Pumpkins!

I would like to take this time to share my love for pumpkins.  Really it's all squash, but I'll just focus on pumpkins right now.  They are so very delicious.  Here are some of my favorite things to do with pumpkins.

Stuffed Pumpkins

Ingredients:

• Pie pumpkins
• ground beef
• celery
• onions
• carrots
• green peppers
• sour cream or 0% fat plain greek yogurt
• cheese
• egg
• seasoning:  parsley, chili powder, salt, curry powder

Cut the top off of the pumpkin and bake upside down in 1 inch of water at 375 for 1 hour.  In the meantime, fry the meat, celery, onions, carrots, and green peppers.   Season to taste.  Then add sour cream (or greek yogurt) and cheese until it's all mixed well.  It's kind of up to you how much to use.  Right then add a lightly beaten egg to the mixture and place inside the pumpkin.  Bake another 15 minutes.

Pumpkin Dip

Ingredients:

• puree pumpkin
• 2% greek yogurt
• bit of cream cheese
• bit of honey
• cinnamon

Just mix everything together to taste!  This is perfect for apples, graham crackers, or cinnamon pita chips!!!!  I guess I didn't try it, but maybe spreading on pita bread or a tortilla shell and adding apples and pears to the top and baking for a few minutes would be fun!!!

Carve Pumpkins

Last night we had friends over and carved pumpkins!  I have to say, I haven't done this since I was a little kid.  I decided to not actually carve, but just enjoy watching them.  I decided to be in charge of the seeds instead.  Here are the carvings they did!  My husband's is the batman one :)

Pumpkin Seeds

I tried 2 different methods.  #1 worked out the best for sure.

1.  Soak the pumpkin seeds in salt water.  Then saute them in a pan with coconut oil and sea salt.

2.  Soak the pumpkin seeds in salt water.  Then spread on a baking sheet and roast the seeds at 350 degrees.  Coat the seeds in olive oil and dust with sea salt.

I think it would have been good to try some with cinnamon and honey.  It also would have been fun to do some covered in ranch dip powder.  Next time.