Seeing Orange….Pumpkins Here, There and Everywhere

Are you seeing orange everywhere? It’s that time of year; pumpkin flavored food is everywhere and cannot be avoided. With each passing year, the amount of foods flavored with pumpkin increases.

Traditionally, we think of pumpkins being associated with fall, Halloween and Thanksgiving. But as I’m sure you’ve encountered in recent years, pumpkin is a great food inspiration as well. Pumpkin is a type of squash that has many nutritional benefits.

Pumpkin is rich in dietary fiber, antioxidants, minerals and vitamins such as vitamins A, vitamin E, riboflavin and vitamin C. The orange coloring also indicates that it is loaded with antioxidants and poly-phenolic flavonoid compounds such as alpha and beta-carotenes, cryptoxanthin, lutein and zea-xanthin. It is also rich in minerals such as calcium, copper, potassium, and phosphorous. Additionally, pumpkin seeds are also rich in dietary fiber and monounsaturated fatty acids. These nutritional benefits translate into healthy vision, maintaining heart health, maintaining weight or aiding in weight loss, reducing cancer risk, and boosting immunity.

The pumpkin craze of recent years provides inspiration for including pumpkin in almost any type of food. Therefore, it is not as difficult to find recipes as it may have been a decade ago. These days pumpkin inspired foods ranges from coffee, beer, ravioli, risotto, bread and pie. Pumpkin is so versatile that it even inspires not to so common foods or beverages such as pumpkin hummus, pumpkin salad, quinoa pumpkin pancakes, and pumpkin smoothies.

In my new “not yet published” cookbook, I include several pumpkin recipes such as Pumpkin Muffins, Pumpkin Pie and Pumpkin Bread. While it’s easy to fall into the pumpkin craze this time of year, be sure you are not falling prey to unhealthy food choices containing high sodium, high amounts of sugar and refined grains.

Try my Pumpkin Pie recipe and enjoy the pumpkin craze in a nutritionally conscious manner.

What’s your favorite pumpkin recipe?