It’s that time of year when pumpkins decorate porches and lawns, pumpkin latte is the favorite drink at the local coffee shop, and all the great Halloween cartoon movies are playing on repeat. This recipe is a nod to one of those classic movies – It’s The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown. When you’re feeling in the mood for something sweet, yet nutritionally satisfying, you can whip up a batch of this pudding and sit down for a little nostalgic tube time.

We’re shaking things up with this recipe though…and instead of actually using pumpkin as the main ingredient – we’re using Butternut Squash! (If you’re a die-hard pumpkin fan though, you can definitely substitute it in for the squash.)

Why Butternut Squash?

Butternut Squash is loaded with health benefits!

Just one cup of butternut squash offers :

• Almost 500 mg of potassium – excellent for blood pressure
• Almost 7 grams of fiber – fantastic for your digestive system and healthy weight maintenance
• Over 350% of the Daily Recommended Allowance (RDA) of vitamin A – healthy eyesight support
• 17% of the RDA for manganese – bone density support
• Almost 50% of the RDA for vitamin C – skin health and immune system health
• Plenty of antioxidants – cellular health and longevity

“The Great Pumpkin” Pudding

Ingredients:

2 cups Raw Butternut Squash (or Acorn Squash), diced into small cubes

1 ½ cups Organic Raw Cashews, soaked in water to soften, and drained

1 cup Unsweetened Coconut Milk (or Milk of choice)

1/2 cup Organic Raw Honey

1/8 cup Cane Juice Crystals (optional)

1 TBPS Pumpkin Pie Spice

1 dropperful Jing Soda Vanilla Cream

1/8 tsp Organic Raw Turmeric Powder

1/8 tsp Himalayan Salt

1/2 cup Organic Chocolate Covered Coffee Beans

1 scoop Vegan Protein Drink Mix Vanilla Cream (optional)

Directions:

Place raw squash cubes, cashews, coconut milk, and sweetener in a high-speed blender and blend until creamy. Taste test ~ if it’s sweet enough for you, skip the cane juice crystals. Add cane juice crystals (if you wish) and spices and continue blending until incorporated and smooth. Spoon into parfait dishes and top with chocolate covered coffee beans. Enjoy!