Pumpkin This; Pumpkin That

Before you read any further...if you haven't voted today, get out from behind this screen and take your happy butt to the polls!! This election is HUGE and voting is your civil duty!!!
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Ok now that we've gotten that out of the way, I bring you a couple of healthy pumpkINSPIRED recipes for your collection...

First and foremost, let me preface this post by saying a few things:

A) This is not becoming a food blog. (I'm the last person you'd ever consider a "baker".) I just so happen to volunteer myself to make these recipes last week and knew instantly these would pass as "blogworthy" material.

B) Beau made the cheesecake.
(I would have been in the dog house had I not given him 100% credit)

C) I did not know there was a special "pan" for baking cheesecakes (now I do!)

and

D) Both of these recipes will require every freaking spice in your cabinet...
but DONTCHU worry...they're SO worth it.

{See. Every spice in the book and then some...}

Yeast-Free/Gluten-Free Pumpkin Bread

I still cannot get over how good this stuff is. I've made it 3 times in the past week and a half, if that tells you anything. No joke...there's no butter or sugar involved, yet you would NEVER know it's healthy. I've eaten it for breakfast a few times, a snack or even a dessert to kick my sweet tooth.

Ingredients:

• 1 C egg whites (pssst...egg whites from 7 eggs. I did the work for you here.)
• 1 C unsweetened applesauce 
• 1 1/2 C Sweet-N-Natural (natural sweetener that has a one-to-one ratio with real sugar)
• 2 C canned pumpkin 
• 2 C oat flour
• 1 T baking powder 
• 1 t baking soda 
• 1/2 t salt 
• 2 t cinnamon 
• 1/2 t ginger 
• 1/4 t nutmeg 
• 1/4 t cloves  
• Dash of pumpkin pie spice

Directions: Preheat oven to 375. Lightly coat a 12 x 9 inch pan with coconut or olive oil. In a large bowl, whisk together egg whites, applesauce, Sweet-N-Natural, and pumpkin. In a separate bowl, sift or stir together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices. Gently fold dry ingredients into pumpkin mixture; do not over mix/do not use hand mixer! Spread evenly in pan. Bake until firm to touch and lightly browned, about 30-35 minutes. Cool, slice into 24 bars and try not to eat the entire pan in one sitting.

*Note: Because you "fold" the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients rather than mixing, the cake is very very  moist. Almost gooey so just know it's supposed to be that way!

Baking rule #683: The gooier, the better.

Baking rule #684: Eat the entire pan before you realize you forgot to take a picture.

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Gluten-Free Pecan Crusted Pumpkin Cheesecake

So, like I said, last week I volunteered myself to make these recipes for a company event. While I literally DIED over how deliciously healthy the pumpkin bread was, I was one pissed of mother when I remembered I just so happened to choose to make the cheesecake even though I can't have dairy. (That's a whole 'nother story for a whole 'nother day.) 

Anywho-Beau was a trooper.
He totally pulled out his Betty Crocker skills and went to work. 

Ingredients:

• Butter or coconut oil (for greasing pan) 
• 1 C pecans, coarsely chopped 
• 2 (8oz) packages 1/3 less fat cream cheese, softened 
• ¾ C Sweet-n-Natural 
• 2 t vanilla extract 
• 1 ½ C pure canned pumpkin 
• ½ C FAGE 2% yogurt
• 4 eggs 
• 1 ½ t cinnamon 
• 1 t ginger 
• ½ t nutmeg 
• ¼ t cloves 
• ¼ t salt  

Directions: Preheat oven to 300°F. Coat the bottom and sides of 9 ½ inch spring form cheesecake pan with butter or coconut oil. Sprinkle the bottom of the pan with chopped pecans, distribute evenly. Beat Sweet-n-Natural, vanilla extract, and cream cheese in a mixing bowl with electric mixer until fluffy. Add pumpkin and yogurt, mixing thoroughly on medium speed. Add in eggs one at a time, mixing well after each. Mix in spices and salt. Pour batter over the nuts in the pan and bake for 1 hour and 20-30 minutes (test center: knife placed in center should come out clean).

While I had to sit out this round, word on tha street

has it the pumpkin cheesecake is too legit to quit.

Oh how I would KILL to have a slice of that!
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Shameless plug but if any of you are in the market for more healthy recipes, I write for my company blog 3+ times per week, one post per week being a healthy recipe idea! Find me here.

And now that my mouth is watering, I'm going to shove a piece of said pumpkin bread into my piehole.