Pumpkin Muffins

 

Tis the season of all-things orange, pumpkin spice-everything and the galore of pumpkin-inspired products.

For the pumpkin spice enthusiast (or obsessed), you'll be happy to hear that the pumpkin is highly nutritious. Packed with beta-carotene, vitamin C, potassium, iron, zinc and magnesium, pumpkin is a powerful winter squash vegetable. Also, your gut will be relieved to hear that pumpkins are a great source of fiber. 

If the fall weather has you craving warm foods and you love the taste of pumpkin spice, this easy-to-make recipe is sure to make your tummy smile. Enjoy!

Thank you Joey for including this recipe in a past Trimarni Newsletter. 

Ingredients

• 1 ½ cups AP or whole wheat flour
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice*
• 1 tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp baking soda
• ¼ tsp sea salt
• 1 cup pure pumpkin puree
• ¼ cup butter, melted
• ½ cup vanilla Greek yogurt
• ½ cup maple syrup
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1-2 Tablespoons raw sugar (Turbinado sugar) for sprinkling, optional
• ½ to ¾ cup total of mix ins (such as semi sweet or white chocolate chips, chopped walnuts or pecans, and/or dried cranberries or raisins), optional.

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly grease or line with paper liners a standard 12 cup muffin tin. Set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, combine flour, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, baking powder, baking soda, and sea salt. Set aside.
3. In a large bowl, whisk together pumpkin puree, melted butter, yogurt, maple syrup, eggs, and vanilla until smooth.
4. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and stir until combined.
5. If desired, stir in mix-ins of your choice.
6. Divide batter equally into each prepared muffin cup (about 3 Tablespoons per muffin cup). If desired, sprinkle the tops of the muffins with raw sugar.
7. Bake in the preheated oven for about 18-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the muffins comes out clean.
8. Let cool in the pan for a couple of minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
9. Serve and enjoy!

*Make your own pumpkin pie spice by stirring the following spices together (use 2 tsp of this mixture in the recipe in place of the pumpkin pie spice).

1 ½ tsp cinnamon
½ tsp nutmeg
½ tsp cloves
½ tsp allspice

Smashed apple and cream cheese stuffed pumpkin spiced crepes

Crêpes - very thin pancakes. 

What a perfect post workout meal.  

Depending on the filling, this is a perfect option for athletes/fitness enthusiasts who struggle with overeating/undereating post workout. Crepes are not too heavy or light so it fits the bill when it comes to a perfect carbohydrate-rich meal to go along with your recovery drink (or post-workout protein choice like yogurt, eggs, cottage cheese or lean meat).

Plus, you can make these ahead of time, let them cool and the refrigerate them for easy prep after your workout. 

Although crepes may not be typical in your cooking resume, they are super easy to make. Essentially, they are like thin pancakes, made with a runny/soupy batter. 

Karel is all too familiar with crepes as they are very popular in Europe - much more so than traditional American pancakes. 

During my long run yesterday, I had 10 running miles to create this delicious creation in my head. While running in on and off cold drizzling rain, running up and down the hilly streets in and around downtown Greenville and then finishing with 6 powerful, light on the feet strides up our hill outside our home (with Karel after he finished his 14-mile run), I had a quick epson salt bath and with compression on, it was time to get busy in my kitchen. 

The first step was to make pumpkin pie spice:

This recipe below makes 2 1/3 tbsp.

If you love this spice, double the recipe for ~1/4 cup. 

1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

2 teaspoons ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon allspice

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

1/2 teaspoon ground mace

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1. Mix together the above ingredients.

(if you are a baker, you likely have the following spices in your cabinet. However, not only do these spices come with great health benefits but they add a punch of flavor to any meal. Consider incorporating spices into your favorite meals and snacks. Just keep in mind that most spices go a long way so start with a pinch...unless you love cinnamon like me, then go to town with the shaker!

Now to make the crepes.

CrepesMakes 6-7 large crepes

2 eggs

1 cup milk

1/4 cup water

1-2 tsp pumpkin spice (you can omit this if you want)

1 cup all-purpose flour

Pinch or two of salt

1. Mix ingredients together in a bowl with a whisk until batter is soupy.

2. Heat a large skillet to medium heat (but not too hot) and add a little olive oil or cooking spray for each (side) of the crepes.

3. Use a 1/4 - 1/3 cup (depending on the size of your skillet) to scoop batter on to warm pan. Lift the pan up and gently roll batter into a larger, thin pancake. 

4. Cook for 2 minutes on one side, then flip with spatula and cook other side for 30-60 seconds.

5. Taste your first crepe - add more pumpkin spice to your liking.

And for the filling.

Smashed apple and cream cheese filling

2 apples - pealed and then chopped

2-4 tbsp whipped plain cream cheese

Cinnamon

Honey

1. Heat chopped apples in microwave bowl for 1 minutes until soft. Mash with a spoon. 

2. Add cream cheese, a drizzle of honey and dash of cinnamon and stir until combined. 

3. Heat in microwave for 10-20 seconds until warm and soft. 

4. Spoon a little of the mixture onto the far end of one crepe and then roll the crepe toward you. 

5. Sprinkle with a little more pumpkin spice on top and enjoy!

Other filling options: 

Raspberry jam and hazelnut spread

Smashed bananas and nut butter

Yogurt and fresh peaches

Smashed sweet potato, honey and chopped walnuts

Greek yogurt and pistachios
Applesauce, cinnamon and honey

Can you make pancakes from this recipe?
Absolutely!

A basic pancake recipe will include the following:
1 cup all purpose flour
2 tbsp sugar

2 tsp baking power
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup milk
2 tbsp unsalted butter or oil
1 large egg

So just omit the water from the crepes and add the baking powder, sugar and butter/oil and you will be all set for a delicious pancake meal.