Chocolate Pumpkin Maple Almond Cups with Crushed Pistachio

Happy Fall! With the arrival of autumn come all things pumpkin, and I'm not complaining! I'm a huge fan of fall's nutritional superfood, especially because it can be prepared both savory and sweet. I recently whipped up some Pumpkin Quinoa, but I couldn't resist using this seasonal squash for a dessert treat.

Every since I discovered Kaleifornia Love's vegan and refined sugar-free salted caramel cups, I have been experimenting with different types of fillings, and I swear each time it gets better and better. Today,  I present to you: Chocolate Pumpkin Maple Almond Cups with Crushed Pistachios.

I love desserts like these because they satisfy your sweet tooth, but you can still feel guilt-free! All the ingredients are all-natural and pure, and you get the added health benefits of the pumpkin. Plus, they are ready in less than 30 minutes and don't require any baking.

Ingredients:

4 tablespoons melted coconut oil

4 tablespoons pure cocoa powder

2 tablespoons Grade B maple syrup (1 for chocolate, 1 for pumpkin filling)

4 tablespoons raw almond butter

3 tablespoons pure pumpkin puree

2 tablespoons pistachio hearts

(Yields 4 servings)

1. Combine coconut oil, cocoa powder and 1 tablespoon maple syrup in a bowl. 
2. Line a muffin tin with cupcake liners and fill the bottom of 4 liners with half the chocolate mixture. Freeze for 5 minutes until solid.
3. Blend pumpkin, almond butter, and 1 tablespoon of maple syrup until smooth. If the mixture looks too loose, blend in more almond butter until it is more solid.
4. Remove muffin tin from the freezer and top with pumpkin mixture. Then top the pumpkin mixture with the remaining chocolate so pumpkin mix is completely covered.
5. Blend pistachios for a second or two until they are in pieces. Sprinkle over chocolate in the muffin tin.
6. Freeze for about 20 minutes or until cups are hardened. Let thaw for a few minutes before eating, and refrigerate to keep.

Why is Sugar So Bad for You? + Vegan and Sugarless Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

Happy summer everyone! While I have to say (again) that it has been awhile since I have posted, I wanted to let you all know that the Kale Me Maybe Instagram is really starting to take off. I will be posting there about once a day with all my culinary creations, and I am going to REALLY, REALLY put in the effort to post on here about once a week so you can get the full recipes as well as learn some nutritional tidbits.

When it comes to nutrition, we have heard the common enemies: fat, preservatives, salt, pesticides.
But one of the worst things you can consume is sugar.

Even if you are avoiding desserts, sugar is probably finding its way into your diet through fruit drinks, coffees, packaged foods and maybe even unsuspecting meals like salads. Just because your label is free of the word "sugar" doesn't mean you are in the clear, either. Sugar likes to disguise itself as "sucrose, fructose, corn syrup, dextrose, malt syrup, maltose, molasses, barley malt, brown rice syrup, cane juice..." the list goes on.

It still surprises me that people ask "Why is sugar so bad?" but then I think about how most of us were raised on sugary breakfast cereals and artificial fruit snacks and that the current food industry pushes these products onto us through the mass media. For some people, sugar is just a normal part of their diet-- no one has ever told them the harm it causes. Sugar damages us beyond just our weight, putting us at risk for diabetes, cancer, heart disease and addiction. It also can be harmful to our mental states, with studies showing that it can cause depression (and you know how big I am on the food and mood correlation).

Here are some of the most important reasons that sugar is our nutritional nemesis:

• It contains no essential nutrients: Did anyone say empty calories? The things you eat should benefit you in some way, and sugar does not.
• Sugar makes you fat: Sugar is a leading contributor to obesity, not just in children, but in adults too. People who consume the most sugar are most likely to be obese, especially because of the way sugar affects the brain and causes us to not feel satiated. 
• It can cause cancer: Constantly elevated insulin levels and chronic inflammation-- both an effect of sugar-- can contribute to cancer risks
• It's highly addictive: Many nutritionists and scientists liken the effect of sugar on the brain to that of drugs-- and take it from a former [sugar] addict-- they're right! Sugar causes a massive release of dopamine in the brain, activating our reward centers and causing a strong addiction to the sweetener. I can definitely attest to this: at one point in my life, I was constantly eating candy and craving dessert after every meal. Once I ditched sugar completely, I stopped craving it. Simple as that. But the same as a drug relapse, if I start to get in the habit of eating it again, I need it constantly and slip back into addiction. This just goes to show how powerful the effect of sugar really is, even if you are not aware of it.
• It puts you at risk for heart disease: Sugar raises your cholesterol and triglyceride levels, and it also affects the pumping mechanism of your heart. 
• It can make you depressed: The ups and downs from glucose absorption disturb the brain and exacerbate anxiety and depression. Not only that, but sugar also uses up the mood-enhancing B vitamins. 

That being said, "sugar-free" isn't always the answer, as many substitutes have similar effects, especially ones that contain aspartame like Equal, as aspartame is carcinogenic and can cause emotional disorders, tumors and various diseases. Even agave nectar, which was once considered a good alternative, is considered harmful, as it is still a processed sugar and the amount of syrup needed to sweeten things is very high in sugar content.

So what's the best sugar alternative? If you need to sweeten something, it's best to use Stevia, honey or maple syrup, as they are all natural and contain various other health benefits. Of course, use these in moderation too, as sugar in excess is never good for you, even if it's from a natural source.

To go along with the sweet theme of this post, I thought I would share a dessert recipe, which is rare for me since I am not much of a baker. I just came up with this new Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe, which, of course, has no sugar and instead uses a small amount of maple syrup as a sweetener. These came out SO tasty, and it will be easy for you to recreate them, as I actually accurately measured everything this time.

These cookies are vegan, have no added sugar, no butter and no eggs, and they can be gluten free if you take out the oats and use another flour instead. There are no bad ingredients, so these can even be used as breakfast cookies.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients:

1 cup pumpkin puree

1 cup almond flour

1 cup rolled oats

1/4 cup maple syrup (Grade B)

1/4 Unrefined Virgin coconut oil

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp cinnamon

3 tsp cocoa powder

6  small squares of 70% or higher dark chocolate, with no sugar or dairy added, chopped

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

2. Mix all the ingredients in a large bowl.

3. Grease a baking sheet with some coconut oil. Place spoon sized chunks of the batter onto the baking sheet, leaving a little bit of room for the cookies to expand (they don't get much bigger).

4. Bake for about 15-20 minutes. If you like your cookies softer, bake for 15 minutes, and if you like them harder, bake for a little over 20.
5. Let cookies cool. If you want a little extra sweetness, drizzle maple syrup on top of the cookies when they are done baking.

(Makes about 10 cookies)

What are your favorite no sugar added recipes? Share in the comments! And be sure to follow @kalememaybe on Instagram!

Fall's Nutritional Superfood: Pumpkin + Recipe for Pumpkin Pesto Pasta

We all know that come October comes pumpkin everything -- from lattes to scones, to pies and bread. While it's tempting to indulge in these sweet treats, there are plenty of things you can do yourself with canned pumpkin at home without all those added sugars. Believe it or not,  pumpkin is extremely healthy, and versatile! It can be used for both sweet and savory dishes, and I personally love to use pumpkin in my dinners. I love this time of year not just because it indicates fall, because it gives me a fun autumn squash to spice up my cooking for a few months!

Why you should be eating pumpkin (besides from the fact that it tastes delicious)

• It's filled with vitamins, including A, C, E, beta carotene, potassium, and B vitamins including folates, niacin, and B6
• It's high in fiber (which means its going to keep you full, maintain a healthy weight, and help your digestive system)
• It's a great source of antioxidants

So what does this all mean? It's a low calorie, mood-boosting, good-for-your-skin-and-body vegetable that should be utilized while it's in season! 

As I said before, I love making pumpkin savory. It can be a good cheese substitute for macaroni and cheese, used in a risotto, even made into a savory bread. But, it can also be made sweet. I like to add it to my oatmeal in the morning with cinnamon or blended into a pumpkin pie smoothie. This time I chose to make it into a pasta, as I had a lot of extra basil and wanted to make a pesto. I totally came up with this recipe out of my head, and I wasn't sure how it was going to turn out, but it tasted so much better than I could have imagined (and shout-out to my girls Vivian and Greer for cooking it with me!). You can always just make the pumpkin sauce or pesto on its own, but I think together they complemented each other just perfectly.

Pumpkin Pesto Pasta

(serves about 3)

Pasta: 3/4 lb brown rice pasta

For the Pesto:

2 cups basil
1 cup arugula
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
1/2 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/2 lemon (to juice)
2 large cloves of garlic
1/4 cup walnuts

For the Pumpkin Sauce:

3/4 can of pureed pumpkin (NOT pumpkin pie mix)
1/2 cup Greek yogurt
A splash or two of white wine vinegar
1-2 large cloves of garlic
3/4 cup of onions, chopped


(Remember, all these measurements are estimates, feel free to play around to taste!)

1. Boil your water for the pasta. In the meantime, begin chopping your ingredients, but don't forget to add the pasta once the water is boiling and check on it when it's done, about 8 minutes.

2. Start chopping ingredients for the pesto. If you have a high quality blender like the Vitamix, then you can just throw everything in the blender and blend until smooth. If you don't have that amazing blender, then chop your ingredients so that it's easier to finely blend. If it's hard to get the ingredients smooth, try adding a little bit of olive oil as well as lemon.

3. Chop garlic and onions for the pumpkin sauce. Heat some olive oil over a pan, and add garlic and onions. Cook until onions are translucent, making sure to stir often so the garlic doesn't burn. Then add in the pumpkin puree and Greek yogurt, stirring until ingredients are mixed together and sauce is warm and thickened. Add a splash of white wine vinegar here and there both for flavor and consistency.

4. To serve, pour sauce over pasta and mix in. Add a spoonful of pesto on top, and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and chopped walnuts to taste.

What are your favorite pumpkin recipes? The options are endless, and I'll be sure to be making more pumpkin goodness as fall continues on!

Fall Breakfast + Brain Boosters

This week, I was fortunate enough to come back home to LA for Thanksgiving weekend and spend time with my family. The first morning back, I decided to cook breakfast, and I chose two dishes I had never done before. With fall comes a lot of good produce and seasonal vegetables, and one of my favorites is pumpkin! I've been meaning to make some healthy pancakes, and I thought it would be nice to make them using this autumn squash. I needed to accompany the pancakes with a healthy protein, so I turned to eggs. I make eggs almost every single day, but I've never made a proper frittata, so I thought while I had the kitchen space and resources, I would give it a go.

While brainstorming possible nutrition ideas, it came to me that a lot of the ingredients I used in this super-breakfast are good brain boosting foods. I've been spending a lot of time researching the effects foods have on the brain, as this is a large part of my journalism senior thesis. Few people realize the impact of what we put in our mouths and how it controls our moods and the way we behave. Luckily, the ingredients in this breakfast promote alertness, happiness and calmness. This is a breakfast that pleases the senses, as well as the mind!

Power of Pancakes:

Oats: Oatmeal provides our brains with sustained fuel power with a healthy, natural boost of glucose. Eating oatmeal rather than sugary foods prevents a sudden spike and drop in blood sugar, and it instead provides a steady few hours of brain power. Oatmeal also fights anxiety and fatigue with its level of magnesium. 

Dark Chocolate (72%): Dark cocoa is also a brain booster, containing a large percentage of flavonoids that preserve cognitive abilities in the brain such as memory. It is also a mood booster, bolstering positive mood with the release of endorphins. 

Pumpkin: Aside from the other health benefits of pumpkin (immune system booster, antioxidant, rich source of fiber), it's a natural energy boost, with an even higher potassium level than bananas. 

Coconut Oil: Coconut oil has a plethora of health benefits, one of them being a brain booster due to the brain's alternative fuel, ketone bodies, being present in medium-chain triglycerides in coconut oil. Additionally, the lauric acid in this beneficial saturated fat releases a gut hormone that reduces sadness.

Milk: Milk can help improve memory, as well as improve mood. The calcium levels reduce stress and anxiety, and the tryptophan present increases serotonin, which elevates mood.

Feel Good Frittata:

Eggs: Eggs are both strong brain boosters and mood boosters! Vitamins D and B12 increase levels of serotonin, a mood elevator, and the vitamins also help enhance memory. Eggs are also high in omega-3s, the ultimate mood booster.

Tomatoes: High in lycopene, folate and magnesium, tomatoes enhance mood and lower depression, and they also promote an alert mind and memory function.

Rosemary: Rosemary is a powerful and pungent herb that can improve brain performance as well as boost mood, presumably through the chemical compounds in its oil.

Onions: Onions also boost our brain's memory power, and they help prevent degenerative diseases such as stroke from its antioxidants. Onions are also rich in chromium, which boosts mood.

Garlic: Garlic is a blood thinner, which increases blood flow to the brain and increases its functions. The extracts in garlic have also been shown to increase cognitive functioning, which includes increased memory and stronger ability to complete tasks.

Spinach: Spinach is filled with folic acid and magnesium, two depression-blasting nutrients. The folic acid in spinach also protects neurons in the brain. 

Recipes under the cut!