Pumpkins, pumpkins everywhere!

Well, we just finished with the summer squashes and now it’s on to winter squashes, the most famous being pumpkins. Almost everyone likes the naturally sweet winter squashes such as acorn, Hubbard, delicata, butternut and other less well-known varieties. Most people think of the holidays when we speak of yams, sweet potatoes, and pumpkin, often candied which is puzzling as they are so naturally sweet.

Winter squashes can be halved and stuffed, added to hearty winter soups and stews or steamed and eaten with a little butter or olive oil and fresh herbs. You can slice butternut squash thinly and add the slices to sandwiches, substitute half of the butter in your favorite muffin or cookie recipe with pureed winter squash; use your imagination!

Yams and sweet potatoes can simply be baked as you would a potato or they can be mashed, also like mashed potatoes. Add roasted garlic and fresh herbs for a wonderful taste treat. You can rub slices of any winter squash with a bit of olive oil and grill or bake them. Winter squashes are very high in beta-carotene, vitamin A, vitamin C and potassium.

My guess is you all have a pumpkin pie recipe. Here are some of my favorite recipes for any kind of winter squash:

Yam Casserole
Serves 8

6 cups yams, about 4 large yams, baked in oven for about an hour
2 tablespoons apple cider
1 tablespoon fresh ginger, grated
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 cup sour cream or plain yogurt

Peel the baked yams and place in a bowl. In a small saucepan place the apple cider and grated ginger, cinnamon, sea salt and pepper. Sauté for 1 minute.

Add ginger mixture and sour cream to yams and using an electric mixture or potato masher, puree. Place in a buttered casserole dish and heat through, uncovered in a 375 degree oven. Depending on the warmth of the yams the cooking time can be 20 minutes to 35 minutes.

Per Serving: 166 Calories; 3g Fat (17.2% calories from fat); 2g Protein; 33g Carbohydrate; 5g Dietary Fiber; 6mg Cholesterol; 136mg Sodium

Roasted Winter Squash and Mushrooms Serves 4-6

12 ounces mushrooms, crimini or portabellos
4 ounces shiitake mushrooms, tough stems removed
5 medium-size yams (about 2 pounds), or other winter squash
2 medium onions, yellow or red
10 large cloves garlic, peeled and halved
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
or
1 1/2 teaspoons crushed dried rosemary
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper, freshly ground

Preheat oven to 425º F. Trim crimini mushrooms. Peel and cut yams or other winter squash in half lengthwise, then into 1/2-inch slices. Cut onions in 1-inch wedges. In a large bowl, combine olive oil, rosemary, salt and pepper. Add mushrooms, yams, onions and garlic; toss to coat. In two shallow roasting pans, arrange vegetables in a single layer. Roast, stirring once, until tender, about 25 minutes. If you stir too often they can get mushy, so don’t be tempted.
Per Serving: 287 Calories; 10g Fat (29.0% calories from fat); 6g Protein; 48g Carbohydrate; 7g Dietary Fiber; 0mg Cholesterol; 334mg Sodium.

Variation: Instead of olive oil and seasonings, you may use 3 tablespoons of Italian Dressing.

Oat Bran Muffins ( these freeze well and, by making a large batch, you'll save energy too!) Serves 12

2 cups oat bran
1/2 cup brown sugar, I use Sucanat or Rapadura
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 cup milk or other liquid. I used Chai once.
3/4 cup applesauce or pumpkin puree or prune puree
2 eggs
1 cup apple, grated
1/4 cup pumpkin seeds, chopped
1/3 cup almonds, chopped
1/4 cup raisins

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees and lightly oil the muffin pan or use paper muffin cups.

2. Mix together first 5 ingredients. In a small bowl mix together the milk, applesauce and egg; stir well and add the grated apple. Stir briefly into the dry ingredients with the pumpkin seeds, almonds and raisins.

3. Spoon into prepared muffin pan and bake for 15-17 minutes.

Notes: You may use walnuts instead of almonds and dried apricots, cranberries or cherries instead of raisins. I have also added 1 tablespoon of sesame seeds and 1 tablespoon of chopped sunflower seeds.

Per Serving: 151 Calories; 6g Fat (29.7% calories from fat); 6g Protein; 26g Carbohydrate; 4g Dietary Fiber; 34mg Cholesterol; 184mg Sodium.

Lentil and Yam Curry with Broccoli
Serves 4

Note: Wonderful as a side dish to a simple broiled piece of fish. A wonderful source of dietary fiber.

2/3 cup lentils
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
3-5 cloves garlic, minced
1 inch ginger, fresh peeled and grated
1/2 jalapeno, seeded and chopped, optional
1 teaspoon cumin seed
1 teaspoon coriander seed
1 teaspoon turmeric
2 medium yams or winter squash, cut into small chunks
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
2 14 ounce cans tomatoes, chopped
1 cup broccoli, small florets, lightly steamed

Wash lentils, put them in a pan and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until tender, about 15-20 minutes. Drain and reserve.

Heat oil in large pan and sauté onion, garlic, ginger and chili over low heat until softened; 5 to 8 minutes. Add the spices and cook for another 3-5 minutes, until aromatic. Add the yams and the sea salt and stir. Then add the tomatoes and their juice, bring to a boil, cover and simmer for 20 minutes or until yams are tender. Add the reserved lentils and the broccoli; cover again and cook until lentils and broccoli are warmed through. Stir well and serve.

Per Serving: 324 Calories; 8g Fat (21.6% calories from fat); 13g Protein; 54g Carbohydrate; 16g Dietary Fiber; 0mg Cholesterol; 269mg Sodium

Serving idea and seasoning option: Serve with a salad and fresh, warmed pita bread. You may use curry powder instead of the other spices if you like. Start with 2 teaspoons and go from there.

PUMPKIN CAKE
Serves 8

This recipe was the result of, as it turns out, a fortunate accident. I was preparing a similar pumpkin cake recipe and inadvertently doubled the eggs. I then kept going with the alterations and was very happy with the results.

6 large eggs, separated
1 cup sugar: Sucanat or Rapadura
1/2 tbsp. baking powder, non -aluminum
1 ½ cups almonds, finely chopped
Pinch of grated nutmeg
Grated zest of one lemon
6 tbsp. all-purpose flour
2 cups pumpkin, cooked
A little butter for greasing

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees

Bake a small sugar pumpkin in a 375 degree oven until tender, about 50 minutes. Set aside to cool. When cool, remove skin and seeds and very finely chop.
In a bowl, beat the egg yolks with the sugar until fluffy. Add the baking powder, almonds, nutmeg, lemon zest, 5 tablespoons of the flour and the pumpkin. Mix until well blended. Beat the egg whites and fold them gently into the batter. Butter a 9 in. spring form pan and dust with the remaining 1 tablespoon flour. Pour the batter into the pan and cook in the oven at 350 degrees for about 1 hour (covering the top with foil after 40 minutes of cooking). Cool on a wire rack. Turn out onto a platter and garnish, if desired. Serve at room temperature.
Per Serving: 334 Calories; 17g Fat (44.5% calories from fat); 10g Protein; 38g Carbohydrate; 3g Dietary Fiber; 140mg Cholesterol; 137mg Sodium.
Serving ideas: This cake is not too sweet and very yummy. Serve as a healthier dessert or even for breakfast with a nice winter fruit salad. Garnish with thinly sliced lemon zest and mint leaves or freshly grated nutmeg.