The Veggie Table: Pumpkin’s Possibilities
As seasons change, so do the menus. Sure, it’s sad to pack up the grill and say “arrivederci” to dining al fresco, but there is something exciting about the first crisp autumn days and the chance to make warm, comforting foods again. If you’re anything like me, fall foods are synonymous with pumpkin, but that doesn’t only mean pumpkin pie. Full of vitamin A and fiber, pumpkin works well with breakfast, in a smoothie and other non-pie sweets.
Here are some of my favorite pumpkin recipes.
Overnight Pumpkin Oatmeal
Have this first thing, and you’ll tackle a third of your daily fiber need. No need to stand over a hot stove either — prep them overnight and pop them in the microwave the next morning for a quick fix.
Serves: 1
1/2 cup dry old fashioned oats
1/2 cup vanilla soymilk
1/2 cup canned pumpkin
2 teaspoon maple syrup
1/8 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice (or cinnamon and nutmeg)
Combine oats, soymilk, pumpkin, maple syrup and pumpkin pie spice in a container and refrigerate overnight. Place the mix in a microwave-safe bowl and heat for about 2 minutes.
Nutrition Info (per serving):
Calories: 310
Total Fat: 5 grams
Saturated Fat: 0 grams
Carbohydrates: 56 grams
Protein: 12 grams
Sodium: 75 milligrams
Cholesterol: 0 milligrams
Fiber: 9 gram
Pumpkin-Banana Smoothie
Squashed for time? (Ha, get it?) This on-the-go smoothie is perfect — plus, you make enough for two so you don’t have to worry about sharing.
Serves: 2
1/2 cup vanilla soymilk
1 peeled frozen banana, sliced up
1/2 cup canned pumpkin
1/8 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice (or cinnamon and nutmeg)
1 tablespoon brown sugar
Blend all ingredients in a blender or with a hand-held immersion blender until you have a smooth consistency. Tip: Freeze the peeled and sliced banana and refrigerate the pumpkin ahead of time so you have a cold and refreshing smoothie.
Nutrition Info (per serving):
Calories: 114
Total Fat: 1 gram
Saturated Fat: 0 grams
Carbohydrates: 26 grams
Protein: 3 grams
Sodium: 56 milligrams
Cholesterol: 0 milligrams
Fiber: 3.5 grams
Pumpkin Wontons (shown above)
These sweet wontons are a great way to enjoy pumpkin pie’s flavors in individual bites — portion control at its best! You’ll find wonton wrappers (like these from Nasoya) in the refrigerated produce section of most major grocery stores. I discovered this recipe in Vegetarian Times, but vegans beware, wonton wraps typically contain egg.
Serves: 16
1 cup canned pumpkin
2 tablespoons maple syrup
3 tablespoons light brown sugar
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
16 packaged wonton wrappers
Granulated sugar for dusting
Ground cinnamon for dusting
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F. In a medium bowl, mix pumpkin, maple syrup, brown sugar and pumpkin pie spice. Place a wonton wrapper flat on your work surface. Spoon one tablespoon of filling into the wonton center. Moisten edges of the wonton with water and fold in half to form a triangle. Press the edges to seal. Repeat with the remaining filling and wontons.
Arrange filled wontons on an un-greased baking sheet. Lightly coat the wontons with nonstick cooking spray and sprinkle each with sugar and cinnamon. Bake until golden, about 16 minutes. Turn and bake 2 more minutes. Set baking sheet on a wire rack to cool. Serve warm.
Nutrition Info (per wonton):
Calories: 46
Total Fat: 0 grams
Saturated Fat: 0 grams
Total Carbohydrate: 10 grams
Protein: 1 gram
Sodium: 83 milligrams
Cholesterol: 1 milligrams
Fiber: 0.5 gram
Pumpcake?
You can actually use a 15-ounce can of pumpkin in place of eggs and oil when baking a cake from a packaged mix. Just combine the mix and the pumpkin and follow the baking directions. You’ll get a hint of pumpkin flavor while slashing the added fat and cholesterol from the oil and eggs.
Janel Ovrut, MS RD LDN, loves experimenting with vegetarian and vegan cooking. Read her food blog, Dine Dish Delish, and follow her on Twitter @DietitianJanel. Catch up on her previous posts here.
I add half a cup of pure pumpkin from a can to plain yogurt, sprinkle with cinnamon, mix well, then top with berries and granola. It makes a delicious breakfast parfait and I love the extra nutrition the pumpkin provides while hardly adding calories.
I'm with Casey on the pumpkin yogurt. Well seasoned, it's incredible.
I also like making hot oats, but I just do 1/2 cup cooked in salted water for 2 minutes, then I add 1/3 cup of pumpkin and microwave for an additional 90 seconds and top with maple peanut butter, chocolate chips, and salted sliced almonds
Pumpkin Smoothie! I've been sifting through a lot of pumpkin recipes, but this one hadn't come up. I wonder if adding a handful of spinach would turn out okay; it would probably look horrible, but might taste good.
Sounds great Casey. Being on Weight Watchers it would be very healthy. Thanks Jeri
I love making meatloaf inside a small sweet pumpkin. I make my meatloaf as per usual, hollow out the inside of the pumpkin, stuff it with the meatloaf mixture. bake at 375 degrees for about 90 mins, or till meatloaf is fully cooked and pumpkin is soft. Let cool about 15 mins, then slice like a pie, u have your protein, and veggies already together and ready to be eaten.
ENJOY!!!
How did you get the pumpkin open so you can put the meatloaf inside and what type of pumpkin was it? I had to take a cleaver and mallet to get a couple of pie pumpkins open and cut up so we could pressure cook them. I tried both a chef's knife and a serrated knife first, but ended up using the cleaver. The rind was significantly thicker than that of the carving type we had previously used.
Starbuck's pumpkin spice lattes are an all-time favorite drink of mine! And, until recently, I thought I could not replicate them at home, leaving me a slave to Sbux during the autumn months. I was playing around with some creamer and pumpkin puree the other day, and came up with a pretty close (and delicious) concoction:
Heat 2 Tbsp pumpkin puree, 1 Tbsp Fat-free vanilla creamer, and 2 Tbsp skim milk in the microwave for 1 minute. Add a dash of sugar & cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice and whisk together. Add strong-brewed coffee and voila! A pumpkin spice latte that weighs in at around 60 calories (instead of 200+) without tons of added sugar. It's even more enjoyable when I think about the $4 I save each time I make one at home
pumpkin is my favorite part about fall! But I did hear from Hungry Chow that there is a canned pumpkin shortage! GASP! good thing we have local, pumpkins we can roast and blend! Support your local farmer instead of "Libby" !
But pumpkin oats and smoothies are fantastic!!! mmm fall!
Can't wait to try these
How about pumpkin brownies? Use a brownie mix and 1 small can of pumpkin (or 1/2 of large can). Mix ingredients and bake according to directions on box (maybe need to bake a little longer due to pumpkin being so moist). The brownies will be extra fudgy with less fat and calories by cutting out the oil and eggs. (You can even eat the batter!) MMMMMMM
I love Pumpkin Mousse – 1 cup Pumpkin puree, 1 cup FF milk, 1 sm. pkg Instant Butterscotch SF, FF pudding, Pumpkin Pie Spice to taste and beat well. Then mix in 1 cup FF Coolwhip – refigerate for at least 2 hours and serve – makes 4 servings!
I am defininately going to try those wontons! Pumpkin pie is my all time favorite pie (with nutmeg, no cloves), but I also make pumpkin pancakes and a pumpkin apple bread that is super yummy! I love pumpkin!!! Oh and BTW, here in Colorado we are still grilling even if it's below zero outside! :.)
Kristina Hudson is correct! Additionally, here in Colorado the pumpkins are in season and ready for the picking. In other words, why settle for "canned" pumpkin? Grab a pumpkin, open it up, slice it and bake it at 350 for 1 hr 15 minutes or until fork soft…then blend until smooth.
Great tip, thanks so much!