Seems like last year there was a shortage of canned pumpkin around the holidays....?
There was something last year about pumpkins not doing well - I can't remember if it was a weather thing or if something was spreading and killing them off.
Every year, I buy the "ugly" pumpkin in the batch and cook it up. I cut it up and bake it in the oven (with a little water in the bottom of the pan) until it is soft. A big pumpkin makes about a gazzilion cups of mashed pumpkin. I run it through my Cuisinart to get that nice smooth consistency... then I make pies, muffins, breads, and sometimes cookies.
This year, though, I want to figure out how I can make it healthier. I use King Arthur's flour that looks prety white, but has whole grain in it. I could toss in some ground flax seed (does flax seed go bad?).
I was joking with my SIL yesterday that I might add broccoli and peas to the muffins, b/c I am sure my toddler would eat them! I bet if I cooked and pureed veggies, he would never know??
OK, don't shoot me over this. But, for many years while traveling through a little town in Ohio, we use to stop and buy pumpkin fudge during the Fall. They have a pumpkin festival every year and you can go to their website and they have a lot of pumpkin recipes. Unfortunately, a few years ago the little shop that we bought the fudge from was torn down. I really miss that fudge, it was wonderful.
Bumping this thread for the recent pumpkin thread started!
BTW I made a homemade pumpkin latte this morning Pretty good if you ask me, but not as good as Starbucks
ok,.. all the talking about pumpkin and now I'm craving some... I'd also like to know if yous are using the canned pumpkin puree? I'm thinking I can add some to my greek yogurt with cinnamon or my oatmeal.
I make an amazing pumpkin soup to welcome in the fall each year. Basically I roast the pumpkin (or another winter squash) until it's soft enough to be scooped out of the shell. I add this to vegetable/chicken broth, water, coconut milk, and red curry paste. Let it simmer for a good hour at least. You can also add mushrooms, or other veggies for an extra treat.
Substituted:
1/2 of the sugar in the recipe (doesn't need it with all those apples!)
1/2c natural applesauce for the oil
made 20 muffins vs. 18 (could have made even more, easily!)
Nutritional info w/the above substitutes:
123 calories
1.5g fat (0.6g saturated)
23g cholesterol
147mg sodium
26g carb
1.4g fiber
14g sugar (hey...they ARE muffins!)
2.4g protein
I would cook them slightly less next time, and consider using 1/2 of the oil and 1/2 applesauce to improve the texture even more. However, they were delish per the above!
punkrprincessa's talk of pumpkin spice lattes got me thinking about them & wishing for something creamy & yummy. So last night (and again this morning!), I made pumpkin pie yogurt.
Plain 0% Greek Yogurt (I like the 6oz Fage Total, but you can choose whatever floats your boat)
1/4c pumpkin
pumpkin pie spice (or just cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg - whatever you like in your pie!)
sweeten to your liking with your sweetner of choice (honey, sugar, brown sugar, sugar subs, etc. I used sugar free vanilla syrup & LOVED it)
Mix it up & enjoy! You could also add 1/2tsp vanilla, which would be great. If you really want it to be like a dessert & have room for a few extra calories, crush up 1 graham cracker square on top.
Hmmmm I think I'm going to try buying a pumpkin and mashing it myself, that seems like a good idea. Then I can portion it out and freeze a bunch. Yay! Question though, how do I take the skin off? Does it just peel off?
You cook the pumpkin first and then scoop the flesh out. The ones sold for Jack o lanterns are not good for eating- stringy & watery. Winter squashes like butternut, acorn, kabocha, etc are more tasty & good for cooking
We are having this for dinner in a couple of days. I got the recipe from a Libby's website and cut and pasted it to notepad, so I don't have the link but if you google Libby's canned pumpkin recipes, you should be able to find this one plus others. When I figured out the nutritional values, it is well within my range for dinner
Pumpkin Chili Mexicana
Ingredients
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped red bell pepper
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 lb. ground turkey
2 cans (14.5 oz each) no-salt-added diced tomatoes, undrained
1 can (15 oz.) LIBBY'SŪ 100% Pure Pumpkin
1 can (15 oz.) tomato sauce
1 can (15.25 oz.) kidney beans, drained
1 can (4 oz.) diced green chiles
1/2 cup loose-pack frozen whole-kernel corn
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
HEAT vegetable oil in large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion, bell pepper and garlic; cook, stirring frequently, for
5 to 7 minutes or until tender. Add turkey; cook until browned. Drain.
ADD tomatoes with juice, pumpkin, tomato sauce, beans, chiles, corn, chili powder, cumin and black pepper. Bring to a boil.
Reduce heat to low. Cover; cook, stirring occasionally, for 30 minutes.
I'm sure you could make adjustments to fit your own needs/style/preferences.
Barb
Last edited by angelskeep; 10-10-2010 at 04:06 PM.
