Pumpkin, the perfect fall decoration, has so much more to offer than just sitting around as a jack-o-lantern. Pumpkin recipes abound! Look for the smaller, medium-sized sugar pumpkins for baking and the largest pumpkins for carving and decorating.
Pumpkin is a versatile and nutritious fruit but In today's world is used mostly in seasonal dishes and desserts.
Pumpkins are Healthy for You
Pumpkin seeds are high in protein, iron, magnesium, phosphorous, copper, zinc, Vitamins A & C, and also high in essential fatty acids (EFAs) which help maintain the health of blood vessels and nerves, as well as reduce the levels of cholesterol. Pumpkin is a good source of minerals and fiber.
How to Roast Pumpkin Seeds:
Here are two roasted pumpkin seed recipes; one savory and one sweet. Enjoy both!
For Savory Pumpkin Seeds, Follow this Recipe:
- Empty the seeds from one pumpkin (remove all stringy pulp)
- Wash the seeds and dry them on paper towels
- Spray cookie sheet with olive oil spray or butter spray
- Lay out seeds on sheet, drizzle olive oil, (2 Tbsp) and sprinkle sea salt (lightly) over all
- Bake at 350° for 20 minutes or until lightly browned
For Sweet Pumpkin Seeds, Follow this Recipe:
- Empty seeds from one pumpkin (remove all stringy pulp)
- Wash the seeds and dry them on paper towels
- Spray cookie sheet with olive oil spray or butter spray
- In resealable baggie, place 4 Tbsp melted butter with 4 Tbsp Brown sugar, 1 tsp Cinnamon
- Shake seeds in baggie till coated well, lay out in single layer on cookie sheet
- Bake at 350° for 20 minutes or until lightly browned
After seeds have cooled, place in small bags for lunch bags, snacks, or for trips in the car.
Autumn's Perfect Bread: Pumpkin & Cranberry
*makes a perfect holiday gift in a tin
Ingredients:
- 2 lightly beaten eggs
- 2 cups sugar
- 1/2 cup oil
- 1 cup pumpkin puree (canned or fresh)
- 2 1/4 cups flour
- 1 Tbsp pumpkin pie spice
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 cup chopped cranberries (canned or dried)
Directions:
- Combine eggs, sugar, oil, pumpkin: mix well
- Combine flour, pie spice, soda and salt in bowl. Make a well in center and pour pumpkin mixture into well. Stir until dry ingredients are moistened. Add cranberries
- Spoon batter into two greased and floured aluminum loaf pans
- Bake in 350° preheated oven for 1 hour. Two loaves are better than one!
Pumpkin - Yogurt Pudding
Ingredients:
- 2 cups vanilla yogurt
- 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
- 1 cup pumpkin puree (fresh or canned)
- whipped cream topping (optional)
- cinnamon for sprinkling (optional)
Directions:
- Combine yogurt, pumpkin puree, and pumpkin pie spice in bowl; mix well
- spoon into 4 dessert dishes
- refrigerate for 15 minutes or till ready to serve
- spray whipped topping and sprinkle cinnamon on top
Easy Pumpkin Flan
Ingredients:
- 1 box Jello Flan mix (3 oz)
- 1 cup pumpkin pie mix
- 1 cup milk (low fat)
- 4 custard cups or ramekins
Directions:
- Place 6-oz custard cups or ramekins on a tray
- Follow directions on back of flan box but substitute 1 can pumpkin pie mix for one of the cups of milk. (Freeze remaining pumpkin)
- Chill!
Helpful Tips:
- fresh pumpkin puree can last three days in the refrigerator or frozen up to 6 months.
- one med sized sugar pumpkin yields around 4 lbs of mashed pumpkin.
- Use the fresh puree for all recipes that call for canned pumpkin.
For more recipes using pumpkin, you may also enjoy the following: It's Pumpkin Time Again, Nourishing Soups from Broccoli to Pumpkin.
Vicki F. Chavis - Growing up in Asia, Europe and North America left Vicki with a love of cuisine, history, language, fashion and travel. Today she writes on ...
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