Parker, CO Pumpkin Recipe Ideas: 5 Ways To Eat Pumpkin

I was beginning to think pumpkins were just for carving scary faces into. It turns out these seasonal candle holders actually have a very healthy nutritional profile. They pack a whopping 200% of our RDA and Vitamin A and about 1/3^rd of our daily Vitamin C and almost ¼ of our fiber requirements. Oh and it is also only 40 calories per single serving. That is without anything else delicious added. Since it is the season for pumpkin here are a couple of really tasty pumpkin ideas for you to try out. Enoy!

1. Toasted Pumpkin Seeds
   Tease the seeds out of the pumpkin innards with your fingers and rinse them in a colander. Boil the seeds in a pot of well-salted water 1o minutes; drain, spread on baking sheet, toss with 1 tsp. olive oil and bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes or until the seeds are toasty brown.
2. Pumpkin Pasta Sauce
   In a large nonstick skillet, sauté several cloves of garlic and half an onion, diced. Add 1 1/2 to 2 cups pumpkin puree and stir to combine; add vegetable stock if needed to thin the sauce a bit. Add minced fresh sage or rosemary and serve over whole-wheat penne pasta.
3. Chef Meg’s Pumpkin Dip
   This recipe rides the line between sweet and savory; it’s as delicious on a whole-grain bagel for breakfast, or with carrot sticks for a beta carotene-packed afternoon snack
4. Pumpkin Cream Cheese Spread
   Add 1/2 cup canned pumpkin, 2 Tbsp. sugar (or sugar substitute to taste) and 1/2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice to 8 ounces of low-fat cream cheese.
5. Low-Fat Whole-Grain Pumpkin Pancakes
   Perfect for cooler months, this hearty breakfast recipe includes whole-wheat flour, lots of spice, canned pumpkin and skim milk. Whip up a batch of these pancakes for the weekend after Thanksgiving.