Pumpkin Oat Snack Bars and My Kitchen Helper

As you can tell, I never get tired of pumpkin! I couldn't wait to get home tonight and make these tasty treats. The result was a wonderful sweet pumpkin dessert full of cinnamon and English Toffee flavors. I hesitated to call this a bar recipe because it has more of a bread pudding/baked oatmeal consistency. You can call it whatever you want to. The name doesn't matter when you are enjoying the tastes and smells of Autumn all packed into this yummy dessert! To top it all off, this recipe is healthy and low fat!!

Pumpkin Oat Snack Bars

1 1/3 cup oats

1/4 cup agave nectar

1 tsp English Toffee Stevia

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 cup raisins

1 cup pumpkin

1/4 cup skim milk

2 egg whites

1 tsp vanilla extract

Mix together all the dry ingredients.

In a separate bowl, mix the pumpkin, egg whites, milk, agave nectar, stevia, and vanilla.

Mix the wet mixture into the dry mixture.

Bake in a 8x8 pan for 35 minutes at 350 degrees.

I now introduce one of my loyal kitchen helpers:

Pumpkin Spice Kisses Fudge

I found this recipe on cooks.com and I think this recipe would be wonderful using pumpkin spice kisses instead of the chocolate ones. Maybe some pumpkin spice and cinnamon could be added. Anybody want to experiment with me?

HERSHEY'S KISSES FUDGE

4 1/2 c. sugar

1 lg. can Carnation milk

3 (6 oz.) pkgs. chocolate Hershey's Kisses (18 oz. all total)

1 lg. jar marshmallow creme

2 sticks butter

4 c. pecans

Mix sugar, milk and butter on stove on low, stirring constantly until a boil. Cook 10 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Add cream, Kisses and pecans. Drop by spoon onto wax paper. Makes BIG batch.

Thai, Thai, and More Thai

When I read one of my favorite blogs ZestyCook.com and saw this recipe for Thai Pumpkin Soup, I knew that I had to have something similar for dinner. I didn't have the ingredients or time to make this soup, but I did have the ingredients to create my own Thai concoction. I guess it would be considered Thai Sweet Potato Soup. I loved it and was pleased with my creation. It had a nice sweet and sour taste with a hint of cilantro. The blend of vegetables added nice crunchy and soft textures. I paired it with one of the rice muffins that I posted about yesterday, and I was in Thai heaven. I will have to try the Thai Pumpkin soup when I have all the ingredients and more time.

Thai Sweet Potato Soup

1 serving

1/2 cup Imagine Sweet Potato Soup

1/4 cup bean sprouts

1/4 cup cooked peas

1/4 cup water chestnuts sliced

1/2 tsp Bragg's Aminos or soy sauce

1/2 tsp rice vinegar

top with cilantro to taste

Mix all ingredients and heat in microwave or on the stove top.

Top with cilantro and enjoy!

Sweet Rice Muffins

Here is recipe you can use if you have leftover rice. I had a lot of Forbidden Rice left from last night's pudding. I decided to make rice muffins. Once again, I searched for the recipe and then created my own based on all the recipes I found. I wasn't sure what to expect on my first bite, but I will tell you that my taste buds were in heaven! I will definitely be making these again. They were so sweet and moist, and they almost had a rice pudding taste! I know what I will be having for breakfast the next couple of days!! Next time, I am going to add some raisins!!!

Sweet Rice Muffins

makes 10-12 muffins

1 egg

1/4 cup agave nectar, honey, or sugar

2 tblsp applesauce

1/2 cup milk

1 tsp vanilla

1 cup cooked rice of your choice

1 1/3 cup oat flour

1 tblsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp salt (optional)

Directions:

Mix oat flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

Add all other ingredients and mix.

Spoon into muffin tins.

Bake at 400 degrees for 10-12 minutes.

Forbidden Rice Pudding With a Twist and a Sushi Shirt

A couple of weeks ago, I tried Forbidden Rice Pudding for the first time and loved it. I looked everywhere for the yummy black rice, but couldn't find it. I finally found it at Whole Foods this morning. When I got home from work, I boiled a cup of the rice according to the package instructions. When it was done, I scooped out 1/2 cup of the rice and added two tablespoons of the twist to my rice...Oat Dream in maple brown sugar flavor (more on this later!). I also mixed in a tsp of agave nectar and a couple drops of English Toffee stevia. Then I put it in the microwave for 1 minute, stirred it, and then put it back in the microwave for 1 more minute. The last step was to let it cool for about 5 minutes and then I topped it off with one more tbsp of maple brown sugar Oat Dream. What a delicious treat!

This was a delicious new find. It definitely has the sweet flavor of maple and brown sugar. I love it in my oatmeal and cold cereal, and it tastes pretty good in coffee too! It is also delicious straight out of the cup. And for my finale tonight.....a cute sushi shirt that one of my kiddos at work had on today!

Semi-Homemade Sweet Potato Soup with Cinnamon Polenta Croutons

I spotted the Imagine Sweet Potato Soup on the shelf at my local grocery store, and I knew I had to try it. When I eat soup, I like it to be hearty and I like to chew a little bit. This soup straight out of the box was smooth and velvety, but I decided to add my own kick. I cooked up some polenta according to the package instructions and added a little cinnamon and stevia. I then put it into a ziploc container and let it sit in the refrigerator to take shape for about 30 minutes. When I was ready for the dinner, I put the soup on the stove to heat. I then cut my polenta into cubes and warmed them in the oven for 5-8 minutes at 350 degrees. Then I poured the soup in one of my little bowls and tossed in some of my cinnamon polenta croutons. It turned out delicious. The croutons soaked up the soup, and they were delicious chewy pillows full of sweet potato and cinnamon.

So what do you do if you have leftover cinnamon polenta. Well...make cinnamon polenta sticks. Warm them in the microwave for 30 seconds and top with peanut butter. YUM!!

P.B. Loco Giveaway and a New Read

Not only did I find an awesome giveaway. I also found a wonderful new blog to read. Kristie, a fellow Texan, is having a P.B. Loco giveaway. Can you imagine peanut butter mixed with chocolate chip cookie dough or chocolate and bananas? I have seen P.B. Loco in the stores, but have not yet purchased it. Maybe I will win a free jar here on Kristie's blog: http://kristleharrison.blogspot.com/2008/09/i-am-so-lovin-pb-loco.html. Check it out for yourself so you can read her awesome blog and have a chance to win some peanut butter goodness.