When autumn arrives, you know it is time to get out the pumpkin recipes. I know, I know, why only in the fall? Well, that’s when pumpkins are in season! While you might be thinking about roasting pumpkin seeds and making the standard pumpkin soup, there are so many other recipes you can try! Here are many different ways to use pumpkin in your healthy meals in autumn.
Breakfast
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You may not think about pumpkin as being a breakfast food, but it definitely can be. Just about any baked dish you would make for breakfast can use pumpkin. Pumpkin has the perfect texture for baked goods and breads, and is low in fat so you are making these items a little healthier as well. For example, you can make some pumpkin spice scones, pumpkin pancakes, or pumpkin waffles during the fall season. Pumpkin muffins, bread, and various other breakfast baked goods are also possible. Also don’t forget about using pumpkin to make a healthy smoothie in the morning or making a bowl of pumpkin spice oatmeal.
Try this pumpkin pancake recipe by Chef Kathy, pumpkin pancakes.
For you smoothie fans, this pumpkin smoothie is thick, creamy and easy to make in less than 10 minutes. It uses real pumpkin, cozy fall spices, nut butter, your favorite plant-based milk and optional protein powder for a sweet and delicious breakfast or snack that tastes like pumpkin pie.
Pumpkin can also be used as a bread course for other meals, such as dinner when you want to have rolls. These are perfect for making rolls that are tasty, seasonal, but lower in fat and calories. You can find different recipes for pumpkin dinner rolls, from basic low-fat versions to pumpkin spice rolls or even pumpkin cream cheese rolls to have a little more of a treat with your dinner. You can even make them look like little pumpkins and serve them with your holiday meal.
These pumpkin dinner rolls look just like mini pumpkins. They are not only soft and buttery dinner rolls, but also easy and fun to make. Perfect for a party or Thanksgiving feast!
Fall is the perfect holiday to make delicious soup and chili, which pumpkin also works great with. You can make a traditional pumpkin soup or combine pumpkin and butternut squash into your creamy soup. Another nice recipe is a chili made with pumpkin, ground beef, and black beans, along with other veggies like onions, bell peppers, and celery. This is a hearty chili that is filling, but also nutritious.
Pumpkin Chili is extra delicious because pumpkin combined with savory spices is a flavor match made in heaven! The sweetness of the pumpkin provides the perfect balance of tasty flavor to this hearty chili recipe.
The Minimalist Baker has a wonderfully simple pumpkin soup. With a kale-sesame topping (also easy!), requiring just 5 ingredients. It adds a nutritious, colorful touch to this soup along with a little extra staying power. Your friends will be so impressed.
Desserts
Pumpkin is also ideal for making desserts. It is low in fat but has a creamy texture that lets you replace more fattening ingredients in desserts, such as butter, oil, and eggs. With pumpkin, you can make ice cream, frozen yogurt, pudding, cookies, muffins, and many other dessert items. There are just so many MANY things you can make using pumpkin for desserts, I will leave this one to you to search out.
"The doctor of the future will give no medicine, but will interest his patient in the care of the human frame, in diet and in the cause and prevention of disease" ~ Thomas Jefferson
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1 thought on “Ways to Use Pumpkin in Autumn Meals”