Pumpkin Whip

One of the cooking classes I taught last spring was how to incorporate more vegetables into one's diet. This recipe is a great example of how I hoped to turn a vegetable hater into a vegetable lover! You won't believe how jam-packed this simple dessert is with nutrition. One serving provides 148% of your daily requirement of Vitamin A, 110 mg of calcium, 8% vitamin D, 16% vitamin E, 2% vitamin C and almost 5% iron. It's a good source of beta carotene, low in carbs and, as if all of this isn't enough, it tastes like pumpkin pie and is delicious, especially on a cool autumn day. Your kids will love this soft, creamy pudding and never know they're eating vegetables. Take a few minutes to whip some up today. Your body will thank you tomorrow!

Pumpkin Whip
(Makes 6 servings)

15 oz. canned pumpkin (1¾ cups)
2 cups cold almond milk (skim or soy milk can be substituted)
½ teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons Splenda granular
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1 pkg. fat-free, sugar-free vanilla pudding mix

1. In a blender or using a wire whisk, blend the pumpkin, almond milk, vanilla, Splenda, and pumpkin pie spice until well combined. Add pudding mix and whisk for 2 minutes. Pour into individual serving dishes and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. Serve cold.

Nutritional Information per serving: 65.3 calories, 13.3 g carbohydrate, 1 g total fat, 0 g saturated fat, 250 mg sodium, 2.4 g fiber, 1 g protein.

Recipe by Kathy Sheehan, copyright 2010