Healthier Eating Through the Holidays with a Pear-Pumpkin Crisp

 



I was really excited to learn about the holiday blog event, A Gluten-free Holiday hosted by Simply Sugar and Gluten-free.  Every Thursday in November and December, bloggers will be contributing their tips and recipes to make the holidays satisfying on lots of levels!

This week, the theme is Healthier Through the Holidays.  I love that they started the event with a thought-provoking theme.  What does "healthier" mean to me in the context of the holidays?  After pondering this idea for a while, I think it means looking at the overall nutrition needs of my family during a period that is quite honestly overly full of treats and extras.

How can I do that?

For one, I can boost up the nutrition of other meals and snacks that we are eating.  We will eat lots of vegetable and bean-rich soups and stews during this time.  Smoothies with kale will become standard breakfast offerings.  By ensuring that we have a wide range of fruits, veggies, whole grains, legumes and seeds, I can feel a little more comfortable when I see my kids having an occasional meal of chips and cookies during a chaotic family party.  (I know that's not ideal, but it's our reality sometimes!)

Another thing that I can do is to take those holiday flavors that really highlight the season and make healthier twists with them.  This crisp is an example of that.  I created this Pear-Pumpkin Crisp a while ago, but it shows exactly what I'm talking about.  Fruit and pumpkin combine with oats to create a dessert-worthy dish that I can even serve as a brunch offering.  If you serve it with a dollop of vanilla-flavored coconut yogurt, it's even better!

Stop by A Gluten-free Holiday to see more tips and recipes and to enter to win a copy of Amy Green's sensational book, Simply Sugar and Gluten-free.

Pear-Pumpkin Crisp
9 servings

Ingredients:
1 cup canned pumpkin
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon allspice
6 pears, peeled and thinly sliced (I used Bartlett.)
1 1/2 cups quick-cooking oats
3/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup maple syrup
canola oil to lightly oil pan

Preparation:
Preheat oven to 400.
Lightly oil a large baking pan (9x13 or lasagna pan).
In a large bowl, combine pumpkin with cinnamon and allspice.
Add pear slices and stir to toss pears with pumpkin mixture.
Spread into prepared pan.
In a small bowl, combine oats with salt.
Add maple syrup, and stir to combine.
Spread on top of fruit mixture.
Bake 35 minutes, or until lightly golden and crispy on top.

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Happy Cooking (and Happy Holidays)!
Kim