Add wet to dry, combine well and fold in currants and walnuts. Pour batter into pan and bake for 35-40 minutes, until top begins to brown and cracks have formed over the surface. Allow cake to cool before slicing into squares. Depending on how you cut it, each pan makes 9, 12 or 16 healthy servings.

Pumpkin Mungbean Daal

If you follow food blogs at all, you're sure to have noticed the recent abundance of pumpkin recipes! With Halloween just around the corner I get why, but despite the fact that sugar pumpkins are a traditional harvest food, pumpkin itself is far from a short-season vegetable. In fact, there are many varieties of pumpkin to be had virtually year-round, hiding in plain sight under the admittedly unsexy and very general nom de plume: Winter SQUASH.

I love winter squashes and pumpkins for their sweet taste, velvety smooth texture and meaty bite. These water-rich carbohydrate sources are high in antioxidant carotenoids like beta carotene that help boost immune function and promote eye health. Winter squash and pumpkin are easier to digest than whole grains, and filling without being heavy.

Some of my favorite varieties are the very dark green Buttercup squash (which resembles a bumpy, flat acorn squash), it's orange cousin Kabocha squash, and the beautiful jewel-toned Japanese pumpkin.

The other night I baked a Buttercup and had enough left over to add into the thick, delicious and satisfying protein-rich daal pictured at the top of this post.

If you don't have any roasted pumpkin on hand, it's easy enough to make. Remove the stem and halve your whole, unpeeled pumpkin or squash through the north-south axis. After scooping out the seeds with a spoon, place cut face down in a pyrex baking dish with about a half inch of water added to help keep squash moist while baking. Cover with aluminum foil and bake at 450 degrees for 30 to 60 minutes, depending on the size of the pumpkin—just keep checking. When a butter knife slides easily into the side, it's done.

Pumpkin Mungbean Daal

4 cups vegetable stock
1 cup dry mung beans
3 slices ginger root, peeled and chopped
1 heaping teaspoon curry powder
2 thin slices fresh jalapeno or red chili pepper, or cayenne to taste

1 medium carrot, sliced
2 cups peeled and chopped roasted pumpkin or buttercup squash
sea salt to taste
red pepper flakes, fresh chopped cilantro or other green herb (optional)

Simmer vegetable stock, mung beans, ginger, curry, jalapeno and lemon for an hour until beans are very soft. Add carrot and pumpkin and simmer another 20-30 minutes. Add salt to taste.

Serve as a soup, or over a bed of fresh chopped spinach to add a little crunch and freshness. Top with red pepper flakes, sprouts or any freshly chopped herb, such as chives or cilantro, if desired.

Bon appetit!

Pumpkin Spice Chia Pudding (Vegan & Gluten-Free!)

Pumpkin Spice Chia Pudding

Wish you could eat pumpkin pie every day but don't want all that fat and sugar? Try this delicious, healthy pumpkin pudding instead! It's made with organic canned pumpkin puree, naturally sweet dates, plain coconut milk and plenty of fragrant, warming pumpkin pie spice. Chia seeds make it thick without eggs or dairy while adding protein, fiber, calcium, iron and a good dose of anti-inflammatory omega-3 fatty acids. 

Enjoy Pumpkin Spice Chia Pudding for breakfast or dessert. Perfect just as is, or add sliced bananas, currants and pecans -- on top, stirred in or layered for an elegant holiday parfait. Yum!

This recipe makes about four cups of pudding. Double it if you have a crowd to feed, or simply want more on hand for you. Keeps well for several days in the fridge since antioxidant-rich chia seeds act as a preservative. 

Pumpkin Spice Chia Pudding

2 cups liquid unsweetened coconut milk (the kind in a carton, not the thicker canned kind)

1 cup organic canned pumpkin (that's half an average can)

6-8 medjool dates

2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

pinch Himalayan pink salt

1/2 cup chia seeds (I used white)

Directions: Put all ingredients except chia seeds in the Vita-Mix and blend on medium to high speed, until creamy. Stir in chia seeds, wait five minutes, stir again, wait another five minutes, stir again, wait another five minutes (!) and then give a final stir and pour pudding into two glass pint mason jars or any serving bowl of choice. Cover and chill in refrigerator until firm, about two hours, for best texture. 

Look how thick it gets!

Pumpkin Pie Pudding (High Raw, Vegan)

Today, dear reader, I invite you to consider the humble pudding for breakfast. Creamy, rich, dairy-free flaxseed pudding, that is.

Flaxseed pudding is a high raw confection that makes a deliciously comforting breakfast—especially welcome on chilly mornings when the idea of a cleansing green juice or smoothie holds distinctly less appeal.

Having experimented with flaxseed pudding creation all week, I am delighted to present this tasty Pumpkin Pie version, made with organic canned pumpkin puree, unsweetened almond milk, and medjool dates.

Tiny flaxseeds are rich in mucilaginous compounds that serve as splendid thickening agents for puddings. High in anti-inflammatory omega-3 fatty acids, flaxeeds are very soothing to the digestive tract. They also contain soluble fiber that helps to gently promote bowel activity (bonus!). To keep flaxseeds fresh, store tightly sealed in a cold place, ideally the freezer.

Chia seeds may be substituted for flax in this recipe, but since chia costs more, I prefer to save it for tapioca style puddings. Both chia and flax provide 2 grams of protein per tablespoon.

Pumpkin Pie Pudding
makes one serving

1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk
2 Tablespoons whole flaxseed
3 Tablespoons organic pumpkin puree
2 medjoool dates, pitted and chopped
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice*
1/2 cup water
1-2 Tablespoons raisins (optional)

To begin, add almond milk and flaxseeds to blender, and allow seeds to soak while you gather remaining ingredients and drink your tea, about 15 minutes.

When ready, add in pumpkin puree, dates, and pumpkin pie spice. Blend on low for half a minute or so. Gradually increase speed to high, and blend until smooth—a minute or so.

Slowly increasing blending speed helps to reduce the amount of pudding that splatters onto the sides and lid of your blender container. However, this thick pudding is bound to spatter somewhat anyway! So once initial blending is complete, remove lid and pour 1/2 cup of water into the lid and then down the insides of the blender, swirling all the way. Use a rubber spatula to push down what's left clinging to the sides.Then, briefly blend again on low, incorporating all.

When pudding is properly pureed, pour into a mug or bowl. Top with raisins and a sprinkle of cinnamon or nutmeg, if desired. Eat straight away or take with you to work. Alternately, chill pudding and enjoy later.

PREP TIP: This recipe takes one cup of liquid, divided half and half between unsweetened almond milk and water. You could add both at the beginning, but then you wouldn't have extra liquid available to help wash down the insides of the blender and conserve your precious pudding. Think about it. ;)

SUBSTITUTIONS: If you're out of dates, substitute a tablespoon of maple syrup. Missing raisins? Garnish with sliced banana and/or finely chopped walnuts instead. Yum! 

* Pumpkin Pie Spice perfectly blends cinnamon, nutmeg, clove and ginger into a single, convenient powder. Made by Frontier Herbs in an organic version, pumpkin pie spice may be readily found in the spice or bulk section of your local health food store only during the holiday season; order direct from Frontier any time of year.

Raw Butternut Fettucini with Creamy Cilantro Nutfredo

I was born exactly 9 years to the day before the first moon walk, on which date the lunar surface was discovered to be covered with...rocks. Before that, people really had no idea what the moon was made of. Really. I remember one theory, quite popular when I was a child, that the moon was made of green cheese. Yes, people used to actually say this; I have no idea why. Not that I ever believed it, but in honor of tonight's new moon and annular eclipse of the sun, I felt inspired to make some Green Cheese of my own.

I had organic cilantro in the fridge, and a loose recipe for Cashew-Cilantro Paté swiped from an old vegan boyfriend of mine, but only a handful of raw cashews remaining in the nut jar. So, I improvised on the cheese, as I am wont to do. And then, inspiration struck! I remembered that I had a nice, big, smooth butternut squash in the pantry...and Raw Butternut Fettucini with Creamy Cilantro Nutfredo was born.

To create this dish, start by making a batch of Vegan Green Cheese as a base for the Creamy Cilantro Nutfredo. Measure out 1 1/2 cups of any combination of the following raw nuts and seeds: cashews, macadamia nuts, pumpkin seeds, pine nuts or brazil nuts. You can see I used about 2/3 raw pumpkin seeds, and 1/3 mixed cashews and macadamias.

Put your nut/seed combination in a bowl, cover by about an inch or two of fresh water, and soak for one hour. When time's up, drain soaked nuts/seeds and place in a food processor fitted with the S-blade. Add 2 Tbs virgin raw coconut oil and 1/4 tsp sea salt (I love the Himalayan pink salt, as you know, but any good quality sea salt will do).

Then pulse and process until contents attain the consistency of a coarse meal.

To this coarse meal, add the juice of 2 or 3 lemons; 1 tsp your choice coconut aminos, Bragg's liquid aminos or tamari; 2 Tbs nutritional yeast; 4 Tbs of water; and 2 large cloves garlic, minced. Process this all together for a while, until things start to get creamy (it may be necessary to add a bit more water to facilitate creaming). When the cheese has balled up and come together nicely, add 1/2 cup (packed) chopped cilantro,

and pulse that in. This is your Vegan Green Cheese.

Put Green Cheese into an airtight container and refrigerate while you make your noodles.

Butternut fettucini noodles are ridiculously easy to make. Start by cutting off the long neck of a good-sized butternut squash, and set the seed-filled bulbous portion aside. Use a vegetable peeler to remove the outer skin from the neck of the squash,

and then continue peeling off long, orange strips until you have enough for your dinner (and/or you get tired of peeling).

Your squash neck will turn into a beautiful sculpture, by the way,

which can be refrigerated and used another day in, for instance, a tasty squash curry, a creamy butternut soup, or even Raw Pumpkin Pie (butternut squash stands in beautifully for pumpkin in this recipe).

To "cook" the fettucini, it is necessary to marinate the butternut strips in a little oil to which has been added salt and an acid, just like we do for Massaged Kale. For today's marinade, I used 2 Tbs olive oil, 2 Tbs white balsamic vinegar, 1/4 tsp each of Himalayan pink salt and ground black pepper, and the last of some dried Thai basil I had kicking around, just to add a little extra flavor. I also added a teaspoon of Mirin (Japanese white cooking wine), just because I could, but that's totally optional. If you don't have white balsamic, use lemon juice and a splash of agave instead.

Stir marinade ingredients together in a large mixing bowl, then add the raw butternut noodles, and toss. Allow noodles to sit for at least half an hour in order to soften up, tossing from time to time to keep them all evenly coated.

When the noodles are done (al dente, naturally), it's time to assemble the Fettucini Nutfredo. Measure out about 3 Tbs of Vegan Green Cheese per serving, and place this in a medium sized bowl. Heat up some water on the stove; then little by little, use a fork to blend warm water into the cheese, gradually thinning and transforming it into a thick, creamy sauce of your preferred consistency. Voila! Creamy Cilantro Nutfredo!

Spoon Nutfredo sauce onto the marinated butternut fettucini. Toss gently and thoroughly until all your noodles are well coated with delectabe, saucy goodness.

Transfer to plate(s), and garnish with a sprinkle of any chopped green herb you prefer (I used fresh chives from my garden, along with their pretty purple flowers, but more cilantro would be lovely, too, as would parsley).

This meal takes far less time to prepare than the finished masterpiece would suggest, with plenty of leftover Vegan Green Cheese as a bonus. This will last for up to one week in the fridge, and can be used as a spread, a dip, a filling (for celery ribs, nori rolls, romaine wraps) - sky's the limit. Which reminds me. There's a Ring of Fire annular eclipse happening tonight. The oracle says this brings great opportunity for self-knowing and transformation. May it be so with you, and all your relations.

Autumn Empress Salad with Currried Hemp Seed Dressing

It’s been more than a month since I posted my last blog from the beaches of Florida...and suddenly, its twenty degrees outside and Thanksgiving Day! How did that happen? And what better occasion to share a delicious harvest recipe featuring a cornucopial favorite: winter squash.

But first, a brief explanation for my absence. No—I didn’t run away with a pod of dolphins (sigh). I’ve been home in Western Massachusetts, witnessing the emergence of bare branches and absorbing, activating and working with Reiki, the healing energy system transmitted and taught to me in Florida last month by Reiki master, psychic healer and author Diane Stein. After intensive practice and further attunement, I am pleased to begin offering Reiki healings and energy balancing as an adjunct to nutritional counseling for my clients.

Of course during these many weeks of inner transformation, I have still been eating and preparing food! I’ve had a lot of new "raw materials" to work with as well, lol, brought to market by the wonderful organic farmers of the Pioneer Valley. I’m astounded at the variety of never-before-seen fruits and vegetables our farmers introduce to the locally-grown table each year… new and unusual shapes and colors of peppers, heirloom tomatoes, baby potatoes, squashes, apples, pears and more. Amazing!

My latest vegetable crush is on Orange Sunshine kabocha. This hefty baby is the red/orange-skinned version of my beloved "buttercup" squash, formerly the sweetest, most velvety winter squash I had tasted. That is to say, before my new squash crush changed things forever.

Orange Sunshine’s bumpy, scarlet-tinged outer skin hides richly hued, orange-gold flesh within. When baked at 400 degrees, cut side down in a pan of water, the flesh of this beauty becomes soft, smooth and sugary enough to give garnet yams a run for their money. Eaten raw, it is surprisingly crisp, juicy and, yes, super sweet! Who knew?

The raw winter squash raw-velation came to me while preparing my first Orange Sunshine for the oven. Once I started crunching on thin slivers of fresh squash and realized how DELICIOUS it was in its natural state, I couldn’t bring myself to bake the whole thing! Setting some hunks aside, snugly wrapped in a plastic bag in the fridge, I came up with this recipe the following day.

Combining gorgeous Orange Sunshine kabocha with royal Purple Cabbage creates a magnificent color combination, a visual feast fit for a queen. In my Autumn Empress Salad, this imperial vegetable duo is topped with an exotic savory dressing, spiced with curry and rich in protein and healthy omega-3 fatty acids from golden hemp and thickening chia seeds. For a hotter version, double the curry powder and add cayenne pepper to taste.

Enjoy Autumn Empress Salad as a main meal or simple side. For a regal presentation, spoon into pale green butter lettuce boats and imagine them as crunchy royal barges, floating straight down your plate in the direction of your happy mouth and belly. ☺


Autumn Empress Salad with Curried Hemp Seed Dressing

Salad Ingredients
1½ - 2 cups shredded purple cabbage
1½ - 2 cups grated Orange Sunshine kabocha squash

Dressing Ingredients
¼ cup hemp seeds
1 Tbs white chia seeds
½ lemon, peeled and pitted
1 lime’s juice
½ tsp sea salt
½ tsp each curry powder, turmeric powder
1 tsp raw honey or agave, or 3 drops liquid stevia extract
1 cup cold water

Serving Suggestion Ingredients
2 butter lettuce leaves per person
4 slices honeycrisp apple per plate

Directions
Shred or finely chop purple cabbage leaves after removing the thick inner stem. Grate kabocha squash in hunks, by first cutting off a slice and removing any seeds clinging to the center, then cutting a wedge that will grate easily. Hold the skin side of the squash towards your palm and grate only the inner flesh. The remaining strip of skin may be eaten by you, composted or given to the dog. (My dog is crazy for squash!) Place shredded cabbage and grated squash in a large bowl and toss gently to combine.

Add all dressing ingredients to a high speed blender and blend on high until creamy. Taste and adjust seasonings. Pour dressing over salad and toss to coat. Spoon into butter lettuce leaves if desired and garnish plates with crisp, sweet apple slices. Apples combine well with this beautiful raw salad, provided no starches, cooked veggies or animal proteins are eaten at the same meal.

Wishing you all a very Happy and Healthy Thanksgiving!
With grateful ♥, Diana

Thanksgiving Treat: Raw Pumpkin Pie

When I served this raw pumpkin pie at the Montague Integrative Health Open House, I had so much fun watching all the guests take that first bite and go WOW! I can't believe this is RAW!
This scrumptious, naturally-sweetened pie delivers all the thick, creamy deliciousness and sensual, spicy bouquet of a traditional cooked pumpkin pie without any sugar added. Plus, you get the bonus of high nutrient values from 100% raw and living ingredients.

Wishing you all a happy & healthy Thanksgiving. Wherever you may be..may your heart be filled with gratitude for all life's gifts...including...

Raw Pumpkin Pie with Coconut-Date-Pecan Crust

For the Coconut-Date-Pecan Crust:

Ingredients
½ cup almonds, soaked 2-4 hours or overnight and drained
½ cup pecans, soaked 2-4 hours and drained
1 cup dried coconut
4 dates, pitted
1 Tbs raw honey (or maple syrup or agave nectar)
2 tsp lemon zest
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
pinch sea salt

Directions
Place nuts and dates in food processor and process with S-blade until granulated. Add honey, lemon zest, spices and salt and process again till well combined. Add coconut last and process until fully blended. Transfer dough to pie plate and press evenly into sides and bottom of pan to form crust, crimping edges with fingertips. Set crust aside while you prepare filling. (Chill if desired.)


For the Raw Pumpkin Filling:

Ingredients
4 cups fresh diced pumpkin (peeled and seeded)
1 cup dates, soaked 1-2 hours and drained; reserve soak water! (Feel free to substitute any dried fruits for the dates, such as dried apricots, raisins or prunes.)
4 tsp pumpkin pie spice (or 1½ tsp each ginger & cinnamon, ½ tsp each nutmeg & clove)
½ cup raw almond butter
½ cup date soaking water (or use apple cider or fresh squeezed orange juice)

Directions
Peel a medium sugar pumpkin, remove seeds and dice. Add all ingredients to a high speed blender and blend until creamy. Be patient; because this is thick, you will need to stir/plunge with plunger attachment while blending and/or stop blender periodically to push down contents into blades, then start again until it all catches. Add additional liquid if necessary, but try to use the least possible. When fully blended, pour or spoon filling into prepared pie crust and chill at least one hour to set. Cover with plastic film and store in fridge.