Pumpkin, Pumpkin, Pumpkin! It is everywhere in the form of vegetable, color, flavor, and decor.  Today I want to share with you three different ways to enjoy pumpkin as a culinary delight.  Therefore, keep reading to get three pumpkin recipes that will be sure to warm your stomachs and hearts with Pumpkin Cupcakes, Thai Pumpkin Soup, and a Pumpkin Pie Tea.

Pumpkin Cupcakes

These beauties are the best of both worlds: delicious and healthy.  Using almond flour as its base and flavored with the perfect blend of spice, and they are gluten-free.

1/2 cup pumpkin puree
1 cup almond flour
1/4 cup coconut flour
2 tsp baking soda
1 Tbsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1 tsp ground nutmeg
3 eggs
1/4 cup butter, melted
1/2 cup honey
1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line paper cups in a muffin pan.  Yield: 12 cupcakes

In a stand mixer, beat the eggs, melted butter, honey, vinegar, and pumpkin puree until smooth.  Combine the flours, baking soda, and spices in a separate bowl.  Slowly add the almond flour mixture to the wet ingredients and incorporate until the mixture is smooth and well-combined.  Fill each muffin cup with approximately 1/4 cup of batter.  Bake 20-22 minutes until a toothpick comes out with a few moist crumbs.  Allow the cupcakes to cool in the pan.  Then remove and frost, if desired.

You could top with whipped cream right before consumption, leave plain, or use any cream cheese frosting recipe.  A great and easy one is from Sugar Spun Run.

Thai Pumpkin Soup

I love the exotic flavors of curry and coconut milk as well as how nourishing and delicious this soup is.  It is naturally gluten-free and super simple to make.  I like to double the recipe because I like to eat as a hot breakfast the next morning.

1 Tbsp butter
1 medium onion, chopped
4 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 tsp curry powder
1 can pumpkin puree (15 0z)
2 cups stock (chicken or vegetable)
1 can unsweetened coconut milk (13.5 oz)
Salt and Pepper, to your taste

In a small Dutch oven, melt the butter and sauté the onion until translucent and tender. Then add the garlic and allow to cook a few minutes.  Stir in the curry powder until all the vegetables are covered.  Add the pumpkin puree and stock.  With a hand-held immersion blender, puree the mixture in the pot until it is smooth.  If you don’t have an immersion blender, then you can put the stock and pumpkin in a food processor or large blender.  Then add the onions and garlic to puree together.  Return mixture to Dutch oven.  Begin heating the soup and stir in the coconut milk.  Season to your liking with salt and pepper.  Yield: 4 bowls

Pumpkin Pie Tea

Who needs a Pumpkin Spice Latte when you have this tea in your cupboard?  You can purchase this tea blend from Bulk Herb Store.  It is a mixture of Red Rooibos tea, cinnamon chips, orange peel, ginger root, and cloves.  And all ingredients are organic, naturally gluten-free, and naturally caffeine-free.

I boil water in my tea kettle and use 2 tsp of the tea mixture to 8 oz of hot water.  Then I place the loose tea in a tea ball strainer and allow it to steep for 4 minutes.  The tea tastes great as is, but according to Bulk Herb Store, “Make sure you sweeten it with honey and add some cream to get the full Pumpkin Pie flavor.”  You can use almond milk and stevia or monk fruit drops as an alternative sweetener.  Regardless, it is a warm, flavorful, and delicious beverage.  Because there is no caffeine, this tea is the perfect way to have something special before bed without over-indulging with sugary desserts.

All three of these pumpkin recipes are healthy, nutritious, and soul-filling.  They don’t have to be relegated to fall only favorites; you can enjoy them year round.  However during autumn, they are on my must-have list for fall flavor.  Please enjoy and let me know what pumpkin recipes I need to try.