Pumpkin & dark chocolate

I am not a chocolate fan.

Yes, I know that is weird, and whenever I say: "I don't like chocolate." I get very strange looks.

:)

A few days ago, I asked on Facebook for people's favorite pumpkin recipe.  This morning I woke up, and my first thought was "Pumpkin chocolate chip cookies"! Yes, it is a strange world (and I wonder what I was doing n my dream??).

So, as you can see, every blue moon I will get a craving that must be satisfied. And it has to be dark chocolate.

Thankfully, my house is always stocked with important essentials such as pumpkin & chocolate chips :). 

Here you go (original recipe from Food Network) :Yes, my cookies are always BIG :).

Ingredients

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1/2  cup white sugar
12  cup light brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup canned pumpkin puree
3 cups  spelt flour (all-purpose flour is fine!)
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 heaping tsp pumpkin pie spice
1 cups (12-ounce bag) dark chocolate chips ( I use less than the recipe because they are dark, and I don't like them oozing all over the cookie)
Nonstick cooking spray or parchment paper

Directions

Heat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray cookie sheets with nonstick spray or line them with parchment paper.

Using a mixer, beat the butter until smooth. Beat in the white and brown sugars, a little at a time, until the mixture is light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs 1 at a time, then mix in the vanilla and pumpkin puree. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, spices. Slowly beat the flour mixture into the batter in thirds. Stir in the chips. Scoop the cookie dough by heaping tablespoons onto the prepared cookie sheets and bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the cookies are browned around the edges. Remove the cookie sheets from the oven and let them rest for 2 minutes. Take the cookies off with a spatula and cool them on wire racks.

Pair this with a fantastic "healthy" version of a Pumpkin Latte (recipe can be found here). BTW, I am a simple girl and just heated the milk, added the pumpkin & spice and very strong coffee. No blending, because I hate doing dishes :)....Voila!

Pumpkin Chia Seed Pudding

One day at the health food store, a package of Chia seeds came my way. I only knew Chia Pets :). The package promised this Aztec superfood would give me lotsa' Omegas, so of course I bought the big pack.

I went home and soaked my seeds in water, like the directions said.

Ew.

What came out was gelatinous mass, that looked like snot with seeds in it. 

Every once in a while, I would some in muffins or salad dressing, it did not float my boat.

That is, until I found THIS recipe! Here is the original that I found at www.greatist.com:

1/4 cup chia seeds
1 cup almond (or skim) milk (I used coconut milk)
1/4 cup canned pumpkin
1 tablespoon agave syrup (I used maple syrup)
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1 pinch nutmeg

What to Do:

1. Combine all ingredients in a bowl. (I put all ingredients in a pint sized Mason Jar. Perfect)
2. Cover and refrigerate for at least 3 hours, or up to overnight (or even a few days!)
3. Scoop it, garnish, and enjoy!

My son is my brave tester, and we decided with like it! BUT, we had the tweak it a bit, so here is our version, and we are sticking with it.

1/4 cup chia seeds
1 cup raw or organic whole milk
1/4 cup canned pumpkin
2 tablespoons raw honey
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1 swig vanilla (or bourbon vanilla, if you have some stored on you shelf like MEEEEEEE! It is    fabulous after 6 months of steeping :).) We also tried Hazelnut Extract, yummy!

Same process as above, overnight makes it nice, thick, and a little bubbly smooth.
You will be addicted, and it is healthy as can be (chia seeds are an amazing source of Omega 3, fiber & proteins).
Enjoy that pumpkin, baby!