Category: I Love Pumpkin!

White Sweet Potato Purée

Chef V

Everyone loves mashed potatoes. But regular mashed potatoes are very starchy. That means the starch quickly converts into sugar. That’s more bad news for your gut. But this healthy recipe for mashed potatoes uses the nutritiously-superior white sweet potato. Instead of regular milk, I use almond or coconut milk.

I swear to you that my white sweet potato pureé will have the same starchy mouth-feel as regular mashed potatoes. But this version contains way more minerals and is lower in calories. – Veronica

sweet potato puree

TOTAL: 1 hour

Serving Size:2

Ingredients

  • 1 large white sweet potato, peeled and chopped
  • 3 cups filtered water
  • 1/4 cup Chef V’s Raw Almond Milk or coconut milk
  • 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, optional
  • 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes, optional

Directions

Boil the sweet potato pieces in the 3 cups of water in a large pot for 15 minutes, or until soft. Transfer the pieces to a Vitamix and add the milk, sea salt, cayenne, and red pepper flakes, and process until smooth. Serve immediately or keep refrigerated for up to 1 week.

Creamy Curry Pumpkin Soup

Chef V

The only thing more comforting than a bowl of soup is a bowl of homemade soup that is both vegan and gluten-free. There’s something special about cooking comforting meals like this during the Fall that will warm you up and have your kitchen smelling festive.

Cozy up with someone you love and enjoy this delicious pumpkin soup on a cool fall night! – Veronica

vegan ambrosia salad

Serving Size:2

Ingredients

  • 1 tbsp. olive oil
  • 1 yellow onion, diced
  • ½ cup organic Crimini mushrooms, sliced
  • 1 clove garlic
  • 1 tsp. curry powder
  • 1 ½ tbsp. gluten-free flour (we like Bob’s Red Mill)
  • 3 cups organic vegetable broth
  • 2 cups Chef V’s Organic Pumpkin Puree (see recipe HERE)
  • ½ cup of canned coconut milk
  • 1 tsp. nutmeg
  • 1 tsp organic sea salt
  • ½ tsp. black pepper

Directions

Bring oil to medium high heat and saute onion and mushrooms for 3 minutes or until onions are translucent.

Add garlic, curry powder and gluten-free flour to the pan to continue to cook for one more minute.

Slowly add the vegetable broth and bring to a boil.

Cook and stir for a couple of minutes until the soup starts to thicken.

Add the pumpkin puree, coconut milk, nutmeg, salt and pepper.

Continue to stir and cook for an additional 5 minutes.

Blend small batches of soup in a Vitamix or blender to a get a smooth texture and serve hot.

Vegan & Gluten-Free Pumpkin Pie

Chef V

My oh my, pumpkin pie … how I love thee,
But how you seem to hate my belly.
For each sinfully delicious bite I take,
Your sweet and milky richness makes my tummy ache.
Is there a way to make you more nutritious,
All the while keeping you equally delicious?
The good news is yes there is,
And showing you how is my biz. (Mic drop)

Bon Appétit! – Veronica

pumpkin pie

My pumpkin pie recipe is better for your health because it contains low-glycemic coconut sugar and dairy-free coconut whipped cream. It is gluten-free.

Ingredients

chia seed egg substitute

Directions

Mix sugar, pie spice, salt, egg substitute and pumpkin puree in a large mixing bowl. Slowly add almond milk.

Press pie crust into a 9-inch baking pie dish. Pour the pumpkin mix into the pie crust.

Bake 450-degree oven for 15 minutes. Reduce the heat to 350 degrees and bake for an additional 40 minutes.

Cool on wire rack for 20 minutes. Serve immediately with my Coconut Whip Cream Recipe or refrigerate.

My oh my, pumpkin pie … how I love thee,
But how you seem to hate my belly.
For each sinfully delicious bite I take,
Your sweet and milky richness makes my tummy ache.
Is there a way to make you more nutritious,
All the while keeping you equally delicious?
The good news is yes there is,
And showing you how is my biz. (Mic drop)

Bon Appétit! – Veronica

pumpkin pie

My pumpkin pie recipe is better for your health because it contains low-glycemic coconut sugar and dairy-free coconut whipped cream. It is gluten-free.

Ingredients

chia seed egg substitute

Directions

Mix sugar, pie spice, salt, egg substitute and pumpkin puree in a large mixing bowl. Slowly add almond milk.

Press pie crust into a 9-inch baking pie dish. Pour the pumpkin mix into the pie crust.

Bake 450-degree oven for 15 minutes. Reduce the heat to 350 degrees and bake for an additional 40 minutes.

Cool on wire rack for 20 minutes. Serve immediately with my Coconut Whip Cream Recipe or refrigerate.

Gluten-Free Pie Crust

Chef V

Gluten-free pie crust – my recipe is so good you can use it for any pie recipes, sweet or savory. It’s a keeper! – Veronica

chia seed egg substitute
gluten free pie crust

Ingredients

  • 2 cups gluten-free flour (I like Bob’s Red Mill)
  • 2 tbsp. raw coconut sugar
  • ½ tsp. organic sea salt
  • 1 tbsp. Chef V’s Chia Seed Egg Substitute
  • 1/3 cup water (add tbsp. more at a time if to dry)
  • 1-cup organic unsweetened almond milk

Directions

Preheat oven for 450°F. In a large mixing bowl, mix flour, salt and sugar. Add coconut oil and mix until crumbly.

Add egg substitute and mix in well, mixture should still be crumbly. Add water by stirring in one tablespoon at a time until the dough holds together for rolling. It is better to be more moist than too dry.

Cut mixture in a half add roll into two balls (one for crust and one for topping). Flour a sheet of parchment paper or wax paper on a flat surface. Shape balls into disc shapes and place on surface.

Cover the dough with an additional piece of wax paper Roll crust out to slightly bigger than your pie tin. Remove the top wax paper, place your hand under the bottom piece of wax paper and turn over into your pie dish.

Slowly remove the wax paper from the top of the crust. If it breaks up just mold it back together. Press edges on crust with a fork to crimp the edges. Pierce bottom slightly with a fork. Add pie mixture.

Pumpkin Pie Spice Blend

Chef V

This pumpkin pie spice blend recipe is easy to make on your own, especially if you have a lot of spices in your cupboard. The recipe below is much better but you can always buy this one pre-made too.

  • 2 1/2 tbsp ground organic cinnamon
  • 2 tbsp ground organic ginger
  • 2 tsp ground organic nutmeg
  • 1 tsp ground organic cloves

DIRECTIONS
Mix spices together and use for your pumpkin pie recipes this year.

White Sweet Potato Purée IBS Version

Jean Yates

You just can’t have a special meal without mashed potatoes. But regular mashed potatoes are very starchy. That means the starch quickly converts into sugar. That’s more bad news for your gut. But this healthy recipe for mashed potatoes uses the nutritiously-superior white sweet potato. Instead of regular milk, I use almond or coconut milk. This recipe is designed for people with IBS who are following a low FODMAP diet.

I swear to you that my white sweet potato pureé will have the same starchy mouth-feel as regular mashed potatoes. But this version contains way more minerals and is lower in calories. – Veronica

sweet potato puree

TOTAL: 1 hour

Serving Size:2

Ingredients

  • 1 large white sweet potato, peeled and chopped
  • 3 cups filtered water
  • 1/4 cup Chef V’s Raw Almond Milk or coconut milk
  • 1/4 teaspoon sea salt

Directions

Boil the sweet potato pieces in the 3 cups of water in a large pot for 15 minutes, or until soft. Transfer the pieces to a Vitamix and add the milk, and sea salt and process until smooth. Serve immediately or keep refrigerated for up to 1 week.

Pumpkin Smoothie

Chef V

This smoothie tastes rich and decadent – but it is vegan and gluten free as well. I use raw cashews and my own Pumpkin Pie Spice Blend to make this a healthy, delicious treat that won’t make you bloated. – Veronica

pumpkin pie smoothie

Ingredients

Directions

Combine all ingredients in a Vitamix or blender. Blend on high speed until smooth. Serve in glasses with a straw or a spoon. – Veronica

Organic Pumpkin Purée

Jean Yates

It’s so easy to make your own pumpkin purée. Just cut the top off any pumpkin, cut into 4 quarters and remove all the seeds and guts. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the pumpkin skin side down on the baking sheet. Place in the oven for 45 minutes at 350 F (do not use oil). Remove from the oven, rest for 5-10 minutes and peel off the pumpkin skin.

Place your pumpkin in Vitamix or blender and puree. Use this purée for my recipes or any recipe that calls for canned pumpkin puree. The difference is AMAZING! You can store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or freezer for later use.

Use this recipe in my Creamy Pumpkin Curry Soup.

pumpkin puree

Ingredients

  • 1 pie pumpkin

Directions

It’s so easy to make your own pumpkin purée. Just cut the top off any pumpkin, cut into 4 quarters and remove all the seeds and guts. Place in the oven for 45 minutes at 350 F (do not use oil). Remove from the oven and peel off the pumpkin skin.

Place your pumpkin in Vitamix or blender and puree. Use this purée for my recipes or any recipe that calls for canned pumpkin puree. The difference is AMAZING! You can store in the refrigerator or freezer for later use.

Why I’m Out Of My Gourd About Pumpkins

Chef V

Chef V hand and pumpkin

Pumpkins: can we all agree that the whole pumpkin spice and PSL (latte) thing has gotten out of hand? It’s gotten to the point that PSLs are released with a whole month left of summer to go. In fact, Dunkin Donuts beat Starbucks to the pumpkin punch this year, releasing its own PSL on August 19.

When it’s still 100 degrees outside and I’m trying to cool off in the pool the last thing I want to think about is a steaming hot PSL. And as a certified nutritional therapist, I suggest you just say no to PSLs.

According to Starbucks.com, a grande (16 oz) contains 50 grams of sugar! Fifty! 5-0! There are four grams of sugar in a teaspoon, which means a grande PSL has 12.5 teaspoons of sugar. The American Heart Association suggests women should have no more than 6 teaspoons a day. You don’t have to be a brilliant mathematician to figure out that PSLs are no superfood.

(Want a healthier drink to get your day started? My Organic Green Drink contains only 6 grams of sugar per 16 oz and 7 leafy green veggies.)

pumpkin spice latte

Remove the Sugar, Pumpkins Are Healthy

But pumpkins are a superfood in their natural state. One study on these “gourdgeous” (sorry for the pun; pumpkins are gourds) fruits that are often mistaken for vegetables, says that pumpkins contain “Substantial medicinal properties due to the presence of unique natural edible substances.”

Pumpkins possess a plethora of the following phytonutrients:

  • Alkaloids
  • Flavonoids
  • Palmitic acid
  • Oleic acid
  • Linoleic acid
  • Vitamin A
  • Vitamin K
  • Vitamin C
  • Vitamin E
  • Potassium
  • Copper
  • Manganese

Nutrition researchers love pumpkins not because of how well it tastes in a caffeinated drink, but rather for its “medicinal properties including anti-diabetic, antioxidant, anti-carcinogenic, anti-inflammatory and others [that] have been well documented.”

Edible pumpkins contain a high amount of the antioxidants called carotenoids. Carotenoids are the colorful pigment that give carrots their orange hue, and their name (“carot”enoids). All types of pumpkins have the following three anti-aging all-star carotenoids: zeaxanthin, lutein, and beta-carotene, which is a precursor to vitamin A.

All three are great for the eyes. So when you eat pumpkin seeds or organic canned pumpkin, you’re protecting your peepers from age-related macular degeneration. These antioxidants are actually found in human eyeballs! So pumpkins are sort of like a multivitamin for your eyes.

Pumpkin seeds ripen in August through September. So this is the time of year you should be eating whole pumpkin (take it easy on pumpkin pie) along with its fall cousin, squashes.

pumpkin seed nutritional facts

Pumpkin Nutrition Facts

Pumpkins are nutrient dense. They’re low in calories but mega rich in vitamins and minerals. There’s several benefits of eating pumpkin. It doesn’t matter whether you’re eating this cucumber-related fruit (yes, it’s technically a fruit, not veggie) raw, boiled, canned or the seeds.

First, pumpkins contain lots of beta-carotene. Beta-carotene is a potent antioxidant. Antioxidants kill free-radicals. We all need a certain amount of free radicals in our body. It gives something for our immune system to do, namely killing free radicals. But when free radicals outnumber white blood cells and other immune-system sentinels, that’s when disease takes root.

Beta-carotene is what gives carrots their orange color. And it’s this pigment in beta-carotene that helps fight cancer, prevents premature aging as well as heart disease. Some of the beta-carotene you eat converts into vitamin A, which is a nutrient vital for vision and one that many people simply don’t get enough of. (Do you eat enough beef livers? Probably not.)

Pumpkin is also relatively high in minerals such as potassium, copper, manganese and vitamins C and B2. Pumpkin even contains essential omega-3 fatty acids.

Usually, I don’t recommend eating anything from a can. There are a few exceptions: wild salmon and sardines. (I won’t let hubby Brandon near the house with sardines. They smell disgusting. But they are very healthy.) If you’re going to buy canned pumpkin, though, make sure it’s organic, in a BPA-free can.

Canned pumpkin is like a vitamin A pill. There’s a whopping almost 800% of your recommended vitamin A intake. The one downside is there’s 8 grams of sugar per serving. But the sugar is balanced by 7 grams of fiber (almost 30% daily value). Also, there’s 50% daily value of vitamin K (good for your bones and blood) and 20% daily value of iron.

Pumpkins: Pumpkin Seed Oil

I’m still waiting for pumpkin seed oil to become the next avocado oil. Just as avocado oil has become a viable healthy cooking oil alternative to olive oil (and most definitely, canola oil), pumpkin seed oil has the potential to become a staple in every healthy kitchen cabinet. That’s because like avocado and olive oils, pumpkin seed oil is technically a fruit oil.

Studies like this one show that pumpkin seed oil can help lower cholesterol levels and blood pressure. Pumpkin oil is also beneficial for the skin, and it helps the body’s detoxification processes.

pumpkin seeds

Pumpkins:  Best Foods To Eat

So we’ve ruled out PSLs and, sorry to be a buzzkill—pumpkin pie. If you’re able to exert some willpower, limit yourself to three big bites of pumpkin pie and eat each bite very, very slowly. But if eating one bit is the equivalent of turning one cigarette into a pack-a-day habit, then do your best to just say no.

What, then, is the best pumpkin food to eat? Although as I’m writing this in mid-October, it’s still bikini weather in much of the West, any week now, the nights will be chilly. I look forward to breaking out the quilts and making hearty, warm, nutrient-dense pumpkin soup. I love adding some green onions and gluten-free croutons.

pumpkin spice latte

Make Your Own PSL

If you’re addicted to PSLs, seriously, you should stop. Did I not mention 50 grams of sugar. And to think that there are people who drink two of them a day. But a much healthier way to get your PSL fix is to make it at home yourself. Using a blender, buy some pumpkin spice and other spices. Pumpkin spice is itself healthy: pumpkin, clove, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg. I’m not a coffee drinker, but if I were, I’d also experiment with cardamom and turmeric, both of which are potent anti-inflammatory ingredients.

In a blender, place the coffee, spices and my recipe for creamy almond milk. Now simply replace the 50 grams of sugar with stevia, monk fruit extract, or yacon syrup, all three of which are natural and contain less than one gram of sugar per serving.

A Pumpkin Spice Latte that tastes amazing, is basically sugar-free and helps cut down on inflammation? Now that’s worth getting excited about—anytime of year.

Chef V

Pumpkin Ice Cream

Chef V

Pumpkin ice cream by Chef V uses all-vegan ingredients that won’t skyrocket your blood sugar and expand your waist. If you love ice cream, all things pumpkin and fall, and exquisite vegan desserts, you’ll love this recipe.

pumpkin puree

TOTAL: 3 Hrs 15 Min

Prep Time: 15 Min
Freezer time: 4 Hrs

Servings: 2

Ingredients

  • 1 can full-fat organic coconut milk
  • ⅓ cup Chef V’s Pumpkin Puree (see recipe HERE)
  • 3 tbsp. organic coconut nectar
  • ¼ tsp. vanilla
  • 2 tsp. Chef V Pumpkin Pie Spice (see recipe HERE)

Directions

In a blender, combine all ingredients and blend until smooth
Pour the blend into a container to freeze for 3 hours
Remove from freezer and cut chunks of the mix out and start to blend
Blend the mix until smooth and creamy
Fill the ice cream in a loaf pan and freeze for 1 additional hour before serving.

Pumpkin Lasagna & Rosemary “Ricotta”

Chef V

Pumpkin Rosemary Ricotta

PREP TIME:
TOTAL: 1HR

Serving Size: 2-4 People

INGREDIENTS

Ricotta Rosemary

    • 1-cup macadamia nuts- soaked for an hour
    • ½ lemon juiced
    • 1 tsp. organic sea salt
    • 1 tbsp. fresh chopped rosemary
    • 2 tbsp. pure organic pumpkin puree
    • 1 tbsp. cold pressed olive oil

Pumpkin Sauce

  • 1 tbsp. organic cold pressed olive oil
  • 1 white onion, diced
  • 1-cup shredded organic carrot
  • 2 garlic clove, minced
  • 1 tbsp. organic rosemary, chopped
  • ¼- cup organic parsley, chopped
  • ½-cup organic basil, slivered
  • 2 cups pure organic pumpkin puree
  • 1-cup filtered water
    ¼ cup organic unsweetened almond milk
    1 tsp. organic sea salt
    ½ tsp. black pepper

Noodles

  • 1 box of gluten-free (brown rice or quinoa) lasagna noodles (about 6 whole lasagna noodles needed)

INSTRUCTIONS

Blend “ricotta” ingredients together in a Vitamix or food processor, slowly pouring the oil while blending. Blend until smooth like a ricotta texture. Scrape mixture out with a spoon into a bowl. Refrigerate while making the sauce.

Turn oven on to 350 F. Bring a large pot of water to boil (large enough that the lasagna noodles will fit in without bending). Heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion and sauté for 2 minutes. Add carrot and sauté an additional 2 minutes. Add garlic, rosemary, basil, and parsley. Add Pumpkin puree, water, almond milk, salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer for 10 minutes.

While simmering, cook lasagna noodles for 5-10 minutes (According to box directions).

When done, line a 8” x 4” baking dish with ¼ cup of sauce on the bottom, 2 layers of noodles, ¼ cup sauce, ¼ cup ricotta, 2 noodles, ¼ cup sauce, the rest of ricotta, 2 more noodles on top, cover with sauce and bake, uncovered, for 20 minutes or until hot.

Pumpkin Lasagna & Rosemary “Ricotta”  Bon Appétit!

© 2021 Chef V, LLC.