Pumpkin blondies and weeknight pumpkin curry

Two brand new recipes for you!

Hi, how’s your week going? If it’s anything like mine, your brain is two days ahead but everything else is at least three days behind. So naturally, Wednesday snuck up on me but I’m so excited to share a couple of NEW recipes with you (developed 100% for you!). 

First, a few quick and noteworthy highlights of the past week:

• Watching the Taylor Swift Eras Tour movie with friends (gah, she’s so talented!).

• Third trimester pregnancy insomnia has subsided and I’m actually sleeping (for now).

• I made this Keto Shepherd’s Pie over the weekend and was reminded of how much I love it.

• I’ve been baking batches of low-carb biscotti, creating versions dipped in dark chocolate and dusted with almonds or pistachios. That recipe will be published today on the site so keep an eye out…

• It finally feels like fall in Arizona and we’ve said goodbye to 100-degree temperatures.

• We had pumpkin curry two nights in a row and it was saucy and delicious and full of flavor.

If you follow me on Instagram, I shared a sneak peak of that curry recipe and mentioned it’s only going out to Substack subscribers (that’s you!). It’s not on the blog and I don’t plan to share it there, as I want to make this a separate resource for you that feels special on its own. 

Weeknight Pumpkin Curry 

This pumpkin curry. It is thick and rich, equally sweet and savory, and reminds me of a lighter version of one of my favorite dishes: Thai panang curry. 

If you’re alarmed by the thought of canned pumpkin as the base of a curry sauce, I have to mention that the pumpkin is the perfect ingredient for thickening the sauce, adding a natural sweetness, and not overpowering the other ingredients.

Coconut milk also gives it a sweet flavor but but we’re taking it one step further with some monk fruit sweetener in the sauce. You can easily swap out the monk fruit sweetener for your own sweetener of choice, which is one of the great things about this recipe. 

The other great thing? It’s a weeknight curry recipe that you can pull together quickly. Onion and bell pepper are the only veggies you’ll really need to chop, and you can use shortcuts for the rest. Fresh, minced garlic and ginger are of course, always ideal, but there are easy workarounds that you just sometimes have to take in order to get to soccer practice on time. Jarred minced garlic. Ginger paste or ground ginger. Don’t stress it- you’ll still get great results.

For a curry, the ingredient list is fairly short. I hope you feel the same. I really tried to whittle it down as much as possible. I usually prefer chicken thighs over chicken breasts for a dish like this, since thighs are more tender and flavorful, but again, use what you have/what you like! I served this with sautéed, riced cauliflower and it easily makes 4-6 servings. 

A quick note about the heat level: this is a mild-medium spicy curry so if you plan to serve it to kids, you have a couple of options. You can reduce the amount of red curry paste by half or add more coconut milk to mellow out the spiciness. Keep in mind that the heat level will also vary slightly based on the brand of red curry paste you use. My nine-year-old, who has been obsessively adding jalapeños to all his favorite foods the last few months, claimed the curry was way too spicy for him. I will say that I had been extra generous with the amount of red curry paste and probably used about 3 tablespoons total. So adjust accordingly. 

I’m sharing the full recipe below. If you’re looking for more savory pumpkin recipes, try this Crockpot Pumpkin Chili or my Keto Pumpkin Soup with Carrot and Ginger.

Low-carb Pumpkin Chicken Curry

• 2 tablespoons coconut oil

• 1 onion, diced

• 1 red or yellow bell pepper, diced

• 2 tablespoons red curry paste

• 1-inch nub of fresh ginger, grated (or 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger)

• 1 tablespoon minced garlic

• 14 oz. Canned pumpkin puree

• 14 oz. Canned, full-fat coconut milk 

• 1 teaspoon fish sauce (optional)

• 1-1/2 pounds boneless/skinless chicken thighs or breasts, cut into 1-inch cubes

• 3-4 tablespoons monk fruit sweetener

• 1/2-1 teaspoon salt

• 2 cups baby spinach

• for serving: fresh lime wedges, crushed peanuts, cilantro or Thai basil (optional)

Instructions:

1. In a large, deep skillet set over medium heat, add the coconut oil. When it glistens, add the diced onion and bell pepper. Cook for 5-6 minutes or until softened. Stir occasionally.

2. Stir in the curry paste, garlic and ginger and cook for 1 minute.

3. Add the pumpkin, coconut milk and fish sauce (if using). Mix well to combine. Bring the mixture to a gentle simmer over medium heat.

4. Add the chicken to the sauce. Cover the pan partially with a lid and simmer over medium heat for 8-10 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through (stir occasionally).

5. Stir in 2-3 tablespoons of monk fruit sweetener, taste the sauce, and increase sweetener as needed. Add salt to taste. 

6. Remove from heat and stir in the spinach to let it wilt. Serve with fresh lime wedges, cilantro, crushed peanuts or Thai basil, if desired. Enjoy!

Notes:

You can easily add more vegetables to this dish, like broccoli or cauliflower florets or chopped zucchini. Add it with the chicken so it has enough time to cook and become tender. 

For a nutty flavor, stir in 1-2 tablespoons of all-natural peanut butter when you add the pumpkin and coconut milk.

Keto Pumpkin Spice Blondies 

A second new recipe for you! Pumpkin spice blondies very much resemble a mix of brownies, my keto blondies and these pumpkin chocolate chip cookies.

They’re extra moist and tender, with a strong pumpkin spice flavor. If you’re all about pumpkin bread and pumpkin pie this time of year, you’ll love this one-bowl recipe and it’s incredibly easy to make. 

A few quick notes: 

• the batter is somewhat thick and I recommend using a hand mixer or stand mixer

• make sure your ingredients are at room temperature otherwise the melted coconut oil can re-solidify 

• for the best texture, make sure the blondies cool completely (if you can wait that long before cutting into them)

• the pumpkin spice flavor is even stronger on day two!

Keto Pumpkin Blondies

• 1/4 cup melted coconut oil

• 1/3 cup all-natural almond butter

• 3/4 cup granulated golden monk fruit sweetener like Lakanto (Amazon affiliate link)

• 3/4 cup canned pumpkin puree

• 1 egg (at room temperature)

• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

• 1-1/2 cups blanched almond flour

• 1/4 cup coconut flour

• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

• 2 teaspoons pumpkin spice blend

• 1/4 teaspoon salt

• 1/2 cup keto-friendly chocolate chips

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a 8x8 baking dish with parchment paper. 

2. Mix together the coconut oil, almond butter and monk fruit sweetener in a large mixing bowl. Add the pumpkin, egg and vanilla. 

3. Add the almond flour, coconut flour, baking soda, cinnamon, pumpkin spice and salt. Mix well- the batter will be thick. Fold in the chocolate chips. 

4. Transfer the batter to the baking dish. Use a spoon or offset spatula to spread the batter evenly into the pan.

5. Bake for 23-25 minutes. Let cool in pan completely before slicing/serving. 

About the sweetener: for a keto pumpkin blondie, it’s important to use a granulated monk fruit sweetener or similar type of sweetener that is a 1:1 substitute for sugar. If you’re simply looking for a healthy-ish, grain-free and gluten-free dessert, you can easily swap in coconut sugar or regular sugar.

Happy baking! If you try these out, let me know what you think.

I hope you have a great rest of the week!

Abby