Fall's Super Food: Pumpkin

It's that time of year again, fall. Time for warmer clothes, hot apple cider and pumpkin treats!!  Luckily pumpkin is a food that offers numerous health benefits so treating ourselves to pumpkin shouldn't make us feel too guilty, right?  Well I guess we will have to keep our pumpkin martinis and pumpkin spiced lattes to a minimum unless we can modify them to contain less sugar because that is typically the waist-killer to some delicious pumpkin recipes.

One of my favorite recipes to make is my pumpkin bread. I make it every fall and share it with friends and family. I am constantly revamping the recipe to make it more delicious and nutritious.  This year I will have to find a way to make it vegan. Check out the recipe under my Recipe Favorites Tab for the Whole Grain Heart Healthy Pumpkin Bread.

Pumpkins come from the squash family.  They are an excellent source of beta-carotene which has been shown to fight certain cancers. Pumpkin is also loaded with vitamin A and fiber and is low in calories. Vitamin A supports healthy teeth, skin and eyes and fiber supports a healthy GI tract and weight maintenance. If you plan on buying some pumpkins this fall, be sure to save the seeds.  Pumpkin seeds are super nutritious. They are full of manganese, tryptophan, magnesium, phosphorus, copper, protein, zinc and iron and a variety of forms of vitamin E. Enjoy pumpkin seeds by adding them to sauteed vegetables, sprinkle on salads, grind with fresh garlic, parsley and cilantro then mix with olive oil and lemon juice for a tasty salad dressing, add chopped pumpkin seeds to your favorite hot or cold cereal or cookie or granola recipes.

1/2 cup mashed, cooked pumpkin provides

24 calories, 0 g fat, 6 g carbohydrates, 1 g protein, 1 g fiber, 1 mg sodium

6,115 IU Vitamin A, 1 mg niacin, 6 mg vitamin C, 18 mg calcium, 282 mg potassium, and 6,012 mcg carotenoids

Try some of these tasty pumpkin recipes this fall

Pumpkin Protein Frosting

Ingredients

3 tbsp pumpkin (canned pumpkin)   
1 scoop of protein powder
1 tbsp of almond butter
Dash of cinnamon

Directions
Mix all ingredients together in a bowl, and spread on a pita, waffles, (or it's perfect for dipping apples into)!
Add granola on top for an extra crunch!


Pumpkin Ravioli


INGREDIENTS
For 6 Servings
1 cup canned pumpkin
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
6 wonton wrappers
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter
Chopped parsley

INSTRUCTIONS
Combine pumpkin, Parmesan, ¼ teaspoon salt, and black pepper. Spoon about 2 teaspoons pumpkin mixture into center of each wonton wrapper. Moisten edges of dough with water; bring 2 opposite sides together to form a triangle, pinching edges to seal. Place ravioli into a large saucepan of boiling water with 1 teaspoon salt; cook 7 minutes and drain in a colander. Place chicken broth and butter in pan; bring to a boil. Add ravioli, tossing to coat. Sprinkle with parsley. Yield: 6 servings (serving size: 4 ravioli)

NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION
CALORIES 162g; FAT 5g (satfat 4g, monofat 1g, polyfat 0g); PROTEIN 6g; FIBER 2g; CHOLESTEROL 17mg; IRON 2mg; SODIUM 505mg; CALCIUM 102mg.


Pumpkin Soup

INGREDIENTS
For 6 Servings
1 tablespoon butter
1 cup chopped onion
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon curry powder
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 cup peeled and cubed (1/2-inch) sweet potato
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 14 1/2-ounce cans fat-free, low-sodium vegetable broth  
1 15-ounce can pumpkin
1 cup 1% low-fat milk
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS
1. Melt butter in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onion; sauté 3 minutes. Stir in flour, curry powder, cumin, nutmeg, and garlic; sauté 1 minute. Add sweet potato, salt, broth, and pumpkin; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, partially covered, 20 minutes or until potato is tender, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat; cool 10 minutes.
2. Place half of pumpkin mixture in a blender or food processor; process until smooth. Pour pureed soup into a large bowl. Repeat procedure with remaining pumpkin mixture. Return soup to pan; stir in milk. Cook over medium heat 6 minutes or until thoroughly heated, stirring often. (Do not boil.) Remove from heat; stir in juice. Garnish with chives, if desired. Yield: 6 servings (serving size: 1 cup).

NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION
CALORIES 121 (21% from fat); FAT 2.8g (satfat 1.6g, monofat 0.7g, polyfat 0.2g); PROTEIN 5.1g; CARBOHYDRATES 19.7g; FIBER 3.5g; CHOLESTEROL 7mg; IRON 1.5mg; SODIUM 565mg; CALCIUM 85mg.


Pumpkin Spice Latte (Vegan, Gluten Free)

1. Make coffee (a pot, a cup, in whatever fashion and however you prefer making your coffee. The stronger the better)

2. Make Pumpkin Milk:
1 c milk (almond milk or any kind you want from half and half to rice milk)
1/4 heaping cup pumpkin puree (more if you really love pumpkin)
2 tsp pumpkin pie spice blend, or to taste
1 tsp cinnamon, or to taste
1 tsp vanilla extract
sweetener of choice, to taste (2 tbsp agave or 2 tbsp brown sugar or a pinch of stevia to taste; or try honey, maple syrup, etc. to taste)

Optional: pinch of ground nutmeg, ginger, garam masala, cardamom, or other warming spices to taste

Directions: Combine all ingredients in a small bowl and whisk well by hand or blend all ingredients using a Vita or blender
Optional: Warm the finished pumpkin milk mixture in the microwave (one minute) or on the stovetop

3. Pour 1 c of brewed coffee into a mug and pour half the pumpkin milk mixture over the top of the coffee and enjoy. (Optional: Finish by garnishing with real whipped cream/whipped topping such as CoolWhip or TruWhip; and a sprinkle of pumpkin pie spice/cinnamon on top)

The other half of the pumpkin milk mixture is for the refill you know you will want. If you truly don’t want a refill, refrigerate it for up to a few days and use for your next latte, in a smoothie, or drink it as is. As long as you’re dirtying dishes, I always make a little extra for refills or for later.
Notes:
The spices will not “blend” or entirely dissolve. This is to be expected and normal. If this bothers you, this may not the recipe for you and you may want to experiment with other recipes or techniques.

All spices and seasonings are to taste; in this case, mine. If you want to reduce the spices (or increase them), obviously adjust everything according to your own taste preferences.



For more great pumpkin recipes and ideas, visit this website:
http://www.skinnytaste.com/2007/07/skinny-pumpkin-madness.html