Valentine’s Day calls for a little chocolate 😀 And while I’m not a huge fan of Valentine’s Day, I DO love a day dedicated to chocolate (is Valentine’s Day dedicated to chocolate??? I’ll pretend it is…). And pumpkin. I love pumpkin. Now, chocolate and pumpkin may not seem like a match made in heaven, but I promise they are! And I love a good snack that will surprise and delight. This is one of those dishes that leaves you wondering, is it breakfast, is it dessert or is it an afternoon snack? Who knows! And you can eat it for all 3. These are my pumpkin chocolate squares, guaranteed to surprise and delight.
You know, pumpkin is a sneaky little fellow. I know we usually think of it in its dessert form like pumpkin pie, but it’s a great way to add moisture, richness and body to a dish. I’ve got some more pumpkin recipes in my arsenal I’ll share later. I got creative with pumpkin recipes when little man was really little. He really loved (still does) pumpkin and I needed to figure out what to do with my pumpkin surplus before it went bad in the fridge. So, standby for more pumpkin recipes!
And I’m fully aware that there is technically a “season” for pumpkin, but how important is it really??? Why can’t we have pumpkin all year! The canned or boxed stuff is just as good as the real thing (not to mention much easier and less mess than dealing with cooking a pumpkin yourself), so my philosophy is, any day is a good day for pumpkin.
And chocolate.
Can I talk a little about the nutritional goodness of pumpkin? Not only are these a great source of Vitamin A, but they are full of Vitamin C, Vitamin K potassium, antioxidants and fiber. And these pumpkin chocolate squares themselves are a GREAT source of fiber. Between the pumpkin, oats and flaxseed you’ll get a whopping ___ grams for one square.
So what’s the big deal about fiber? Here’s just a few things fiber does.
- Fills you up
- Keeps your digestive track functioning at its best
- Keeps you regular
- Helps with the body’s cleansing process of the body getting rid of gunk, keeping your skin and organs clean
- Slows down glucose absorption in the bloodstream and prevents blood sugar levels more stable and from becoming elevated
The majority of American’s don’t get even close to the recommended amount of fiber. Which is just one of the many reasons Americans are all so sick. And constipated. Americans spend over $700 million a year on laxatives. Yes LAXATIVES. A report in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute suggested that if we were to increase our daily fiber intake by just 13 grams, the risk of colon cancer would decrease by 31%. And I know a lot of people turn to a fiber supplement like Metamucil, but why not just EAT MORE FIBER? Like from real food. Aim to get 40 grams a day and watch what happens.
End of rant.
But for real, eat more fiber. It will change your body. Consider it a new part of your beauty regimen!
Back to the recipe. Here is what you’ll need:
- ground flax seeds
- pumpkin puree
- coconut oil
- coconut sugar
- maple syrup
- pure vanilla
- oats (these are gluten free, but use regular if you want!)
- cocoa powder
- baking powder
- baking soda
- sea salt
And like any good recipe I post here on this blog, this one is so easy!! Dump it all in one bowl, ya’ll. And since it is dedicated to a holiday dedicated to chocolate, I give you all the permission you need to toss in chocolate chips, chocolate chunks or whatever other CHOCOLATE ingredients you want to dump in to make them even chocolate-ier!
Enjoy!