Hungry Girl Recipe Review - Sassy Salsa Pumpkin Soup

Ingredients: 

4 cups Fat-Free Broth (Chicken or Vegetable)
(1) 15 oz can pure pumpkin
(1) 15 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup canned sweet corn kernels
3/4 cup salsa
1 Tbsp minced garlic
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp ground cumin
Optional Toppings: shredded, low-fat cheddar cheese, fat-free sour cream, chopped scallions

Directions: 

Spray medium pot with non-stick spray and bring to medium heat on the stove. Place garlic in the pot. Stir & cook for 1 minutes. Add broth and spices, and bring to a simmer.

Add pumpkin and mix well. Add the remaining ingredients, stir, and bring soup to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes.

Makes 4 Servings

Per Serving (1 cup): 177 calories, 1g fat, 991mg sodium, 35 carbs, 8.5g fiber, 8g sugar, 9g protein


My Thoughts: 

This recipe seems really strange- like a mish mash of weirdness and you wouldn't think that pumpkin would go with salsa in a soup. I actually saw this displayed on the TV show "The Doctors". It looked interesting to say the least.

I decided to try it out!

Hungry Girl's pumpkin recipes do not sit well in my books thus far... well, this one has redeemed HG and Pumpkin! This soup is actually quite tasty! I am impressed. It is also very filling with all the fiber. One cup is plenty since it is so thick. I have been eating this with a sandwich or a side of veggies. It is perfectly filling for lunches. You can't even taste the pumpkin.

If I could change one thing, I may put less salsa in next time. I used Hot salsa, so I may try a more mild one in hopes that would tone down the dip-like taste.

I will definitely be making this one again!

Rating:

/ 5

Hungry Girl Recipe Review - Yum Yum Brownie Muffins

Ingredients:
15 oz. Canned Pure Pumpkin
1 box Devil's Food Cake Mix

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400F

Mix the 2 ingredients together. Don't add anything else. The mixture will be thick.

Place batter into a 12-cup muffin pan lined with baking cups.

Bake for 20 minutes. Makes 12 muffins.

Per Serving: 181 Calories, 3.5g Fat, 357mg Sodium, 37g Carbs, 2g Fiber, 20g Sugar, 2g Protein

My Thoughts:

I was drawn to this recipe because it was only 2 ingredients. I thought, "wow, how simple". I've tried recipes before where eggs or oil are swapped out for other low-cal ingredients like applesauce. Those recipes turned out great and you would never know that they are low-cal.

I saw Hungry Girl make these on her television show and she seemed to enjoy them. Quick, easy, yummy?

Think again...

"Yum Yum"? I'm confused. These are some of the worst muffins I have ever eaten. They are very dense and artificial tasting. They also leave a bad aftertaste in your mouth. I thought the pumpkin would lend an interesting flavour to the treat, but instead it has totally turned me off any swaps that include pumpkin.

Since the recipe is so thick and dense, the muffins do not settle and puff up like actual muffins. They stay in whatever shape they happen to be in when you plop them into the pan.

My advice to you is to skip this recipe. It is a loser in my books. However, I did find a use for it that wasn't awful.

I made banana soft-serve, sprinkled on some ground "Yum Yum" with a drizzle of caramel. Not terrible. The banana masks the flavour of the muffin.

Rating:

out of 5