I am getting into full fall mode (lovingly referred to as “basic” by my bros), with pumpkin spice candles littered throughout the house and constant brainstorming on more ways to infiltrate pumpkin into new dishes in the kitchen. Today’s pumpkin invention is this combination of baked pumpkin with nut butter and spices. I used cashew butter because it is used a lot in vegan and raw baking as the base of icing because it has a natural sweetness and a velvety decadence from its concentration of (healthy, mostly unsaturated) fats. This spread goes well stuffed in apples, pears or dates, on a spoon with some raisins, mixed into smoothies, oatmeal or yogurt or on muffins or toast. 
When it comes to using pumpkin, cans of already cooked and puréed are the fastest but for a home cooked version sugar pumpkins are pretty easy to work with. They are smallish, around 1 to 1 1/2 feet in diameter and have sweet, silky flesh. Leftovers can be kept in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week or frozen for a few months and used in smoothies, baking, chilis, soups and stews.
Start by cutting the pumpkin in half then scoop out all the seeds.
Slice each half in half and then in half again until there are 8 smaller pieces. Lay them out on a parchment paper lined baking sheet and roast for 30 minutes at 400°, flipping halfway through.
They are ready once the flesh is cooked all the way through, soft enough to easily insert a fork in.
Set aside for a couple minutes, until the pumpkin is cool enough to touch. Spoon the flesh away from the skin, place it all in a bowl and mash it together, discarding the skins.
- ½ cup nut butter (I used cashew but almond or hazelnut would work well)
- ½ cup puréed cooked pumpkin (if using canned go for straight pumpkin, not pumpkin pie filling)
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ginger
- ⅛ teaspoon allspice
- ⅛ teaspoon nutmeg
- ⅛ teaspoon cloves
- *If you have pumpkin pie spice 1 tablespoon of that can be subbed for all the individual spices*
- Blend all the ingredients together in a food processor or blender until smooth. Store in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to one week.
Different nut butters have different levels of nutrients but they are all good sources of healthy fats and several minerals.
Combining nut butter with fresh or dried fruit makes for an easy snack with carbs, protein and fats- all the macronutrients along with several vitamins and minerals. They are a good, healthy, easy to digest option for afternoon energy lulls or pre- or post-workout fuel ups.
