23 April 2012

pumpkin yum

i really love food.  a lot.
since i stopped eating highly processed foods and have been avoiding wheat, i have had to let go of many treats.  i don't miss the actual food items per se (cupcake?  meh.  pass.) but I do miss some of the flavors that are treat flavors.

pumpkin pie is a flavor i really love.  at thanksgiving i made a pie with GF crust made from almond meal.  it tasted good but the crust was kinda lame.  it got too brown and didn't hold the pie effectively, which is what a crust ought to do.  i am still working on GF pie crust because i like savory pies to, but i solved the pumpkin pie flavored treat problem in a way that is natural and super yum!

i adapted a recipe i found on the web to my pumpkiny needs.  the original features no spices and uses carrots.  any squash or root veggie you can cook and mash would work for a variation of this.




pumpkin pie powerballs
adapted from  zuzana's powerballs via bodyrock.tv.

dry:
1 cup GF oats, ground to coarse flour/meal
2 cups almond meal
2 tsp pumpkin pie spice (or to taste)
3 tsp baking powder

wet:
4 tblsp honey
4 tblsp virgin coconut oil, liquified
1 cup pumpkin puree (not pie filling)

coating:
1/3 cup almonds, crushed
1/4-1/3 cup sunflower seeds, crushed


  • preheat oven to 325 degrees.
  • crush almonds and sunflower seeds together for coating, set aside.
  • combine all dry ingredients, set aside.
  • combine all wet ingredients, then incorporate into the dry ingredients.  the batter will be somewhat sticky.
  • scoop heaping teaspoonfuls of batter and gently roll into balls.  roll balls in the nut and seed coating and place on a cooking sheet covered in parchment.  i used a silpat.
  • bake for 25 minutes.
  • remove from oven and let cool so the balls will hold their shape.
yield: 38
calories: approx 75 per ball

these are super yum.  
if you go off the deep end and eat three it will equal as many calories as a candy bar but full of happy vitamins A, E, a few Bs, plus fiber with far less sugar.  snack happy!

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