Surprising Facts You Didn’t Know About Pumpkins

While you sip on that pumpkin spice latte, consider these unusual pumpkin facts about your favorite fall produce.

Maybe you want to know why pumpkins fit so effortlessly into sweet and savory dishes, like pumpkin ravioli and pumpkin pie. Perhaps you are curious about how early American settlers used this foreign gourd for cooking, or why we carve faces into pumpkins on Halloween.

Pumpkins haven’t always been as popular as they are today. In fact, pumpkins were hardly eaten by people for a considerable part of the 19th century. Hard to believe considering pumpkin spice seems take over our taste buds every fall season. No food is above a little help from pumpkin spice: Pumpkin flavored yogurt, coffee, candies, and even English muffins are cropping up on our supermarket shelves.

This fall season while you snack on your artisanal pumpkin [insert food here]; consider the facts about this versatile, tasty treat to discover how pumpkins went from the bottom to the food chain to the top of fall food trends over the past several hundred years

1.  45 Different Varieties of Pumpkins

While the round orange pumpkin is the most recognizable pumpkin, pumpkins come in many different shapes, sizes, and colors. Some of the cleverly named pumpkin varietals include, Halloween in Paris from France, Cinderella (the varietal cultivated by the Pilgrims), and Wee-Be-Little a miniature pumpkin varietal.

2. Irish Jack-O-Lanterns

The tradition of carving pumpkins originated in Ireland. The Irish would carve jack-o-lanterns out of turnips to scare away evil spirits during the Celtic holiday Samhain, the night when spirits of the dead would walk the earth.

3. October = Pumpkin Month

80 percent of the pumpkin crop in the U.S. is available during October. That is roughly 800 million pumpkins out of the 1 billion pumpkins grown in the U.S. each year.

4. “Pumpkin Capital” of the World

Morton, Illinois is the self-proclaimed pumpkin capital of the world. Illinois is one of the largest producers of pumpkin in the United States with 90 to 95 percent of its crop being used for processed pumpkin foods.

5. Pumpkin Seeds

Pumpkin seeds contain more protein than peanuts and are a wonderful roasted with spices or salt. Sprinkle pumpkin seeds on top of salads or eat as a snack on their own.

6. Pumpkins are 90 Percent Water

Admittedly, this is less of a surprising fact when you consider that pumpkins come from the same family as the watermelon and cucumber.

[via The Daily Meal]

22 Delicious Meatless Main Dishes To Make For Thanksgiving

1. Stuffed Butternut Squash

With a simple and nourishing ingredient list, this dish manages to be packed with flavor (one of the many benefits of eating in-season). It also happens to be a very pretty dish that would make a deliciously satisfying addition to your Thanksgiving table. Recipe here.

2. Mediterranean Baked Sweet Potatoes

The concept is simple:

Baked sweet potatoes – cut in half to shorten cooking time
Seasoned, roasted chickpeas
Garlic-herb sauce
Parsley-tomato salad for garnish

The result is a 30-minute lunch or dinner that’s both satisfying, savory and sweet, and seriously healthy. Grab the recipe here and if you already have sweet potatoes on the menu? Make something similar with eggplant.

3. Grilled Chipotle Lime Cauliflower Steaks

These cauliflower "steaks" demonstrate that more than almost anything else we've grilled; their tongue-in-cheek name is a good indicator of how satisfying a centerpiece they make on any table. They're smoky and spicy, with a squirt of lime and flurry of cilantro. Get the spicy recipe here.

4. Potato and Green Garlic Crustless Quiche with Goat Cheese, Gruyère, and Chives

The quiche recipe is quite simple: cook up some vegetables, whip up a batter of eggs, milk, and flour, combine the two and add some cheese, bake, and voilà. Brunch. (Or lunch. Or dinner. Or all of the above.) Try the recipe yourself here.

5. Roasted Vegetable Galette

This savory galette is a wonderful lunch or snack for those who still wait for warm days. It's full of flavors and vitamins that we so much need during a long cold winter. Find the recipe here.

6. Roasted Fall Vegetable and Ricotta Pizza

Such an inventive way to get nutrients without feeling deprived! Also a great day-after-Thanksgiving treat. Snag the delicious, easy recipe here.

7. Acorn Squash with Walnuts & Cranberry

What says “fall” better than pumpkins and squash? They come in such a huge variety of colors, shapes and flavors these days! The addition of walnuts gives you an added boost of healthy oils, which are good for your cardiac health and help you lower cholesterol. Seriously, do you need more convincing? Try the recipe out here.

8. Roasted Cauliflower, Mushroom and Goat Cheese Quiche with Quinoa Crust

The cauliflower and mushroom combo works amazingly well in this quiche and now you can enjoy the favorite combo for breakfast lunch and dinner! Enjoy the recipe here.

9. Chili Polenta Pie

Do you need a "pot pie challenge"? Cause this is the recipe for you.

10. Vegan Mushroom, Chestnut & Cranberry Tart

This tart is perfect for holidays – make it the day before and heat through once dinner’s nearly ready. If you can’t get wild mushrooms, use more chestnut ones. Try it out this year!

11. Roasted Brussels Sprouts and Crispy Baked Tofu with Honey-Sesame Glaze

Tender, caramelized brussels sprouts with extra crispy tofu and brown rice, topped with an irresistible sweet-and-spicy glaze. This meal requires some prep work, but once you're ready, you can cook the rice, sprouts and tofu in about 30 minutes, while making the glaze in the meantime. For a simple side dish, roast 2+ pounds of sprouts and skip the rice and tofu. Find the recipe here.

12. “Ricotta” Stuffed Cabbage

This is the gluten free solution stuffed shells. You’ll notice this recipe also pasta-free but trust me – this “cheesy” cashew filling – tastes just as indulgent.

13. Roasted Eggplant with Cilantro-Almond Salsa

Serve this amazing eggplant with couscous, topped with a dollop of yogurt and a spoonful of salsa. Yummmmm! Try this recipe here.

14. Vegan Lentil & Sweet Potato Shepherd’s Pie

Forget the traditional style shepherd's pie and instead opt for this recipe on stuffed with deliciously seasoned lentils and veggies, and topped with a gorgeous, vitamin-packed sweet potato mash. It’s every bit as delicious as the original, but low in fat and high in protein, fiber, and nutrients. This shepherd’s pie is the perfect simple, economical, hearty dinner that the whole family will love.

15. Butternut Squash Alfredo Baked Shells

This Butternut Squash Alfredo Stuffed Shells recipe is made with a lighter alfredo sauce, and is perfectly sweet, savory, and delicious!

16. Autumn Root Vegetable Gratin with Herbs and Cheese

This classic dish, other than its near universal appeal, is that it is deceptively simple to make relative to its beauty. Plus, you can probably make it with what you have in your fridge and pantry right now. Try it out now!

17. Mushroom, Spinach and Scallion Tart

This vibrant recipe includes spinach leaves intermingle with roasted mushrooms in a light-as-air (and easy-to-assemble) phyllo shell. The custard-like filling comes together quickly in a blender.

18. Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms with Crispy Goat Cheese

The portobellos are lightly grilled and topped with a chunky homemade tomato sauce, sautéed spinach and shallot mixture, soft goat cheese, and topped with a crispy breadcrumb topping. They're hearty enough to be served on their own, with a simple salad or grain (such as quinoa or pasta!), or as a side dish. Try serving this recipe at the table.

19. Vegetarian Wellington with Seitan, Roasted Mushroom & Kale

Make this vegetarian wellington recipe for Thanksgiving and the turkeys of America will love you! And so will your guests. This welling is a puff pastry wrapping, stuffed with orange and fennel seed braised seitan, thyme roasted mushrooms and kale. All served with the best vegetarian gravy ever! 

20. Butternut Squash-Kale Tart

Embrace the flavor of a sweet butternut squash with open arms and into a delicious tart mixed with kale and grated Gruyere. Try this recipe out this Thanksgiving.

21. Provolone and Mushroom Gratin

Cheesy potatoes get a whole new look with the addition of Provolone cheese, Portobello mushrooms and fresh thyme. Find the recipe here.

22. Roasted Sweet Potato & Black Lentil Salad

This roasted sweet potato and black lentil salad recipe is something easy to nosh throughout a meal or even while cooking! It's great served at room temperature and it’s vegan, simple and with the addition of scallions for sharpness and celery for crunch it makes a dish everyone will love.

[via BuzzFeed]

Tips for an Eek-O Friendly Halloween

A green Halloween? Yes, it can be done.  As you’ve probably figured out from walking into any store this October, Halloween has become a bit of a nightmare for the environment.  These days anything short of an entire yard transformed into a lit-up plastic graveyard or petro-chemical-based spider hatchery has come to be considered un-festive.

And here’s a spooky Halloween fact: Last year alone more than 40 million kids went trick-or-treating. All that adds up to a huge amount of consumerism and waste with ghoulish impacts on our environment and wild lands.

That said, I love Halloween and I sure don't want to be the neighborhood curmudgeon who shuts herself in and turns off the lights on Halloween night. So I think I'll balance my guilt by having myself a green Halloween. I invite you to join me in any way you can.

Here are ten ideas for making your own green Halloween:

1. Green Halloween Costumes: Leave the toxic Halloween costumes on the rack: Halloween costumes are supposed to be fun-scary, not scary-scary. Yet, store-bought costumes are often made up of nonrecyclable petro-chemical based plastic and synthetic fibers. Those Halloween costumes can include one of the scariest plastics--polyvinyl chloride (PVC), a soft plastic and known carcinogen that releases harmful toxins in its creation and breakdown. Avoid these toxic Halloween costumes and go for a green Halloween costume made of natural fabrics and materials.

2. Know what's in your Halloween face paint: In their 2009 Pretty Scary report, Campaign for Safe Cosmetics sent ten kid's make-up sets to a lab and found that all ten contained lead, which can lead to neurological damages in children, as well as nickel, cobalt and chromium. Six out of ten contained cobalt and/or chromium at levels far exceeding safety standards. These metals are not listed on product labels. Look for organic, non-toxic face paints that comply with standards set by the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics or try these homemade recipes for your green Halloween face paint:

• How to make organic facepaints
• Recipes for homemade facepaint, hair gel and hair spray

3. Concoct your own fake blood: Similar to face paint, fake blood can contain stuff that's not so nice to mother nature. Try making your own fake blood from natural products.

4. Shop the ultimate green Halloween markets: Last year alone 41.2 million kids went trick-or-treating, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. That’s a lot of Halloween costumes, not to mention the packaging they come in. Decrease the waste and have some fun sorting through costume selections at local thrift shops. These places have clearly beefed up their Halloween selections over the years, offering an inspiring selection of used costumes and period pieces these days.

5. Hold a green Halloween costume swap: Arrange a Halloween costume swap at your school, church or community center, or do it in your neighborhood.

6. Select not-so-scary Trick-or-treat bags: Avoid the ubiquitous bright orange plastic jack-o-lanterns that have no chance at ever breaking down in a landfill. Instead use reusable shopping bags, canvas totes or the ole pillowcase trick. A funky thriftshop handbag can add a fun twist to a green Halloween costume as well.

7. Choose green Halloween treats with less packaging: Decrease candy packgaging waste by buying in bulk and selecting Halloween candy that uses the least packaging. Candies that come in individual boxes have a chance at getting recycled, whereas those that come in plastic don’t. Other waste-less ideas include pencils made from recycled money, small coins or recyclable items that will find a useful place in a kid's life--as opposed to a home at the bottom of the garbage bin.  One of our staff members reports of a neighbor who hands out books every year. Not a bad idea if you live in a neighborhood with light Halloween traffic.

8. Give organic Halloween candy: Yes, it's a bit pricier but certainly less scarier for the environment. Organic means less environmental damage during production and transportion, as well as healthier ingredients:

• Endangered species chocolate gives ten percent of net profits to fund endangered species and conservation products. 
• Yummy Earth certified organic sells individually wrapped lollipops that can be purchased at Wholefoods, Toys R Us, Vitamin Cottage, Sprouts and others.

 9. Green up your Halloween Pumpkins: Buy organic. Save seeds for roasting with a little oil and light salt. Save the pulp for pies, muffins, soup and other recipes. Yum! Compost your pumpkins so they don’t add to the landfill where they will produce methane gas, a dangerous greenhouse gas.

10. Make your own green Halloween decorations. Halloween is the second biggest decorating holiday of the year, and so many of the decorations being peddled are made of non-recyclable plastics. If you do buy new items, at least choose durable non-petroleum based items that will last for many years. Otherwise, make a dent in the waste by creating your own homemade decorations with recycled household items.

A few green Halloween decorating ideas:

• Giant Spider: Use black trash bags for a giant tarantula (stuff with garden leaves--or newspapers but be sure to recycle the newspapers and trash bags when you’re done). How to here.
• Ghosts: Stuff old bed sheets with leaves or newspaper, tie with a string to form a head and hang  from trees.
• Spiderwebs: Make with shredded black pantyhose or cotton balls, instead of the sythetic messy ones from the store. If you're extra crafty, and want a dramatic look, weave a web of yarn near your entryway. Just select organic cotton or other eco-friendly yarns: Yarn web instructions.
• Eco-friendly Halloween craft ideas
• Halloween craft ideas from recycled items: To make these extra eco-friendly, choose non-toxic paints with low or no VOCs and other kid and earth friendly craft supplies.
• Plastic pumpkin makeovers: If you’ve already got plastic Halloween trick-or-treat pumpkins from yesteryear, the ones the kids have outgrown, but that are too faded or cracked to donate, don’t throw them away. Those pumpkins can be given new life. Just be sure to use non-toxic eco-friendly paint and second-hand props for these ideas Check out these ideas.

[via The Wilderness Society]

15 Delicious Recipes That Prove Pumpkin Is King of Fall

When it comes to favorite fall ingredients, pumpkin may very well be king. Double homage if it's tucked into a bowl of chili, and triple the points if it is slipped into some buttery dessert. No-knead pumpkin rolls and pumpkin muffins with eggnog will make your kitchen smell like fall and fuel your autumn spirit.

Here are 15 recipes that prove pumpkin is the best – a great way to enjoy the chilly weather for dinner, breakfast and dessert.

Pumpkin is one of those things that just keeps giving this time of year: You can transform their cheery orange faces into Jack o'lanterns, use the flesh of the pumpkin for recipes, and even toast the seeds for a delicious snack. Whatever your preference, you're bound to see a whole bunch of pumpkin at your grocery store this time of year.

Shopping for Pumpkin & Pumpkin Puree

Remember when shopping for pumpkin, make sure you choose the right kind for baking and cooking.

While some recipes ask for whole pumpkin, many recipes (especially pumpkin desserts) will call for pumpkin puree. This is something you could buy at a store, but it's also easy to make at home.

Pumpkin Muffins with Eggnog Cream Cheese Swirl

Recipes with Whole Pumpkin

• Pumpkin Chili
• Miso Pumpkin Soup
• Korean Pumpkin Porridge with Rice Dumplings (Hobakjuk)
• Roasted Red Kuri Pumpkin & Coconut Soup

Baked Pumpkin Steel Cut Oatmeal

Breakfast and Dinner Recipes with Pumpkin Puree

• Baked Pumpkin Steel Cut Oatmeal
• Pumpkin & Ricotta Pasta Casserole
• Pumpkin-Chocolate Chunk Pancakes
• Pumpkin Muffins with Eggnog Cream Cheese Swirl
• Cran-Walnut Pumpkin Toasting Bread
• No-Knead Pumpkin Rolls with Brown Sugar Glaze

Gluten-Free and Vegan Chai-Spiced Pumpkin Bars

Pumpkin Puree Desserts

• No-Bake Pumpkin Crème Brûlée
• Gluten-Free and Vegan Chai-Spiced Pumpkin Bars
• Pumpkin Snickerdoodle Cookies
• Spiced Pumpkin Cupcakes with Vanilla Icing & Ginger Caramel
• Ginger Pumpkin Pie with Graham Cracker Crust

 [via The Kitchn]

Healthy Substitutes To Make The Foods You Love Even Better

We found deliciously sneaky ways to make lighter tuna salad, a lower-calorie noodle dish and even better-for-you bacon.

Instead Of Mayonnaise, Try...

Cottage cheese. This classic diet food is a surprisingly effective binder for chicken and tuna salads -- it has that salty, tangy taste you find in mayo, but a fraction of the calories if you use a low-fat version. You can also use cottage cheese on sandwiches or burgers; just toast the bread first to make spreading easier.

Instead Of White Pasta, Try...

Shirataki noodles. This Japanese wonder is made from a plant root, and, amazingly, has no calories. New York City chef Jesse Schenker, who cooks at the restaurant Recette and recently lost 60 pounds, says he often prepares them for lunch or dinner. The noodles are packed in water, and while you can boil them just as you would regular pasta, Schenker likes to skip that step, and instead rinse and dry them, then turn them into a crispy pancake. He tops the dish -- which closely resembles the pan-fried noodle dishes you find in Szechuan restaurants -- with seared shrimp, roasted broccoli, chopped tomatoes and basil.

Instead Of Bacon, Try...

Baked ham. There's a way to get hot, crispy slices of pork without all the fat: Follow the advice of chef Jeff Mahin, chef at the pizzeria Stella Barra, which has two California outposts. He lays slices of deli ham on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet; covers them with another piece of parchment; and then presses another sheet pan on top, to keep the meat flat. Mahin bakes the ham at 275 degrees until crispy (about 25 minutes). It's perfect in an egg sandwich, crumbled on top of mac n' cheese or chopped and sprinkled over salad.

Instead Of Eggs, Try...

Pureed pumpkin. Whether you're baking sweets or making a savory dish that calls for an egg as a binding agent (such as meatballs), Celine Steen, who blogs about vegan cooking at Have Cake Will Travel, says you can use pumpkin puree instead. She knows the squash may seem out of place, but promises you can't detect the flavor -- and you'll be rewarded with moist, light baked goods -- or even meatballs (vegetarian or not). Use about a quarter-cup of puree to replace/as a substitute for each egg.

Instead Of Soy Sauce, Try...

Bragg's Liquid Aminos. This bottled ingredient sounds like something you'd find in a science lab, but chefs and home cooks swear by its ability to add a salty, savory (some call it "umami") dimension to dishes without loads of sodium (it has about 100 mg less per serving than low-sodium soy sauce). Liquid aminos are made from soybeans, and you can add a few shakes to anything from stir-fries to sauteed spinach to meatloaf. Ric Scicchitano, head chef of the Corner Bakery Cafe chain, buys it in a spray bottle and uses it on steamed rice for instant flavor.

[via HuffPost Healthy Living]

My Favorite Pumpkin Pie Recipe

Happy October 1st! 
As summer gives way to the harvest season, I notice many surprises, especially when shopping. As I walk into the grocery store I quickly notice, they have pumpkins! I get really excited cause really, this is the only time my family and I make my favorite pumpkin pie...and I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to share it all with you! I hope you all will enjoy this as much as I do!

For the Crust, You will Need:
1/4 Cup Melted Butter
1 1/4 Cups Crushed Gingersnap Cookies

Mix those together and press into a 9-inch pie pan and bake for 10 minutes at 325º.


For the Filling, You will Need:
Blend 1 Tablespoon Gelatin with 1/4 Cup Cold Water and set aside.

Mix Together in a Saucepan:
3/4 Cup Brown Sugar
1/2 teaspoon Salt
2 teaspoon Cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon Ginger
1/2 teaspoon Allspice
1 1/3 Cups Mashed Cooked Pumpkin
3 Large Egg Yolks
1/2 Cup Milk

Meringue:
3 Large Egg Whites
1/4 teaspoon Cream of Tartar
6 Tablespoons Sugar

Cook over low heat stirring until the mixture boils. Boil 1 minute. remove from heat. Stir in the gelatin. Cool. When partially set, beat until smooth. Carefully fold in the meringue. Pile into the ginger cookie crust. Chill until set, about 2 hours. Garnish with fresh whipped cream.

Looking for more great pumpkin recipes?! Check out Taste Of Home's 'Top 10 Pumpkin Dessert Recipes'