Preparing fresh pumpkin puree is easy and it acts as an excellent fat replacement in low fat baking. This recipe calls for canned pumpkin, but there is no reason not to exploit the bounty of Fall and use fresh pumpkin or any other sweet squash. Simply steam or bake the pumpkin or squash until the flesh is very soft, remove skin and mash or puree the flesh. Use about 1 3/4 cups of fresh pumpkin in place of one 14 fl oz can of pumpkin.
Use pumpkin puree in these other fantastic fall recipes as well.
Low Fat Vegan Pumpkin Spice Muffins
These delectable vegan muffins are nutritional powerhouses. They are wholegrain, high in fiber, rich in Vitamin A and they have no added fat. Bake this quick and easy recipe the night before to wake up to a fragrant house and delicious breakfast.
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour (any wholegrain flour, such as spelt, will do)
- 1/2 cup dried cane juice or other dry sweetener (use 3/4 Cup for a sweeter product)
- 3/4 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp allspice
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- 1 14 fl oz can pureed pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling)
- 2/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
- 1 1/2 tsp lemon juice
- 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup raisins or dates (optional)
Directions:
- Preheat over to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Line muffin tin with paper muffin cups or spray lightly with non-stick cooking spray.
- In a large bowl, mix together dry ingredients.
- Add the wet ingredients directly to the dry ingredients and mix well. Add a little water or apple juice if dough is too thick.
- Fold in dried fruit, if using, and spoon into prepared muffin tin. Bake for 25 minutes or until knife inserted in middle of muffin comes out clean.
Yields 12 muffins.
Muffins for Supper?
Muffins can act as an interesting stand-in for the usual biscuits or rolls at dinner. To make this recipe into a tasty accompaniment for a savory meal, simply reduce the sweetener to 1/4 cup and leave out the vanilla and raisins.
Experiment with spices to adapt these muffins to fit the meal:
- curry powder in place of allspice is a lovely compliment to pumpkin
- cumin and coriander in place of cinnamon and ginger gives these muffins an exotic flare
- adding a pinch of cayenne or 1/2 tsp dried chili flakes will give the muffins a hint of heat
Try these dinner muffins with this Low Fat Vegan Curry for a healthy and delicious autumn meal.
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