Food of the week: Pumpkin

It's October! Fall is my favorite time of the year. I love the brisk air, the fall foliage, and warm and comforting foods! It only makes sense that pumpkin is the food of the week.

Did you know that 80% of the pumpkin supply in the United States is available in October?

Benefits:

• Low in fat and calories, and have lots of vitamins.
• Good source of Beta Carotene, Fiber, and Potassium.

Drawbacks:

• Some pumpkin recipes call for pumpkin pie mix, not pureed pumpkin. While pumpkin puree is just as healthy as fresh pumpkins, the pumpkin pie mix tends to have additives that increase sugar and cholesterol.
  
  

How to Select, Prepare and Store Pumpkins.


Ways to eat Pumpkins:

• See last week’s Recipe of the week, Pumpkin Pancakes.
• Pumpkins can used to make soups.
• Pumpkin pie!
• I found this recipe that I would like to make for Thanksgiving, it’s a baked stuffed pumpkin.
• Pumpkin seeds are tasty too! They have their own health benefits.

Little Known Facts:

• Pumpkins are 90% Water.
• Pumpkins are grown in 6 of the 7 continents, all except Antarctica.

Recipe of the week: Pumpkin Pancakes

I got this recipe from my friend Charlotte. I've had sweet potato pancakes before, which were very moist and yummy, but I've never tried pumpkin pancakes. I always trust Charlotte's judgement of food (with the exception of seafood, you know I just don't like it!), so I put great faith in her claim of the tastiness of these pancakes.

Pumpkin Pancakes
2 1/3 c. pancake mix
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon each, cinnamon, nutmeg & ginger
1 1/4 c. milk
1/4 c. oil
2 eggs
1/2 c. pumpkin puree

"Mix ingredients and griddle! It makes a lot of pancakes, so I just make them all, put them in a container separated by wax paper and pop them in the toaster the next day! They also freeze really well and then can be heated up in the toaster as well.

They're great with a little poached pear or pear puree on top as a syrup alternative. Applesauce might also be good, but never tried it!"

I can't wait to try them! Thanks Charlotte!