Pumpkin Possibilities: Carving out all the ways you can use this year's pumpkin
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - The weekend is here, it's October, and the pumpkin patches are going to be swarmed with families making memories.
Besides carving a Jack-O-Lantern, what else is there to do with your pumpkin?
Since we've been married, my always delegates me to the cleaning out of the pumpkin and I throw out the resulting mess.
Well, listen to this - the very thing that attracts us to our pumpkin of choice in the pumpkin patch, its size, its flawless skin...we can't eat!
We only need the innards.
"We're thinking about the flesh inside and so if you buy at the grocery store, that's what you're buying," said nutritionist Leslie Bonci.
That's right, that gooey mess of flesh and seeds is all very usable.
"You know pumpkin seeds, they are so full of nutritional value," she said. "They're nice crunchy, [and good] in a really beautiful decorating a pumpkin soup."
Getting the kids involved and having them separate the seeds from the stringy pulp, it's something that they'll love.
"Pat them with paper towels and let them dry and then you can season them a little bit, maybe a little bit of oil," said Bonci. "A little bit of curry or cumin on them and then bake them until they are crunchy."
Or, better yet, you can make them a sweet treat!
"A little bit of cinnamon sugar on them," she continued. "That would always work really, really well."
As the family munches on those seed treats, Bonci said to remember what they're getting.
"A lot of vitamins and minerals, they also do have protein and fiber as well as some healthy fats," she explained. "So they really are quite lovely."
If seeds aren't your thing, Bonci said they are perfect for a birdfeeder.
Keep in mind - the rind is NOT something we can eat, only the seeds and that gooey pulp, but you can do a lot with that pulp.
"Put it into a smoothie, put it into your oatmeal," and that's just the start, according to Bonci.
You know, it kind of reminds me of Bubba talking shrimp in "Forrest Gump."
What Bubba did with shrimp, Bonci does with pumpkin.
"You could do a pumpkin pudding, or the filling, we could take that pulp and use it in a quick bread or a pumpkin muffin if we wanted to do that," she said. "Certainly something like a pumpkin bisque. I mean it's so beautiful the orange color."
She said that once the seeds are out of the gooey pulp you can put it in a blender or a food processor to get it pureed so that you can use it in several things.
For instance:
- Custard
- French toast
- Gnocchi
- Lasagna
- Hummus
- Smores
- Pancakes
- Stuffing
- Waffles
- Alfredo
- Bacon mac-n-cheese
- Biscuits
- Carbonara
- Cheesecake rolls
- Cinnamon rolls
- Chocolate chip cookies
- Curry
"Pumpkin in a quiche? Why not!" Bonci excitedly said. "Lots of different ways you can use it, just like you would any other vegetable."
She said that you are getting the nutrition benefits of a vegetable as well.
Who knew there we so many possibilities? All you have to do is get your hands a little gooey.
Lastly, of course, you can make a pumpkin spice latte, which will actually contain pumpkin! Unlike most coffee shops.
You can check out a full list of pumpkin recipes at this link.