Whenever we go to the library, I find myself in the children's section browsing the shelves for kids craft books or kids cookbooks. I have found great books there that I have not been able to find in the adult section. Case in point...The Great Little Pumpkin Cookbook. Wow....this cookbook rocks. So far I have made the pumpkin cornbread, pumpkin maple ice cream, their low fat pumpkin pie crust (with the filling recipe from Martha of course) and my favorite yet, low-fat pumpkin oatmeal muffins. I am a big fan of baking low-fat....and that is pretty much how I bake. I don't see the need to add a cup of oil to muffins or bread when you can bake low-fat and it still tastes really good....sometimes even better. Though I do like to indulge a little in homemade ice cream....that is a true treat that frozen yogurt cannot replicate. Lately, I have been cooking with the best ingredients I can find. Starting with organic flour, eggs, and milk and buying only the best quality spices. It finally clicked for me that using the best ingredients really does make a difference....not only in taste (which it really does makes a HUGE difference - try it and you'll see) but in health for my family. I used to rely on the cheapest spices I could find....I had this grande size bucket of cinnamon that I bought the year before for a craft that never came to be. I had been using this in my recipes until I finally broke down and bought the quality stuff and man what a shocker. They say you should only keep spices for 6 months. I think I had some spices from 6 years ago. Not really but not far off.
The book has all things pumpkin....not just desserts but soups and meals.
Here is the recipe if you'd like to try...
Low-fat Pumpkin and Oatmeal Muffins
Ingredients:
1/4 cup walnut oil or other vegetable oil
2/3 cup light brown sugar
3/4 cup pumpkin puree
2 egg whites
3/4 cup buttermilk
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp grated nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground cloves
pinch salt
1 1/4 cups rolled oats
1/2 cup seedless raisins
Preheat oven to 350F. Lightly spray a 12 muffin tin with non-stick vegetable spray.
In a large bowl, combine the oil and brown sugar. Add the pumpkin, egg whites, and buttermilk and stir until smooth. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves and salt. Combine the flour mixture with the pumpkin and the oats. Add the raisins and stir until just mixed. Spoon into the prepared muffin tins, filling almost to the top. Bake for about 25 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Makes 1 dozen muffins
Enjoy!!
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