Spiced Pumpkin Soup

(makes 6 servings)

Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp butter
  
• 1 cup chopped onion
  
• 3 tbsp all-purpose flour
  
• ¼ tsp cumin
  
• ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
  
• ½ tsp curry powder
  
• 2 crushed garlic cloves
  
• 1 cup peeled and cubed sweet potato
  
• ¼ tsp salt
  
• 2 (14 oz.) cans of non-fat and low-sodium chicken broth (or vegetable broth for vegetarian option)
  
• 1 (15 oz.) can of pumpkin
  
• 1 cup 1% milk
  
• 1 tbsp fresh lime juice
  

Preparation:

• Melt butter in a large-size saucepan over medium-high heat. Saute onion for about 3-4 minutes then add flour, cumin, nutmeg and curry powder and saute for about 1 minute.
  
• Add sweet potato, salt, chicken broth (or vegetable broth) and pumpkin and heat to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, partially covered and simmer until sweet potatoes are cooked through and softened (about 20-25). Transfer from heat and let stand for about 10 minutes to cool.
  
• Place half of the pumpkin mixture in a food processor or blender and process until smooth. Using a strainer, pour soup back into pan. Repeat with rest of soup.
  
• Heat to medium-high heat then stir in milk and cook until soup is heated through (about 5 minutes).
  
• Transfer from heat and add lime juice.
  

Make 6 Servings:

Weight loss recipes Amount Per Serving(1/6 of recipe (300 g)): 128 Calories, 6 g Protein, 19 g carbohydrates, 3 g Dietary Fiber, 3 g fat, 2 g saturated fat, 7 mg cholesterol, 351 mg sodium

Pumpkin Muffins

(makes 9 muffins)

Ingredients for recipe:

• 2 medium eggs, beaten
  
• 1 cup sugar
  
• 1 cup pumpkin, canned
  
• 1 tsp baking soda
  
• 1⅔ cup all-purpose flour
  
• ¾ cup vegetable oil
  
• ¼ cup water
  
• ¾ tsp salt
  
• ½ tsp ground cloves
  
• ½ tsp nutmeg
  
• ½ tsp baking powder
  
• ½ tsp cinnamon
  
• ½ cup nuts, chopped (optional)
  

Preparation:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
  
• In a medium mixing bowl, combine eggs, sugar, pumpkin, vegetable oil, and water
  
• Stir together flour, baking soda, salt, baking powder, and spices in a separate bowl.
  
• Add dry ingredients to wet, and stir to blend.
  
• Pour the batter ¾ into the prepared muffin pan
  
• Bake for 20 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center of 1 of the muffins comes out clean. Remove from pan right away.
  
• Let cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Run a knife around the muffins to loosen them.
  

Make 9 Servings:

Weight Loss Recipes Amount Per Serving (1 muffin (98 g)): 307 Calories, 21 g Protein, 42 g carbohydrates, 2 g Dietary Fiber, 14 g fat, 2 g saturated fat, 42 mg cholesterol, 421 mg sodium

Pumpkin Bread with Crystallized Ginger

(makes 2 loaves, about 24 slices each)

Ingredients for recipe:

• 1 can (15 oz) pumpkin
  
• 1⅔ cups sugar
  
• ⅔ cup unsweetened applesauce
  
• 2 tsp vanilla
  
• 2 eggs + 4 egg whites
  
• ½ cup 1% low-fat milk
  
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
  
• ½ tsp baking powder
  
• ½ tsp ground cloves
  
• 2 tsp baking soda
  
• 3 tbsp crystallized ginger, chopped
  
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  

Vanilla glaze:

• ⅔ cup powdered sugar
  
• 3 tsp warm water
  
• ¼ tsp vanilla
  

Preparation (Vanilla glaze):

• Thoroughly mix glaze ingredients in a bowl.
  
• Drizzle on bread.
  
• Sprinkle with chopped crystallized ginger.
  

Preparation:

• Move oven rack to bottom position. Heat oven to 350 degrees F.
  
• Grease 2 loaf pans, 8½ x 4½ x 2½ or 9 x 5 x 3".
  
• Mix pumpkin, sugar, applesauce, milk, vanilla and eggs in a large-size bowl.
  
• Stir in remaining ingredients except vanilla glaze and ginger.
  
• Pour batter evenly into each of the pans. Bake for about 1 hour or until toothpick inserted in middle of bread comes out clean.
  
• Cool for 10 minutes then loosen bread and cool completely on a wire rack (about 1 hour).
  

Make 24 Servings:

Weight Loss Recipes Amount Per Serving (1 slice (89 g)): 166 Calories, 5 g Protein, 31 g carbohydrates, 1 g Dietary Fiber, 2 g fat, 1 g saturated fat, 86 mg cholesterol, 191 mg sodium