The Simple Delights

I know that pumpkin month is over- but you have to make pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving…and you have to buy the big can of pumpkin (just because you love it so much) and you HAVE to use the left over puree…so why not make a pumpkin cheesecake? You might be thinking: Because it is right after Thanksgiving, your stuffed, and if you make a cheesecake, you might not be able to button your jeans…If you go to Cheesecake Factory, you might be right. But, if you make this delicious cheesecake, your jeans will fit just fine AND you will get your last bit of creamy, dreamy, pumpkin satisfaction!

This recipe is super light, super easy, and still super tasty! One of Gavin’s favorite foods is pumpkin cheesecake. We just had a dinner party, and I served this little number- he couldn’t believe that it was healthy…and he was super excited when I served him a second piece!

Pumpkin Cheesecake Torte
8 servings

Crust
1 C honey wheat pretzel
2 T smart balance light

Filling
4 T water
1 t gelatin
1 8oz package cream cheese
1/2 C pumpkin puree
1/4 C 0% plain greek yogurt
1/2 C sugar
1/4 t sea salt
1/2 t cinnamon
1/8 t nutmeg
1/16 t ground ginger

To prepare the crust, line a cake pan with plastic wrap and spray the wrap with non-stick cooking spray. In a blender, make a flour out of the honey wheat pretzels. Pour the pretzel powder into a bowl. Melt the butter. Pour it over the pretzels and use your fingers to combine the mixture. Press the mixture into the bottom on the pan and then place the pan in the fridge to chill.

Bring one inch of water to a boil in a sauce pan. Place a heat safe bowl in the pan with the 4 T water and the 1 t gelatin in it. Allow the water to warm and the gelatin to dissolve. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, cream the cream cheese until smooth. Add the greek yogurt and pumpkin and beat until smooth. Add the sugar, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger and beat until smooth. Next, pour in the gelatin mixture and beat again.

Remove your crust from the fridge and pour the cream cheese mixture in. Smooth the surface and then place it back in the fridge for at least 3 hours to chill.

Serve with whipped cream and a little dash of cinnamon.

Nutritional Comparison:
1 serving (1/8 of the torte!) has 152 calories and 4.75 grams of fat.
1 serving (same amount) pumpkin cheesecake has 375 calories and 16 grams of fat.

It’s the last day of October, and therefore, the last day of pumpkin month! I decided to end this month with a challenge…a gluten free, dairy free challenge. Our dear friend Rod loves good food but can’t eat anything containing gluten OR dairy-if you think about your daily food intake, those restrictions might erase a lot of what you enjoy eating…Rod very generously offered to let me use his kitchen to try out new pumpkin recipes, so decided to dedicate one of the recipes to him. I knew I wanted to come up with a healthy pumpkin scone- so I decided to buy some buckwheat flour and pull out the coconut oil and make a gluten and dairy free version…that actually tastes good!

I think I came up with something pretty yummy. It is very nutty and and definitely tastes like it is made from whole grains- but satisfying and perfectly fall flavored.

Gluten and Dairy Free Pumpkin Scones with Coconut Glaze

1 C oat flour *Some oats are processed in plants where gluten containing grains are made…if you want to know for SURE that your oats do not contain trace amounts of gluten, you need to buy gluten free certified oats)*
1 C buckwheat flour
1 T baking powder
1 t cinnamon
1/8 t ground ginger
1/4 t nutmeg
1/2 t sea salt
3 T coconut oil
1 C pumpkin puree
1/2 C unrefined brown sugar
1 egg (if you want these to be vegan, sub the egg for flax seed meal and water)
5 T almond milk
2 T pumpkin seeds *optional

Coconut Glaze
1 T coconut oil, melted in the microwave for 10 sec)
4 T powder sugar

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl, combine the oat flour, buckwheat flour, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, salt and sugar. Now, using your fingers, crumble in the coconut oil (it is solid at room temp so it will act like shortening). Make sure there are no big chances of coconut oil left…you can use a fork to make sure it is well combined. In a separate bowl, combine the egg, pumpkin and almond milk. Pour this mixture into the flour mixture and combine until everything is moist. Be careful not to over mix!

Now, grease a cookie sheet with coconut oil and mold the scone mixture into a circle shape in the middle of the sheet. Bake for 30 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. **You can garnish with pumpkin seeds about 15 minutes into baking if you like them).

Allow the scones to cool completely. While the scones are cooling, make the glaze. Combine the melted coconut oil and the powder sugar. Drizzle the glaze over the scones and then cut the scone into 8 pieces (pie shaped)!