Welcome to November. We’ve passed Halloween and are sliding (quickly) toward Thanksgiving. It’s the time of year that we continue to think about pumpkins.
That pumpkin on your front porch can be more than just a door stop or seasonal decoration; it can be a great boost to your diet. Just one-half cup of canned pumpkin provides 4 grams of fiber, no fat or cholesterol, and only 50 calories. Pumpkin also has more beta-carotene per serving than any other commonly eaten food. Your body converts beta-carotene to vitamin A, and it may protect against heart disease and some cancers.
First off…I probably don’t need to say this, but this is not the time to think about avoiding food waste. Although it may be tempting to try to do “double duty” with a pumpkin, don’t use that pumpkin you’ve had setting you’re your porch for two weeks as a jack-o-lantern to make a pie. Like any other food, once it has been cut, pumpkin needs to be kept refrigerated. You should plan to eat or refrigerate pumpkin the same day you cut into it.
Saying that, there is no reason you can’t eat those pumpkins that you’re using as fall decorations but haven’t carved. And you still have time to buy a few pumpkins for Thanksgiving decorations.
You can probably get a good deal on jack-o-lantern pumpkins now. But while they are edible, they are grown specifically for carving and most have more strings, less pulp and less flavor than those grown for eating. Small “sugar” or “pie” pumpkins are the best to eat.
To peel a pumpkin, cut the top off and then cut a thin slice off the bottom so the pumpkin sits flat. Using a large knife, cut slices of the skin off from top to bottom, working your way around the pumpkin, just like you would cut the skin off an orange or a squash. Cut the pumpkin in half and scoop out the seeds and stringy pulp, then cut into chunks. These chunks can be roasted and eaten as a vegetable with a meal or steamed or baked and turned into mashed or pureed pumpkin that can be used in recipes for pie, breads or cakes.
Freezing is really the easiest way to preserve pumpkin. Cooked mashed pumpkin will keep in the freezer for a year. If it is “watery” when thawed, simply drain the liquid off using a sieve or coffee filter.
Our Extension Master Food Volunteers recently served Baked Pumpkin Yogurt from the Med Instead of Meds website to guests visiting our office from NC State. It’s like a crustless pumpkin pie but with less sugar. The recipe is really simple and can be eaten with your fingers as a snack or dessert. We used canned pumpkin puree—but you could use “homemade” puree instead.
6775 ( left to right) Cheryle Syracuse, FCS team member; Lori Van Horn EMFV from Ocean Isle Beach; Terry Amrhein EMFV from Sunset Beach; Avery Ashley, Family and Consumer Science Agent; Jane Kulesza EMFV from Oak Island and Margarete O"Leary EMFV from Supply.
After sampling the original recipe, we decided we’d like to add some additional spices, perhaps some pumpkin pie spice, ginger or nutmeg. In our recipe we used honey, but agreed that using maple syrup would “kick up” the flavor, too. It’s perfect for those who like to eat pumpkin pie for breakfast---with less guilt.
Baked Pumpkin Yogurt
3/4 cup nonfat vanilla Greek yogurt
3/4 cup pumpkin puree
4 eggs
2 Tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 Tablespoons maple syrup or honey
¼ tsp cinnamon (add more to your liking)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray an 8” × 8” baking dish with cooking spray and set
aside. Whisk together yogurt, pumpkin puree, eggs, flour, vanilla, honey/maple syrup,
and cinnamon until well combined. Pour batter into the baking dish. Bake for about 35 to 40 minutes, or until the center is set (no longer jiggles when you move the pan).
Allow to cool for at least 5 minutes before cutting into squares. Sprinkle extra cinnamon on top before serving. Makes 9 servings. Each square contains 87 calories and 8 grams of sugar.
Instead of using a baking dish, you could make individual muffins. Spray a muffin tin
with cooking spray and fill each about ¾ full. Bake for about 20 to 25 minutes, or until the centers of each cup are set. Allow to cool for at least 5 minutes before removing from the muffin tin. The cups will settle as they cool.
Since we were serving the Baked Pumpkin Yogurt to a large group, we tripled the recipe and baked in a 9” x 13” pan. It took a little longer to bake and was done when the center didn’t jiggle and a toothpick inserted came out clean. We cut them into small 1” squares that people could eat with their fingers and topped with a dollop of Greek yogurt.
It was a perfect healthful fall treat that offered that wonderful pumpkin flavor. Give it a try for an upcoming event.
