Healthy Holiday Stuffing

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[Click here for more Healthy Holiday recipes for a guilt-free holiday season!]

Here come the holidays. Are you ready for the stuffing? Well, hate to burst your bubble and all, but typical homemade or dry box stuffing is anywhere between 400 and 700 calories per cup. And how much were you planning to eat? Yeah, your diet is history...

But wait! Don't cry. I know you love stuffing. That's why this recipe uses low-calorie bread and low-sodium chicken broth, avoiding the calorie overload! Yaaayyyyyyy! The crowd goes wildddd.

Prep time: 10
Cook time: 35
Yield: 6-8 servings

Calories per serving: ~150 Calories

Ingredients:

• 2/3 pound Bread (Sara Lee 45 Calories and Delicious)
• 1 whole Onion
• 3 sticks Celery
• 1 tablespoon Olive oil
• 1 1/2 cups Chicken broth (low sodium)
• 2 tablespoons Sage
• 1 tablespoon Thyme
• 1/2 tablespoon Parsley
• 1 teaspoon Salt
• 1/2 teaspoon Cracked black pepper

Cooking Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325.
2. Cut bread into small cubes.
3. Place on a cookie sheet and bake for 15 minutes, rotating/tossing half way through.
4. Remove from oven and set aside.
5. Dice onion and celery.
6. In a pan, combine onion and celery with olive oil, Thyme, Parlsey, Salt, and black pepper. Add 1/2 cup of chicken broth and cook on medium heat for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
7. In a large bowl, combine with bread. Add 1 cup chicken broth and mix well. Add additional broth if it's too dry.
8. Serve!

[Click here for more Healthy Holiday recipes for a guilt-free holiday season!]

[Click here for more Healthy Holiday recipes for a guilt-free holiday season!]

[Click here for more Healthy Holiday recipes for a guilt-free holiday season!]

[Click here for more Healthy Holiday recipes for a guilt-free holiday season!]

[Click here for more Healthy Holiday recipes for a guilt-free holiday season!]

[Click here for more Healthy Holiday recipes for a guilt-free holiday season!]

[Click here for more Healthy Holiday recipes for a guilt-free holiday season!]

Healthy Upside Down Pumpkin Pie

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[Recipe 12 of The 12 Days of Pumpkin - Click Here To Catch The Whole Shabang]

[Recipe 12 of The 12 Days of Pumpkin - Click Here To Catch The Whole Shabang]

I've got a bone to pick with your regular pie. Yes, they are quites tasty, but for me it takes a whole lot of  taste to balance out the whole-lotta-calories.

This upside down pie is half the calories of your normal piece of pumpkin pie. By substituting a thin, whole wheat crumble instead of a fat-and-calorie-heavy crust, we are saving hundreds of calories here. Additionally, by using skim milk instead of heavy cream or half and half, we're saving hundreds more and also seriously cutting the fat content.

In short, here's my advice: Print this recipe and save it for Thanksgiving...

Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 55 min
Total time: 75 min
Yield: 8 servings
Ingredients:

• 1 cup Whole Wheat Flour
• 2 tablespoons Brown Sugar
• 2 tablespoons Melted Butter
• 1/2 cup Skim Milk
• 2 teaspoons Pumpkin Pie Spice
• 1 teaspoon Cinnamon
• 2 tablespoons Oats
• 2 cups Pumpkin Puree
• 8 ounces Cream Cheese
• 1 egg
• 1 cup granulated Sugar
• 2 pinches Salt
• 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
• 5 tablespoons Room temperature butter

Cooking Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Soften cream cheese, then mix with pumpkin puree.
3. Add egg and melted butter, stir.
4. Add vanilla extract, pumpkin pie spice, salt, sugar, and cinnamon. Mix, then add skim milk and continue to beat/whisk.
5. Pour into greased/buttered casserole dish. Put in the oven for 25 minutes.
6. In a new bowl, combine oats, flour, and brown sugar.
7. Add room temperature butter and work/knead into mixture using your hands.
8. Take casserole dish out of the oven and sprinkle "crust" mixture on top. Put back in the oven for 30 minutes or until the center is hard.
9. Serve with whipped cream

[Recipe 12 of The 12 Days of Pumpkin - Click Here To Catch The Whole Shabang]

**Got a recipe? Come back tomorrow, "Friday, The 13th Day of Pumpkins," with YOUR OWN pumpkin recipes for a link-up and a chance to have your own page in a pumpkin cookbook!**

[Recipe 12 of The 12 Days of Pumpkin - Click Here To Catch The Whole Shabang]

Sweet Pumpkin Fries with Homemade Honey Mustard Dip

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[Recipe 11 of The 12 Days of Pumpkin - Click Here To Catch The Whole Shabang]

[Recipe 11 of The 12 Days of Pumpkin - Click Here To Catch The Whole Shabang]

One of my favorite Memphis restaurants had unbelievable sweet potato fries covered in sugar and dipped in honey mustard. Unfortunately, the sugar-covered, deep-fried vegetable often left me feeling too full and full of grease afterwards. This recipe mimics that sweet taste without mimicking the after-meal guilt.

At a loss for what to make during football season? This right here is probably my number one suggestion (other than Oreo Truffles, of course). The fabulous combination of sweet fries and honey mustard score once again! [The crowd goes wild] <---Bonus points for cheesy football fan analogies?

Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 15-25 min
Total time: 30-40 min
Yield: 4-6 Servings
Ingredients:

• 1/4 Pumpkin
• 1/2 tablespoon Pumpkin Pie Spice
• 2 teaspoon Cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon Olive Oil
• 2 tablespoons Yellow Mustard
• 1 1/2 tablespoons Honey
• 1 pinch Cayenne Pepper

Cooking Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350
2. Peel pumpkin using a potato peeler
3. Cut 1/4 of the pumpkin into fry-shaped pieces (2-3 inches long, 1/4-1/2 inch thick)
4. Toss fries in Olive Oil, pumpkin pie spice, and cinnamon.
5. Arrange fries in one layer on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper
6. Bake for 30 minutes (until soft enough that a toothpick easily goes through).
7. Mix mustard, honey, and cayenne pepper for honey mustard sauce.
8. Serve

**Got a recipe? Come back this Friday, "Friday The 13th... Day of Pumpkins," with YOUR OWN pumpkin recipes for a link-up and a chance to have your own page in a pumpkin cookbook!**

[Recipe 11 of The 12 Days of Pumpkin - Click Here To Catch The Whole Shabang]

[Recipe 11 of The 12 Days of Pumpkin - Click Here To Catch The Whole Shabang]

Pumpkin Pie Oatmeal

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[Recipe 6 of The 12 Days of Pumpkin - Click Here To Catch The Whole Shabang]

I love the concept of desserts for breakfast, especially when they are as healthy as this recipe. The hearty consistency of oats will have you feeling full for hours without the overwhelming "too full" feeling. Not too big. Not too small. Juuuuust right.

Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 15-25 min
Total time: 30-40 min
Yield: 4-6 Servings
Ingredients:

• 1 Pumpkin
• 2 cups Instant Oats
• 1 3/4 cups Skim Milk
• 1 cup Pumpkin Puree
• 2 teaspoons Pumpkin Pie Spice
• 2 tablespoons Dark Brown Sugar
• 2 teaspoons Cinnamon
• 1/2 cup Walnuts

Cooking Directions:

1. On stovetop, mix oats and milk. Cook on medium heat for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally so that oats do not burn.
2. Add pumpkin puree, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, and dark brown sugar.
3. Stir in most of walnuts, saving a handfull for garnishes.
4. Serve and garnish with remaining walnuts.

[Recipe 6 of The 12 Days of Pumpkin - Click Here To Catch The Whole Shabang]

[Recipe 6 of The 12 Days of Pumpkin - Click Here To Catch The Whole Shabang]

Pumpkin and Pine Nut Sage Orzo Risotto

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Greetings earthlings and welcome to day three of "The Twelve Days of Pumpkins." If you missed Spicy Pumpkin Fries or Curry Pumpkin Soup, or just want to stay caught up on the pumpkin madness (yes, 'tis madness, I say, but 'tis delicious madness), click here to head to a page full of pumpkin goodness, the whole pumpkin goodness, and nothing but the pumpkin goodness. You can't handle the pumpkin goodness!

On the third day of pumpkins, my true love gave to me...

This risotto was inspired by a favorite dish at Automatic Slims in Memphis (where, by the way, they have super creative $5 martinis before 7pm).  By inspired, I mean that I was quite intrigued by the concept of taking what would normally be a risotto dish with small chunks of chicken and substituting a vegetable -- er -- fruit (yes, folks, pumpkins are fruit). 

Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 15-25 min
Total time: 30-40 min
Yield: 4-6 Servings
Ingredients:

• 2 cups Orzo or Aborio Rice
• 6 cups Water
• 1/2 tablespoon Sage
• 1/2 tablespoon Fresh Basil
• 1 Tomato
• 1/8 Pumpkin
• 2 tablespoons Pine Nuts
• 1 teaspoon Fresh Cracked Pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon Salt
• 1/2 tablespoon Olive Oil
• 1/2 teaspoon Cinnamon

Cooking Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350
2. Peel pumpkin using a potato peeler
3. Cut 1/8 of the pumpkin into small squares, about 1/2 inch thick.
4. Toss pumpkin squares with Olive Oil, Cinnamon, Salt, and Pepper.
5. Spread in a single layer on a parchment-lined cookie sheet and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until pieces are easily pierced by a toothpick. Set aside to cool.
6. Heat water until boiling, then add rice and stir occasionally.
7. After 8 minutes (Orzo) or 18 minutes (Aborio), drain rice and put back into pot. Add pumpkin cubes, pine nuts, and sage.
8. Garnish with tomato slices and fresh basil.

One more thing before you go -- head over to The Hunger Site, where all you have to do is click a yellow button and the folks running the show will donate money to and food for hungry bellies in Africa. I mean... how can you say no to that? You're combating hunger... for free.

Pumpkin Curry Soup

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[Day Two of The Twelve Days of Pumpkin - Keep up with all 12 days!]

Good morning :)

It is cold in Chicago already and half of the city seems to have the "ick" virus - the one where you don't have much of an explanation other than that you feel "ick" -- or "ugh," depending on your pronunciation.

So, in short, Chicago=Cold+Sick. But not me. Not with this soup :)

The colder it gets outside, the more heat this girl wants in her soup. Gotta get warm from the inside too, you know?

This soup reminds me of a butternut squash soup I was once obsessed with. I used to add cayenne pepper to that one to get the kick I like -- definitely not going to need to add any to this baby! The onion and curry really pop and the thickness of the soup makes it feel like a heavy cream based luxury - without actually being cream based (cream based = bad for you).

Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 60 min
Yield: 4-6 Servings
Ingredients:

• 1/2 Pumpkin
• 2 tbsp Butter
• 1 1/2 Yellow Onions
• 3 cloves Garlic

• 1/2 tablespoon Cayenne Pepper
• 1 tablespoon Curry Powder
• 1/2 tablespoon Cumin
• 2 cups Skim Milk
• 2 cups Chicken Broth
• 5 cups Cubed Cooked Pumpkin

Cooking Directions:

1. Rinse pumpkin
2. Using a serrated knife, cut the pumpkin in half
3. Using an ice cream scooper, scoop out strings and seeds
4. Cut pumpkin into 6-10 pieces, small enough to fit numerous pieces into a steaming basket.
5. Place in steamer on stovetop. Add water and steam for 15-25 minutes, checking regularly to replace water. Pumpkin is cooked when a toothpick easily pierces its skin.
6. Let cool, then peel or cut skin off and discard.
7. Cube 5 cups worth of pumpkin "meat." Size is not particularly important, as it will all be blended in the end.
8. In a large pot, add butter, onions, and garlic and stir for 5 minutes.
9. Add Chicken Broth, Pumpkin, Curry, Cayenne, and Cumin and cook for 15 minutes.
10. One blender-full at a time, transfer soup to blender and blend, then transfer to a new pot of similar size.
11. In new pot, add milk and additional Curry to taste.
12. Serve. (Optional: Garnish with sour cream, cayenne pepper, and/or basil leaves).

[Day Two of The Twelve Days of Pumpkin - Keep up with all 12 days!]

[Day Two of The Twelve Days of Pumpkin - Keep up with all 12 days!]