Cook with pumpkins this Halloween

Nothing signifies Halloween quite like the masterfully carved jack-o-lanterns glowing on the front steps of houses around the neighbourhood. But pumpkins are much more than just a canvas; they are an excellent soup base, they add richness to baking, and they marry well with a variety of other ingredients. Plus, cooking with pumpkin is a far greener venture than pumpkin carving, which can create a lot of waste if we’re not diligent.

In addition to pumpkin’s ability to perk up a variety of dishes, it has a nutritional profile to be envious of, boasting a heap of dietary fibre, vitamin A, vitamin C, and potassium. Just one cup of cooked, unsalted pumpkin contains more than twice the daily recommended amount of vitamin A, a known antioxidant, protecting the body from nasty free radicals.

To get the nutritional benefits of pumpkin, give the following recipes a shot.

• Gluten-Free Pumpkin Roll with Orange Cream Cheese Filling
• Pumpkin Bread
• Pumpkin Chickpea Hummus
• Baked Pumpkin Custard
• Pumpkin Pancakes
• Pumpkin Pie-Spiced Rice Pudding
• Maple Pumpkin Tea Loaf