It’s fall, which means you can’t turn a corner without seeing pumpkins – both fresh and canned. But aside from carving a scary face and baking up a delicious pie, what else can you do with this bulbous, bright orange vegetable? Glad you asked.
With its rich texture and deep orange color, pumpkin makes a fun and flavorful addition to any dish. We believe that one can never really have too much pumpkin pie, but if you’re tired of the same old pumpkin standbys, give these 5 recipes a try:
1. Spruce up your salad. What was once just a pile of lettuce becomes a colorful fall creation, thanks to the addition of pumpkin, pine nuts and millet!
- 1 cup fresh pumpkin, cubed and oven-roasted
- 1 cup Arrowhead Mills Organic Millet, cooked
- 1/2 cup crumbled Feta cheese
- 1/2 cup Woodstock Farms Organic Pine Nuts, toasted
- 8 cups spinach
2. Whip up a smoothie. Start your day with this fall-inspired, fiber-packed smoothie — and stay full until lunchtime!
- 1/2 cup Farmer’s Market Organic Canned Pumpkin
- 3/4 cup low-fat Greek vanilla yogurt
- 1/4 tsp Simply Organic Cinnamon Powder
- 1/8 tsp Frontier Ground Nutmeg
- 2 tsp brown sugar
- 4 ice cubes
3. Make a batch of pancakes. Pancakes aren’t usually known for their nutrient content, but a scoop of pumpkin can fix that.
- 1 ½ cups Arrowhead Mills Multigrain Pancake Mix (or Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free Pancake Mix)
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- ¼ tsp nutmeg
- 1 large egg
- 1 Tbsp Wholesome Sweeteners Organic Sucanat Brown Sugar, packed
- ¾ cup Farmer’s Market Organic Canned Pumpkin
- 1 Tbsp Vitacost Extra Virgin Certified Organic Coconut Oil
- 1 cup water
Combine pancake mix and spices in medium-sized bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together egg and brown sugar, then add pumpkin, oil and water. Mix wet and dry ingredients together to make batter.
4. Liven up curry. Perfect alone or as a side dish, this pumpkin-enhanced curry recipe is sure to please!
- 3 stalks of lemongrass
- 2 onions, finely chopped
- 1 Tbsp Frontier Cardamom Seed
- 1 Tbsp mustard seed
- 1 Tbsp coconut oil
- 1 cup Pacific Natural Foods Low-Sodium Vegetable Broth
- ½ pound fresh pumpkin
- 1 can Native Forest Organic Coconut Milk
- 3 Tbsp yellow curry paste
- 2 Tbsp Santa Cruz Organic Lemon Juice
- 1 can Eden Foods Organic Garbanzo Beans, drained
Sauté lemongrass, onions, cardamom, mustard seed and onions over medium heat. Mix in vegetable broth, coconut milk and pumpkin. Stir and simmer. Add beans and cook for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and sprinkle lemon juice on top ““ serve over rice or with meat.
5. Indulge in frozen yogurt. Looking for a healthy late-night snack? Try this easy-peasy pumpkin fro-yo!
- 1 cup nonfat vanilla Greek yogurt, strained
- 1 cup Farmer’s Market Organic Canned Pumpkin
- 1 Tbsp granulated sugar or 1/4 tsp Stevita Spoonable Stevia
- 1 tsp Frontier Pumpkin Pie Spice
Mix, churn, freeze and enjoy!
BONUS TIP – Add to dog food. Yep, pumpkin isn’t just good for you, it’s good for your dog, too! Add two teaspoons to Fido’s favorite food – the fiber content may help support healthy digestion.