Your Healthy Family
Cooking with pumpkin and other winter squash
Posted: Oct 2, 2012 8:38 AM by Marissa Torres
Updated: Oct 2, 2012 8:40 AM
The bright orange color of pumpkin and other winter squash such as acorn and butternut is your clue that this food is loaded with Vitamin A or beta-carotene- an important antioxident needed for night vision. Pumpkin and winter squash are also high in fiber, vitamin C, and potassium.
Ideas to use pumpkin beyond pumpkin pie:
- -blend pumpkin with low fat or fat free cream cheese, add cinnamon. Smear on english muffin or toast.
- -stir pumpkin in hot cereal, such as oatmeal or cream of wheat
- -add pumpkin to bean soup or make a pumpkin soup
- -mix pumpkin into pancake batter, add pumpkin pie spice
To Roast pumpkin, acorn or butternut squash:
- -Cut in half and scrape out seeds and strings
- -Place cut side down, in a shallow roasting pan
- -Add 1/4 inch water, cover with aluminum foil
- -Bake at 350 degrees until tender when pierced with a thin skewer, about 45-60 min.
- -Scrape out the flesh and add butter and salt. For a sweeter taste , try borwn sugar, molasses or maple syrup.
Harvest Pumpkin Bread
2 eggs, beaten
1-cup sugar
1-cup pumpkin, canned
1/3 cup oil
1/4 cup water
1-cup flour
2/3 cup whole-wheat flour
1- teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup chopped walnut
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine eggs, sugar, pumpkin, oil and water. Sift together flour and remaining ingredient except walnuts. Add to pumpkin mixture: stir well. Add walnuts. Place in a greased and floured loaf pan. Bake for 60-70 minutes. Allow bread to cool for 10 minutes. Remove from pan.
**Adapted from Simply Colorado Cookbook by the Colorado Dietetic Associatian, 1989.
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