Pumpkin Chili

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Porches and neighborhoods across America are lined with pumpkins. These decorative orange beauties are packed full of nutritional value including vitamins A, B-complex, C, K and the minerals copper, calcium, potassium and phosphorus. Pumpkins are a rich source of fiber which promotes healthy digestion.

The pumpkin seeds are full of zinc and phytonutrients which boost our immune system so eating this delicious snack will protect you from sickness this fall. These powerful seeds are full of manganese which promotes healthy nerve function as well as protein, iron, niacin and selenium.

Pumpkins are also touted as being anti-inflammatory, anti-fungal, anti-parasitic and used in natural treatments of tapeworms and other parasites.

Now that we know the health benefits of pumpkins lets make a delicious meal to share. Try the pumpkin chili recipe below, be sure to leave us a comment on how much you liked it. Share this post with a friend and make sure you’re subscribed to our updates to get all the best wellness info and recipes.

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Pumpkin Chili
What you’ll need:
1 tablespoon butter
1 small pumpkin, peeled, seeded and diced
1 small onion, diced
1 green pepper, diced
1 small zucchini, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 can (32 to 40 ounce) crushed tomatoes
¼ cup chili powder
2 (16 ounce) cans red kidney beans

298123_10150336628114043_955281128_nWhat you’ll do:
In a large saucepan sauté onion, pepper, zucchini and garlic in butter.  In a soup pot add pumpkin, tomatoes with juice, and chili powder.  Bring soup pot contents to a boil and then reduce to medium heat.  Cook stew until the pumpkin is tender.  Add beans and sautéed mixture to the soup pot and simmer. Serve and enjoy!

Save the pumpkin seeds to toast in the oven. Sprinkle seeds with himalayan sea salt and bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. These are a quick and easy snack or use them to garnish your salads.

Apple Crisp

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The leaves are changing colors, there is a crisp feel in the air and we are trading our tank tops for long sleeves. Fall is one of my favorite times of the year. We recently spent the day down at the apple orchard picking the last of the apples off the trees. With so many apples on hand, we began making apple cider, applesauce, apple butter and my favorite, apple crisp. I’m going to share a very delicious recipe with you.

This apple crisp recipe is to die for; the smell of warm cinnamon baking on sweet pieces of apple will warm your soul. When you take your first bite, your taste buds will scream with excitement and you will instantly smile. Every time I make this treat for our guests, it is a crowd pleaser and not a spoonful is left in the dish. This is the recipe you get from the little old lady at church who is like your grandma and makes the treats that go first at every bake sale. Enjoy!

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What you’ll need:
10 cups of apples, peeled, cored and sliced
1/2 cup sugar (or sugar alternative)
1 cup and 1 tablespoon flour (almond or coconut flour preferred)
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup water
1 cup quick-cooking oats
1 cup brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup butter, melted

What you do:
Preheat the oven to 350°. Place the sliced apples in a 9×13″ baking dish. Mix the white sugar, 1 tablespoon of flour and ground cinnamon together, and sprinkle of the apples. Pour water evenly over the apples. Combine the remaining ingredients in a bowl and mix throughly. Crumble evenly over the apple mixture. Bake for 45 minutes. Serve with vanilla ice cream.

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Spanish Stew

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Spain is a country of rich beauty, history and is home to many fun festivals. On our most recent trip to Spain we took part in La Tomatina, the largest food fight in the world. It was fun and messy. Check out the food fight and this Spanish inspired stew.

Spanish Stew

Ingredients:
2 cans (28 oz.) of diced tomatoes
1 sm. cabbage, chopped
1/2 Tbsp. dried chilli flakes (more if you like it spicy)
2 cans (15 oz.) chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1.5 quarts of beef broth
1 beef sausage link, sliced
1 loaf crusty garlic bread

Directions:
In a large soup pot combine the first 5 ingredients. Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat to medium. Cook until the cabbage is tender, 10 minutes. Fry the sliced sausage. Add the cooked sausage to the cabbage stew, mix throughly. Serve with a slice of crusty garlic bread. Enjoy!