Day 3: Experiment with Pumpkin in your Cooking

By: Jennifer Personette

Take advantage of pumpkin being in season -- and often on sale! Here are four of my favorite ways to use pumpkin. I hope you can try all of them this fall.

Dinner in a Pumpkin

• 1 medium sugar pumpkin
• 1 1/2 pounds lean ground turkey
  
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1/3 cup fresh celery leaves
  
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1/2 of a packet of Hidden Valley Ranch dressing mix (powder)
  
• 1 cup of tomato juice
• 1 cup of diced, stewed tomatoes
• 1 cup of chicken stock
• 1 can of cream of chicken soup
  
• 3 cups shredded purple cabbage
• 1/2 pound fresh green beans, washed and trimmed
• 1 cup uncooked brown rice

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
2. Wash pumpkin, cut off top, scrape out seeds and discard.
3. In large pot, crumble and cook the ground turkey over medium high heat until evenly brown. Drain fat, add onion and garlic; saute slightly.
4. Add ranch dressing mix, tomato juice, stewed tomatoes, chicken stock and cream of chicken soup and rice to the turkey mixture. Mix until thoroughly combined.
   
5. Layer inside of pumpkin with 1/3 of cabbage, green beans and turkey and rice mixture. Repeat layers, replace lid and bake for 2 to 3 hours

This will make 8-10 servings. I like to serve it with a crusty baguette.

Pumpkin Smoothie
from The Abs Diet

• 1/2 cup canned pumpkin
• 3/4 cup instant oatmeal nuked in water
• 1/4 cup chopped pecans (I omit these for a smoother texture)
  
• 2 T lowfat vanilla yogurt (I double this)
  
• 1 t vanilla whey protein powder
• 1 t ground flax seed
• 3 ice cubes (I double the ice)
  

Add to blender and blend until smooth.
This makes 2 smoothies. Tip: stock up on canned pumpkin over the fall. It is very difficult to find after the Holidays.

Pumpkin Roll
(from Two Limes Please, Sherry Personette)

You will need a 15 x 10 inch jelly roll pan and a thin, clean dish towel.

Cake

• 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 t. baking powder
• 1 t. baking soda
• 1 t. cinnamon
• 1 t. cloves
• 1/2 t. salt
• 6 large eggs
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 1 1/3 cups pure pumpkin

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly spray a jelly roll pan with non stick cooking spray to hold the wax paper. Line with wax paper, some can stick up around the edges.

Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves and salt in small bowl. Beat eggs and sugar in large mixer bowl until thick. Beat in pumpkin. Stir in flour mixture. Spread evenly into prepared pan. Bake for 13-15 minutes or until top of cake springs back when touched. IMMEDIATELY loosen and turn cake onto prepared towel. Carefully peel off paper. Roll up cake and towel together, starting with the short end. Roll on counter. Let set wrapped in towel until cooled. Meanwhile, beat cream cheese, powdered sugar, butter and vanilla extract in small mixing bowl until smooth. Carefully unroll cake, remove towel and spread cream cheese mixture (below) over cake. Re-roll cake and wrap in plastic, refrigerate at least one hour. Sprinkle with powdered sugar before serving.

Cream Cheese Filling

• 1 8oz. pkg. cream cheese
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 6 T. butter
• 1 t. vanilla

Easiest Pumpkin Cake Ever (and under $5)

• One yellow cake mix
• One can of pure pumpkin

Combine and bake according to the directions on the box. DO NOT use any other ingredients (even what is called for n the box!)