Pumpkin is one of the most versatile vegetables. This seasonal squash can be used for decoration, as a substitute for eggs in baking and cooked in sweet and savory dishes. Halloween might be over but pumpkins are still in season.
Pumpkins are not only delicious, but healthy as well. Fall wouldn’t be complete without incorporating this healthy vegetable into dinners and desserts. They are loaded with vitamin A, potassium and fiber and are also very low in calories. The easiest way to cook with pumpkin is with already cooked and canned pumpkin. Try any one of these delicious recipes:
Two Ingredient Pumpkin Spice Cookies (Peanut Butter Fingers)
This is a simple recipe: there are only two ingredients! This recipe is perfect if you’re craving a sweet treat, but don’t want to put much effort into baking.
- 1 can pumpkin
- 1 box Spice Cake mix
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Mix the two ingredients together until combined. Place spoonfuls of the dough on a greased cookie sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until cookies feel slightly firm to the touch.
Pumpkin Soup with Apple & Spices (Brown Eyed Baker)
This recipe is a bit more difficult and has a lot more ingredients. This soup is the ultimate comfort food. Try this on a chilly Saturday.
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 small onion, diced
- 2 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and diced
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 6 cups vegetable stock
- 2/3 cups natural (no sugar added) applesauce
- ½ teaspoon ground white pepper
- ½ teaspoon ground sage
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 2 (15-ounce) cans pumpkin
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- ½ cup cream
Heat a Dutch oven or large soup pot over medium heat. Add the olive oil and heat until it shimmers. Add the diced onion, apples and salt. Sauté until onions are translucent (about seven minutes). Add the vegetable stock, applesauce, white pepper, sage, thyme and nutmeg. Bring to a boil and cook until apples are very tender (about five more minutes).
Add the pumpkin and brown sugar and cook for 10 to 15 minutes over medium heat. Use an immersion blender to blend soup until it’s smooth (you can also use a blender to blend the soup in batches). Add the cream to the soup and heat through over very low heat. Add more cream or water, if desired. Remove from heat and serve. Garnish with sliced pumpkin seeds or dried apple slices.
Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookie Pie (How Sweet It Is)
To say that I saved the best for last would be an understatement. Instead of baking pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving, bake this pumpkin chocolate chip cookie pie. This pie is definitely worth making for your friends and family.
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
- 1 cup butter, melted and cooled to room temperature
- 1/3 cup pureed pumpkin
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- 1 cup chocolate chips
- 1 9-inch, unbaked pie shell
Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat eggs until foamy. Beat in flour, sugar and brown sugar until well blended. Add in vanilla extract, pumpkin and pumpkin pie spice and mix until combined. Blend in melted butter. Toss chocolate chips with a sprinkling of flour and fold into batter. Pour into an unbaked 9-inch pie shell. Bake for 55 minutes, or until center is no longer jiggly.
Sources:
http://www.nutrition-and-you.com/pumpkin.html
Two Ingredient Pumpkin Spice Cookies (photo): Peanut Butter Fingers, http://www.pbfingers.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/pumpkinspicecookies034.jpg
Pumpkin Soup with Apple and Spices (photo): Brown Eyed Baker, http://www.browneyedbaker.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/pumpkin-soup-1-550.jpg
Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookie Pie (photo): How Sweet It Is, http://www.howsweeteats.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/pccpie-3.jpg