When in Pumpkin Rome… Have a Donut and a Latte.
The ubiquity of fresh pumpkin here in California this time of year almost leads me to forget that the rest of the world wasn’t blessed with most wondrous gourd. Several of you commented on this website’s Facebook Page and on Twitter that not living in America meant you only had a small opportunity before pumpkin all disappeared from the shelves, this absurd culinary empire crumbling under the weight of its own unsustainability.
I have a couple of great pumpkin recipes queued up, but the rest of the pumpkin-web has been far more diligent in their efforts to document the great pumpkin than I have. My goal has been to produce 2 recipes per week, but it will probably take me another few weeks to get into a flow where I can write things up that quickly.
Meanwhile, I realized that there are WAY too many awesome things you can do with pumpkin for me to be fiddling while pumpkin-Rome burns. Here are some of the most novel and delicious ways you can contribute to the fall of the pumpkin-Rome empire.
All Roads Lead to Donuts
Two fantastic and frivolous pumpkin recipes came out this season, one of them easily adaptable for ultra-low-carb, and the other absolutely ideal for high-glycemic glycogen replenishment and “cheat” meals.
Ultra Low Carb Pumpkin Donut
Against All Grain produced a baked paleo Pumpkin Donut complete with a vanilla-bacon glaze. Gyahhh those are pretty.
While low-carb isn’t this chef’s thing, the substitutions you would need to make to reduce the net carbs to a mere 3g per donut (according to my calculations) wouldn’t be difficult. I’d use Walden Farms pancake syrup instead of maple syrup, and Torani sugar-free vanilla syrup instead of the honey in the glaze.
High-Glycemic GF Pumpkin Donuts
For Carb Backloading, you can’t get much more ideal than a gluten-free donut.
The Gluten-Free Goddess is well known for her accurate portrayals of gluten-containing foods, but this recipe confuses me a little. The hazelnut flour in this recipe seems like it would be too weighty to make a good donut.
You’re not going to want to eat hazelnuts while backloading anyway, so try substituting brown rice flour or even quinoa flour and tell me how it goes.
You do need a special pan (or a ridiculous single-use appliance) in order to bake these things. But this very good nonstick donut baking pan won’t set you back more than $10.
Coconut Pumpkin Bread
I have been playing with coconut flour and pumpkin bread to come up with a gingerbread recipe for December, so when I saw this recipe for low carb pumpkin coconut bread that Carolyn posted a few days ago, I could already tell it was a winner.
This bread contains a mere 4.3 net carbs per slice. You could reduce the carbs slightly by leaving out the shredded coconut, and you’d still have a delicious slice of highly butterable pumpkin goodness.
My friend Deb loves to make glaze out of coconut butter just like Carolyn does; I’ll be posting Deb’s awesome Paleo Pumpkin Pie recipe along with MY final pumpkin pie recipe, just in time for (US) Thanksgiving.
My Favorite Pumpkin Latte
Believe it or not, it’s pretty hard to make a bad pumpkin latte, even if you measure things out wrong. Turns out that blending pumpkin, cream, and something sweet tastes really good in many different proportions.
Regardless, here is the combo of ingredients that I have found most pleasant, with 3g net carbs.
Real Pumpkin Latte
Print recipe
| Portions | 1 |
| Prep time | 4 minutes |
| Dietary | Ultra Low Carb, Vegetarian |
| Meal type | Beverage, Breakfast, Snack |
| Misc | Serve Cold, Serve Hot |
| By author | Naomi Most |
| Serving Size 12 oz (1 large mug) | |||
| Per Serving | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Calories | 68 kcal | ||
| Total Carbohydrate | 4g | ||
| Total Fat | 5g | ||
| Saturated Fat | 4g | ||
| Fibre | 1g | ||
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons fresh roasted pumpkin
- 1 cup fresh brewed coffee
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup (use Walden farms pancake syrup for zero carbs)
- 1 tablespoon heavy cream (or creamy coconut milk)
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- 1 sprinkle nutmeg (freshly ground if possible)
Directions
| Step 1 | |
| Make coffee, or heat up a cup of coffee to warm (but not very hot). | |
| Step 2 | |
| Add coffee, pumpkin, cream, and spices to a blender. (The Magic Bullet works great here.) Blend on high for about 12 seconds. | |
| Step 3 | |
| Pour into mug, heat for another few seconds if desired. Sprinkle nutmeg before serving. | |
