Guiltless Pumpkin Bisque

Another pumpkin recipe!

As halloween has come and gone and Thanksgiving is fast approaching, it's peak pumpkin time, and it, even in its canned form, may not be around much longer. So another pumpkin recipe is in order. STAT.

I thought of a recipe I used to make that I loved. It obviously has pumpkin, my number one food, and also has sweet potatoes, my number two food. I couldn't keep it to myself.

The recipe was initially called something else, a chili, perhaps, but when I requested it - I didn't remember it in its original form and wanted to get it right and get permission to post it - Melissa from http://www.ffactor.com/ gave the guiltless pumpkin bisque name.

Regardless of what it's called, it's hearty, healthy, and delicious.

Serves:8
Total Time: 1 hour
Ingredients:
  * 1 pound canned pumpkin (13-ounce can)
  * 4 cloves garlic, chopped
  * 2 tablespoons olive oil
  * 4 cups low sodium chicken or vegetable stock
  * 3 cups raw kale
  * 2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
  * 1 medium white onion, chopped
  * 2 large carrots, chopped
  * 1 large red pepper, chopped
  * 2 celery ribs, chopped
  * 3/4 cup fresh or frozen corn
  * 1 cup edamame
  * 1/2 teaspoon salt
  * 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

Cooking instructions:
 1. Pour the olive oil into a large saucepan and sauté the onion until
    tender.
 2. Add the chicken or vegetable stock, potatoes, kale, carrots, celery,
    pepper, edamame and corn. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and
    simmer for 25-30 minutes.
 3. Stir in the pumpkin, salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Cook 5-10 minutes longer.

Nutrition Content:
Per  serving  (1 1/4 cup): 675 mg potassium (17%
daily need), 29,480 IU vitamin A (590% daily need), 70 mg vitamin C (115%
daily need)

My changes - 15-oz can of pumpkin, no olive oil, add in: 1 1/2 c dark red kidney beans, 3 c bok choy, 1 c mushrooms, curry powder, ginger.

I am not doing a full review of the F-Factor diet, but will say a few things.

The F-Factor diet was started by Tanya Zuckerbrot, M.S., R.D., who has become a celebrity nutritionist, meaning she's often interviewed in articles or on TV. The idea behind the diet is fiber. Love the idea of increasing fiber intake, especially in a society filled with processed foods that are completely devoid of fiber. I see its place in a weight loss plan (not to mention  it has health benefits) and have certainly seen much worse diets.

I say that only because I don't believe in any diet, while still believing that all can help you lose weight. A quick foreshadowing to tomorrow's blog entry, a lot of weight loss diets are lacking in antioxidants and phytonutrients. I am not saying that is the case with the F-Factor diet, and its focus does seem to be almost as much on health as it is on weight loss. That's a big strength.

A big negative is that it is too low calorie, especially if we assume that a person starting the diet is overweight. I have skimmed through the book (I read all diet books. Anything food, nutrition, or fitness-oriented, I read and make mental notes of), and have seen the sample meal plan, with daily caloric intakes ranging from 900-1400 cals a day. Too low and totally unnecessary. There are certainly diets that are even lower (e.g., HCG), but I think I would otherwise respect this diet so much more.

Anyway, make the recipe. Yum yum yum.

randi morse, randi.morse@gmail.com, newton, ma