Easy Pumpkin Pudding with Molasses Cookies

Pumpkin is one of those vegetables that is almost emblematic of fall – it makes us think of harvest, of holidays, of frost, of lengthening nights and the oncoming winter. And yet, the only way it usually gets to the table is in a store-bought pie, or perhaps a can of pie filling that goes in a pie we made ourselves. But pumpkin can be so much more -- and since pumpkin keeps for 6 months whole or for years in a can, it can be a year-round addition to our diets.

Pumpkin is chock full ‘o goodness. You can tell by its bright color that it’s going to be going to be good for you. Not only is pumpkin loaded with vitamin A and antioxidant carotenoids, particularly alpha and beta-carotenes, it’s a good source of vitamins C, K, and E, and lots of minerals, including magnesium, potassium, and iron. http://www.bewellbuzz.com/nutrition/pumpkin-health-benefits/

Easy Pumpkin Pudding

Easy Pumpkin Pudding:
1 can 28 oz. pumpkin
1 can coconut milk (not lite)
Whisk these two together in a large bowl.
Add 1/2 cup coconut sugar, 1/2 cup maple syrup, 2 tsp. ginger, 2 tsp. cinnamon and 1 tsp. nutmeg.
Whisk until well combined. Put a plastic wrap over and let it get cold in the fridge for awhile.

Meanwhile make the lovely crispy ginger cookies below.

Molasses Spice Cookies
 3 1/2 cups almond flour
1/2 tsp. sea salt
1/2 tsp. baking soda
3 tsp. ginger
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 cup grapeseed oil or melted butter or coconut oil
1/2 cup yacon syrup http://www.superfoods-for-superhealth.com/yacon-root-syrup.html
You could also use organic molasses.

Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl.
Stir together wet ingredients in a smaller bowl.
Mix wet ingredients into dry.
Scoop and roll dough into a ball and press onto a  parchment lined baking sheet 1 tbsp. at a time.
Bake 350 for 12 minutes
Cool and serve.
You can also crumble them on to the pumpkin pudding.

This makes 24 cookies.
Healthy life.
Suzanne

Benefits of Coconut Milk

 We use almond milk for coffee but for all other uses we use coconut milk. I take a glass milk bottle, put in one can coconut milk and then fill to the top with filtered water, give it a good shake. Refrigerate and use in smoothies, protein shakes and on top of gluten free granola.

Benefits of Coconut Milk:

Following are some of the health benefits of coconut milk:

1. Helps to maintain blood sugar places:

   Glucose intolerance may cause manganese deficiency in your body. Coconut milk is a rich source of manganese. Whole grains, legumes and nuts are some excellent sources of manganese.

2. Keeps skin and blood vessels flexible and elastic:

   Copper is very important mineral for most of the bodily functions. Copper and vitamin C help to maintain the flexibility and elasticity of the skin and blood vessels.

3. Aids in building strong bones:

   Coconut milk is not rich in calcium, but it is rich in phosphorus. Phosphorus is an essential nutrient that body needs for strengthening bones. It is must to take phosphorus with calcium particularly to prevent bone loss because it supplies phosphate to the body.

4. Helps to prevent anemia:

   Lack of iron is the most common nutrient deficiency among the people throughout the world. Iron deficiency in body does not allow the body to develop enough hemoglobin for keeping sufficient oxygen levels in red blood cells, resulting in anemia. Each cup of coconut milk supplies the body with nearly a quarter of daily value of iron.

5. Relaxes muscles and nerves:

   Whenever you feel muscle cramps or muscle soreness, have some food along with coconut milk. It is rich in magnesium and can help you in relieving the problem. One of the functions of magnesium is it acts as a gate block in many nerve cells. If magnesium is not present in body, nerve cells become very active because of calcium that activates nerves. Excess contraction of muscles is caused by over active nerve cells.

6. Helps in Controlling Weight:

   This can be a good news for people who are trying to reduce weight. Coconut milk makes you feel full very quickly because of high concentrations of dietary fiber.

7. Decreases the risk of joint inflammation:

   Selenium is an important antioxidant. It controls the free radicals and thereby helps in relieving the symptoms of arthritis. It is observed that people with low levels of selenium may suffer from rheumatoid arthritis.

8. Helps in lowering high blood pressure:

   People who are concerned with their blood pressure will not face any problem for reaching the foods containing potassium. Potassium helps in lowering blood pressure levels in the body.

9. Helps in maintaining healthy immune system:

   Coconut milk helps in warding off colds and coughs by keeping the immune system healthy. It supplies vitamin C to the body which boosts the immune system.

10. Promotes the health of prostate gland:

    Zinc plays a vital role in promoting the health of prostate gland. A preliminary study showed that it slows down the activities of cancer cells.

I hope the above mentioned information helps you in understanding the relation between health and coconut milk. It can also be consumed by people with cow’s milk allergy. It is free from gluten and soy. Hence people who are allergic to these substances can also use this.

Nutritional Values of Coconut Milk:

Following are the nutritional values present in 100 grams of fresh coconut milk:

• Calories – 230
• Proteins – 2.3 g
• Fat – 23.8g
• Carbohydrates – 5.5 g
• Dietary fiber – 2.3 g
• Sugar – 3.35 g
• Vitamin C – 2.8 mg
• Vitamin E – 0.15 mg
• Vitamin B1 – 0.026 mg
• Vitamin B6 – 0.033 mg
• Vitamin B5 (Pantothenic acid) – 0.183 mg
• Folate – 16 mcg
• Vitamin B3 (Niacin) – 0.76 mg
• Iron – 1.64 mg
• Selenium – 6.2 mcg
• Sodium – 15 mg
• Calcium – 16 mg
• Magnesium – 37 mg
• Phosphorus – 100 mg
• Potassium – 260 mg 

Substituting

Not everything can be substituted (this goes without saying). Unfortunately, there really isn't a paleo substitute for bread and butter pudding, where the main ingredients are bread, milk, and sugar - three ingredients that should be avoided at all costs when following the paleo principles.

In saying that, some recipes can work out well with paleo substitutions where cream, yogurt or milk is an ingredient.
For curries: Where cream, yogurt or milk is added to a curry sauce in small amounts, coconut milk, almond milk or no substitute at all can work out really well.
Within cakes: Small amounts of milk can be substituted as well with coconut milk or almond milk to provide the moisture needed.
How about custards? You can make delicious paleo friendly custards with coconut milk, egg yolks, and a vanilla bean.
Learning to live without dairy becomes extremely easy when it's put into practice. Try not to focus too much on reinventing your favorite non-paleo meals, and focus on creating delicious paleo friendly meals. Don't continue to stress over cravings or missing your favorite meal of lasagna, or creamy cabonara, instead focus on finding a paleo recipe that can take its place - because I can guarantee there are plenty of recipes that don't consist of dairy, grains, processed foods and sugar that you will enjoy eating time and time again.

Chocolate Pudding

You can serve this with raspberry sauce, whipped coconut cream, freshly ground nutmeg, or fresh berries. You can use whatever sweetener you like, just keep in mind that they have varying degrees of sweetness.

1/3 cup of arrowroot powder
1/3 cup of cocoa powder
dash of salt
1/3 -2/3 cup maple syrup, or honey
4 cups of coconut milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
Whisk the arrowroot powder, cocoa powder, and salt together in a medium size pot. Make sure there are not lumps. Add about 1 cup of the milk and sweetener, and mix until thoroughly combined with no lumps. Stir in the rest of the coconut milk and heat on med-high heat, stirring continuously. Heat until the mixture starts to thicken. I find that this usually happens right when it starts to simmer. Simmer for no longer than one minute. Take it off of the heat, and add in the vanilla. Pour into desired containers, and refrigerate for at least a couple of hours to cool and set. After it is cooled, then cover with plastic wrap.

You could also put it into a baked almond crust pie after it cools.
To your health.