The Healthy Truth: The best pumpkin recipes for fall

Dear Friends,

It’s fall, and you know what that means—pumpkin EVERYTHING! If you’re like me, you use this season to binge on all things pumpkin: pumpkin spice lattes, pumpkin cookies, pumpkin ice cream, pretty much anything you can put pumpkin in. And because the season isn’t too long, you will want to make the most of this pumpkin season.

Unfortunately, many pumpkin-flavored foods aren’t the healthiest, which is a shame because pumpkins are really good for you! They are loaded with the nutrients that your body needs to stay healthy. So, instead of stocking up on fatty pumpkin foods, you should try and incorporate pumpkin into your diet in a healthier way so that you can still be festive but not feel the guilt of eating poorly.

For this reason, I have put together some of Bel Marra’s best pumpkin recipes you can try this season to enjoy and maybe even impress your friends with. If you didn’t know already, Bel Marra’s website is loaded with nutritious recipes all specially formulated by a nutritionist. I highly recommend searching the site for some great cooking inspiration. But before I provide you with pumpkin recipes, let me first go over the nutritional facts of pumpkin.

Pumpkin nutritional facts

For one cup of pumpkin, there is only 0.1 grams of fat, no cholesterol, 1.2 mg of sodium, 394.4 mg of potassium, 8 grams of fiber, 3.2 grams of sugar, and 1.2 grams of protein. As you can see, based on that alone, it already is a healthy food option.

Now let’s get into the nutrients: One cup of pumpkin contains 139 percent of your daily intake of vitamin A, two percent calcium, 17 percent vitamin C, four percent iron, five percent of vitamin B-6, and three percent of your daily intake of magnesium.

Pumpkins also contain vitamin E, riboflavin, niacin, phosphorus, riboflavin, copper, manganese, folate, and pantothenic acid, which are all beneficial to your body and overall health.

Pumpkin recipes

Pumpkin burgers

Ingredients:

• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1 small onion, chopped finely
• ½ cup red bell pepper, chopped finely
• ½ cup frozen corn
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 teaspoons chili powder
• ½ cup pumpkin purée
• ½ cup cheddar cheese, shredded
• ½ cup wheat germ, toasted
• ½ cup dry whole grain breadcrumbs
• Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

In a sauté pan, heat one teaspoon of olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion, pepper, corn, garlic, and chili powder and sauté until softened, about five minutes. Remove and place into a bowl. Add the pumpkin purée, cheese, wheat germ, and breadcrumbs. Mix together and form into ½ inch thick patties. Heat the remaining olive oil (you may need to drizzle more than one teaspoon) in a pan and cook the patties until browned on each side—about four minutes per side. Serve in warmed corn tortillas or on brioche rolls with a dollop of salsa, guacamole, and light sour cream.

Pumpkin curry

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 pounds pumpkin, peeled and cut into small cubes
• 1 red onion, sliced
• 2 plum tomatoes, seeded and diced
• 3 tablespoons Madras curry powder
• 2 ½ cups vegetable broth
• Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium and add the pumpkin and onion. Cook until the onion begins to soften, about seven minutes. Add the chopped tomatoes, curry, and broth. Simmer for about 20 minutes, or until the pumpkin is tender. Season with salt and pepper. Serve over brown rice.

Pumpkin protein smoothie

Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup pumpkin purée
• 1 scoop vanilla protein powder
• 1 frozen banana
• ½ cup ice cubes
• ½ cup almond milk
• 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

Instructions:

Place all the ingredients in a blender and whiz until smooth. Pour into a glass and enjoy.

No-bake pumpkin energy bites

Ingredients:

• ½ cup pumpkin purée (not pumpkin pie filling)
• ½ cup almond butter
• ¼ cup maple syrup
• 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
• 1 1/3 cup rolled, old-fashioned oats
• 1/3 cup pumpkin seeds

Instructions:

In a large bowl, stir together the pumpkin, almond butter, maple syrup, and pumpkin pie spice until well-blended. Add in the oats and pumpkin seeds. Refrigerate for an hour or two to make the mixture easy to roll into balls. Store the completed balls in the fridge, or freeze them.

With these recipes, there is truly something for everyone and it just goes to show that pumpkins just aren’t meant for Halloween decorations or for lattes. You can reap the benefits that pumpkins can offer by making them in a variety of different ways.

I hope this season you can try at least one of these recipes to really get into the fall mood all the while improving your health.

Until next time,

Emily Lunardo

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