During the fresh, colorful, and juicy pumpkin season, I love to get creative and use pumpkin in various ways.
Pumpkin is an autumn-specific food, being loved for its sweet taste and because you can use it in the kitchen to prepare various delicious dishes. But, in addition to these qualities, pumpkin is also a rich source of vitamins and nutrients beneficial to health.
To make sure you choose the perfect pumpkin, check that it has no scratches or bumps, that it has at least a little green tail, which means it is freshly picked. Also, it should sound empty when you beat it. That means it’s baked well.
Cooking time depends on the chosen method. Here are some quick ideas to cook the pumpkin:
- In the oven – after you have peeled and seeded it, cut it into pieces and leave it in the preheated oven at 350°F175⁰C, for about an hour, you can also check it with a fork to make it soft, depending on how much thick you cut the pumpkin pieces. If it is not very big, you can cut it in half and bake it whole.
- Boiled – cut into medium cubes and simmer for 20-30 minutes, until soft.
- Grilled – is not the most popular way to cook the pumpkin, but it is excellent anyway. After cleaning it of seeds, cut it into 2-3 cm slices and cook it for 3-5 minutes on each side.
Power bites are delicious and extremely easy to make. They are ideal in the morning when you are on the run and you don’t have time to eat anything before or after the workout to recharge your energy level or recover from the effort.
What’s great about this recipe?
- All the ingredients are natural
- I didn’t add any sugar or other sweeteners at all because the balls are sweet enough from the Medjool dates
- I used oat bran, which is a source of complex carbohydrates, providing energy and fibers that give you the feeling of satiety
- The hemp powder is rich in proteins and healthy fats
- The carob powder is rich in antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals
Nutritional Information:
- Serving size: 2 bites
- Calories 150
- Carbohydrate: 18 g
- Sugar: 8 g
- Protein: 4 g
- Total Fat: 4 g
- Saturated Fat: 1 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Sodium: 70 mg
- Potassium: 170 mg
Pumpkin Power Bites
Necessary equipment:
- a glass jar with a lid to store pumpkin spice blend
- a food processor
- an ice cream scoop
Ingredients:
Pumpkin pie spice blend:
- 4 tablespoons of Ceylon cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons of ginger powder
- 1/4 teaspoon of cloves
- 1 teaspoon of nutmeg
Bites:
- 1 1/4 cup of Medjool dates, pitted
- 1/4 cup of oat bran
- 2 tablespoons of crushed almonds
- 1/4 cup hemp powder
- 2 tablespoons of pumpkin puree
- 1 teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice
- 1/4 teaspoon of Kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon carob powder
- unsweetened almond milk, if necessary
Instructions:
- Start by making the pumpkin pie spice blend: stir all the ingredients together in a bowl. You will only need one tablespoon for this recipe. Therefore use a glass jar with a lid to store the rest of the blend.
- To make the power bites, put all the ingredients in a food processor.
- Pulse for about one minute or until all the ingredients are well combined and the mixture has a sand-like consistency. Add some almond milk if the mix is too dry.
- Use an ice cream scoop and get a spoonful of the mixture, then use your hands to form a ball. Then, repeat the procedure until you run out of the mix.
- Allow the balls to chill in the fridge for at least 2 hours before serving.