Pumpkin Delight
Packed with vitamins and minerals, pumpkins add
more than taste and color to your cuisine.
Pumpkins are a sure thing when it comes to fall
décor, but the vibrant orange shells also
house tasty fare on the inside. Fat free, 49 calories
per cup, and loaded with vitamins and minerals—what's
not to love? Pumpkins are packed with beta carotene,
an important antioxidant. Researchers say a diet
rich in beta carotene foods may reduce the risk of
developing certain types of cancer and protect against
heart disease.
But the benefits go beyond health. Pumpkins are
versatile, and they blend well with many different
herbs and spices for both sweet and savory dishes,
says DeeDee Stovel, a caterer, cooking teacher, and
author of Pumpkin, A Super Food for All 12 Months
of the Year (Storey Publishing). Her creative dishes
include almond pumpkin bread pudding, pumpkin chili,
pumpkin pizza with Gorgonzola cheese, and pumpkin
ginger ice cream. "I love the creamy texture
pumpkins give to soups and the beautiful color they
add to baked goods," she says.
COOK
Forgo cooking with the jumbo pumpkins you carve
with the kids. Larger pumpkins are stringier and
less tasty. Stovel opts for the smaller Sugar Pie
pumpkins for a smoother texture and sweeter taste.
CHOP
The skin comes off easily if you cook the pumpkin
instead of chopping it up when it is fresh. Stovel
says you can pop a small, whole pumpkin into the
microwave—just poke it with many holes and
cook it on high for a total of 15 minutes, checking
it every 5 minutes.
SHOP
Since it's difficult to find fresh pumpkins
after Thanksgiving, Stovel suggests buying several
in the fall and storing them in a cool, dry place
for use throughout the winter and spring. Canned
pumpkin is a good substitute, and you can't
beat the convenience.
Recipe
Want to prepare some pumpkin treats for your family?
Try the recipe Stovel shares below:
Meatloaf with Pumpkin Glaze (serves 8)
1 slice whole-wheat bread
2 tablespoons low-fat milk
½ cup finely chopped onion
¾ cup canned unsweetened pumpkin
¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
1 egg
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2 pounds meatloaf mix (ground beef, pork, and veal)
2 tablespoons dark-brown sugar
1) Heat the oven to 375° F.
2) Tear the bread into small pieces and place in
a large bowl with the milk. Let it sit for 1 to
2 minutes, until the bread absorbs the milk.
3) Add the onion, ½ cup of the pumpkin,
the parsley, egg, oregano, salt and pepper to
taste, and whisk everything together.
4) Add the meat, stir with a wooden spoon, then mix
thoroughly with your hands. Pat the mixture into
a loaf shape and place in a shallow, 2-quart casserole
dish.
5) Whisk remaining ¼ cup pumpkin with the
brown sugar and spread on the top.
6) Bake for 1 hour. Let the loaf sit in pan for 10
minutes before slicing.
DID YOU KNOW?
- Pumpkins grow nearly all over the world.
- Pumpkins range in color from white to sage green,
to deep green and dark orange.
- Pumpkins are a member of the squash family.
- Pumpkins are a fruit.
- Pumpkins are 90 percent water.
- Native Americans used pumpkin seeds for food
and medicine.
- Eighty percent of the pumpkin supply in the
United States is available in October.
Julie Weingarden Dubin
is a freelance writer based in Huntington Woods,
Michigan. She's written
for Prevention, Redbook, Cosmopolitan, and Good
Housekeeping,
to name a few. She is the author of How
to Plan an Elegant Second Wedding.