I love pumpkin so much… In this post, I wanted to share some simple recipes you can make with pumpkin, as well as its benefits. Of course, all of them are refined sugar-free.

When I was in my old life, eating a sugary, floury, and mixed diet, I only knew pumpkin in the syrupy dessert made by mothers, and I never liked it. I would get a very sweet and strange taste that stuck in my throat. So I ingrained in my mind, “I don’t like pumpkin,” and never tried to buy or cook it.

Years passed, I eliminated sugar from my life, and I think it was the 8th year since I changed my life. I started reading about the benefits and satiety-inducing properties of pumpkin. I don’t know how I first got some, but I somehow managed to get some and cooked it with dried apricots instead of sugar. After it was cooked, I mashed it, added hazelnuts, and took it with me to eat in the evening. Oh my God, what a delicious flavor! If pumpkin was so good, why were we ruining its taste with sugary syrup? I had officially found my love. Since that day, pumpkin has been a constant part of my life.

Including naturally sweet vegetables in our diet is very helpful in balancing sweet cravings throughout the day. These vegetables include pumpkin, carrots, and sweet potatoes. Pumpkin and carrots are, of course, the most readily available for us. Thanks to their high fiber content, they help satisfy sweet cravings while keeping us full.

Now, I’d like to present you with the evidence of my love affair with pumpkin, one by one.

Pumpkin Puree

• This puree is what started it all.
• 3 slices of pumpkin
• 5 dried apricots
• 1 cinnamon stick
• Enough drinking water to cover half of the pumpkin slices

I cut the pumpkin slices and add 5-6 diced dried apricots and the cinnamon stick. Transfer them to a wide, shallow pot.

Add a very small amount of water to the bottom and cook over low heat until the water is absorbed.

Then, remove the cinnamon stick and blend the pumpkin puree.

Our pumpkin puree, which we can use in the recipes below or eat with yogurt or tahini, is ready.

Pumpkin Crumble

Spread the prepared pumpkin puree on the bottom of a baking pan.

In a separate bowl, mix 5-6 tablespoons of oatmeal, dried mulberries, raisins, almonds, pistachios, and pumpkin seeds.

Add 1 tablespoon of coconut oil to this mixture, mix well, and spread it over the pumpkin puree.

Bake the crumble at 170 degrees Celsius for 20-25 minutes, or until crispy on top, and it’s ready to eat.

Pumpkin Cookies

• 3/4 cup pumpkin puree
• 1 egg
• 2.5 tablespoons coconut flour (or ¾ cup if using other flour)
• 3 tablespoons tahini
• A handful of finely chopped black seedless raisins
• Plenty of cinnamon

I mixed everything together. I shaped them into round balls with wet hands. I baked them at 170 degrees Celsius for about 30 minutes, or until crispy.

Wishing everyone a happy, sugar-free, healthy week.

With love,