Food:

Raw Oatmeal with Roasted Pumpkin

Start with the directions for the Raw Oatmeal here

Roasting pumpkin:

1. Pre heat oven to 400 degrees. Cut a pie pumpkin (find at farmers market) in half, scoop out the seeds and membranes. Place the pumpkin halves cut side down on a parchment lined baking sheet. Bake for 30-45 minutes, until flesh is tender. Let the pumpkin cool, then scoop the flesh out into a food processor and puree until smooth. (You may need to add just a bit of water to get things moving). Store puree in an airtight container in the fridge.

Putting the two together: this is for 2 servings

1. After you have drained and rinse two containers of your buckwheat and sunflower seeds place them in a food processor.

2. Add 1/4 c. milk (I used homemade cashew milk), add 1/2 c. pumpkin puree, 1 tsp. cinnamon, 2 T. pure maple syrup and a pinch of real salt. Puree until you get the consistency of oatmeal.

Toppings:

Each bowl gets…

1/2 c. goat yogurt (Drake Family Farms, find at farmers market, Liberty Heights Fresh, Whole Foods)

Divide the pumpkin oatmeal puree between the two bowls

1 T. chopped walnuts

2 tsp. bee pollen (local, find at Whole Foods)

1 T. chia seeds (I grind mine)

1 T. coconut butter (find at most health food stores, worthy purchase)

EAT!!!

Nutrition:

Pumpkin: Pumpkins are among the most versatile members of the entire gourd- squash-melon food family. Pumpkins aid in antioxidants support, regulates blood sugar and have anti- inflammatory benefits.

Bee pollen: Bee pollen is a raw living food that contains amino acids our bodies don’t produce. It is an immune booster, treats allergies, aids in digestion, energy booster and good for the skin. Bee pollen is great for everyone but especially vegans and vegetarians.

Love:

This raw oatmeal with roasted pumpkin is so good and the perfect breakfast to transition into the fall. The great thing about this recipe is that you can make it anytime of year using seasonal ingredients. I was reminded of this recipe last week when I taught a grains class for the U of U LifeLong Learning program. I expressed to my students that grains sometimes get a bad wrap, but they contain vitamin B which give your body the building blocks to produce serotonin to help keep moods stable as well as helping you stay fuller longer and they don’t spike your blood sugar because they are WHOLE GRAINS. This grain is also gluten-free which means it won’t cause inflammation in the body, when mixed with the pumpkin it is a double dose of anti-inflammatory benefits. I love having a breakfast that is good for me and tastes even better, I also love that which each changing season we get a new bounty of food to experiment with. ENJOY!