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It’s fall, and with the cooler weather comes an urge to whip up some hearty meals. Why not make pumpkin the main ingredient? It’s flavorful and packed with an impressive list of healthy benefits, according to Laura O’Mary, Registered Dietitian for NorthBay Health.

For starters, Laura noted that pumpkin is an excellent source of fiber, and in particular the soluble kind. Soluble fiber is unique in that it can improve both constipation and diarrhea, normalizing bowel function overall.

Pumpkin is also loaded with beta-carotene and vitamin A, which is important for eye health. Vitamin A helps your retina process and absorb light. Just one cup of pumpkin provides you with more than 200% of the recommended daily amount of vitamin A.

Pumpkins are also rich in potassium, which can help regulate blood pressure, lowering your risk for heart attack and stroke, and they also contain antioxidants, which can help prevent heart disease.

Incorporating pumpkin into your diet can help your body’s immune system become more effective at fighting off germs, which is important at this time of year, Laura noted. Pumpkins contain vitamins C and E, folate and iron, which all help strengthen your immune system. These ingredients can also lower your risk for certain kinds of cancer.

Knowing all those benefits, it’s not a bad idea to incorporate pumpkin in your diet – whether it be for breakfast, lunch, dinner or a snack.

“To get you started, I’ve prepared several recipes where pumpkin takes main stage. They include pumpkin oatmeal pancakes, a salad with creamy pumpkin dressing, turkey pumpkin chili, instructions on how to toast pumpkin seeds for a snack, and a recipe for pumpkin cheesecake parfait.”

Check out the recipes below!

BREAKFAST: Pumpkin Oatmeal Pancakes

Servings: Makes about 8 small pancakes

Ingredients

• 1 ½ cups old fashioned rolled oats (divided)
• 1 ½ tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
• ¼ tsp salt
• ½ cup pure pumpkin puree
• ¼ cup plain Greek yogurt
• 2 Tbsp agave or pure maple syrup
• ½ cup-1 cup unsweetened almond milk
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• Non-stick cooking spray

Instructions

1. First, make your own oat flour by measuring 1 cup rolled oats and place them in a food processor or blender and pulse until they turn into a fine powder that resembles flour.
2. In a large bowl, combine the oat flour, the other ½ cup rolled oats, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, and salt and mix together.
3. In a separate bowl, combine the pumpkin puree, Greek yogurt, agave, almond milk, beaten egg, and vanilla extract and mix together until well combined. Start with ½ cup almond milk and increase if batter seems too thick.
4. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and gently fold in until dry ingredients are moistened. Do not over mix; it is okay if there are a few dry spots.
5. Heat a griddle or skillet over medium heat and spray with non-stick cooking spray.
6. One by one, pour ¼ cup of the pancake batter into the heated skillet, leaving a little space in between each one so they do not touch. Flip the pancakes when bubbles appear on top of the batter and the edges are slightly browned, about 2-4 minutes. Cook until second side is slightly browned, about 1-2 minutes more. Serve immediately.
7. Instead of serving pancakes with butter and syrup, make a healthy pumpkin yogurt sauce with ½ cup plain Greek yogurt, 1 Tbsp pumpkin puree, a drizzle of agave, and a dash of cinnamon. Top with some chopped walnuts for some extra healthy fat and protein. Enjoy!

Lunch: Fall Salad & Creamy Pumpkin Dressing

Servings: Makes 4 lunch-sized entrée salads

Ingredients

Salad:

• 5-6 ounce package of baby spinach or mixed greens
• 1 baked chicken breast, sliced
• 1 sweet potato, chopped into 1 inch cubes and roasted
• 2 Tbsp olive oil, divided
• 1 green apple, chopped or sliced thinly
• 4 Tbsp sprouted pumpkin seeds
• Salt and pepper for seasoning the chicken and sweet potato

Creamy Pumpkin Dressing:

• 1 ½ cups plain Greek yogurt
• 1/3 cup pure pumpkin puree
• 2 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 2 Tablespoons olive oil
• 1 Tablespoon pure maple syrup
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon dried thyme leaves
• ¼ teaspoon cinnamon

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place the raw chicken breast in a lightly oiled baking dish. Lightly coat the chicken breast with 1 Tbsp olive oil and season with salt and pepper on both sides. Place in the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes until it reaches 165 degrees.
2. Scrub the sweet potato and dice into 1 inch cubes. Toss the sweet potato cubes in a bowl with 1 Tbsp olive oil, salt and pepper. Spread evenly onto a lightly oiled sheet pan and place in the oven alongside the chicken breast. Bake the sweet potato cubes for 10 minutes, then remove from the oven and stir/toss the cubes with a spatula and bake for another 5 minutes.
3. While the chicken and sweet potato are cooling, prepare the Creamy Pumpkin Dressing. Combine all dressing ingredients in a bowl and whisk to combine. Set in the fridge until you are ready to assemble the salads and serve.
4. Once the chicken has cooled, slice it. Wash and chop or slice the green apple.
5. To assemble the salads, divide the spinach or mixed greens among 4 large bowls. Top evenly with the sliced chicken breast, roasted sweet potato, and green apple. Drizzle the dressing over the salads and toss gently. To finish sprinkle with sprouted pumpkin seeds.

Dinner: Turkey Pumpkin Chili

Servings: Makes about 8, 1 cup servings

Ingredients

• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 small or ½ large yellow or white onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 bell pepper, any color, diced
• 1 pound lean ground turkey
• 2 15oz cans black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 15oz can diced tomatoes (if you like spicy, use diced tomatoes with green chilies)
• 1 15oz can pumpkin puree
• 2 cups chicken broth or vegetable broth (or try bone broth!)
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1 Tbsp cumin
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• Dash of salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

This dish can be made in the crock pot or on the stove!

1. Heat a large pot on the stove to medium high heat and add olive oil. Add onion, garlic and bell pepper and sauté until onion is translucent, about 3-4 minutes. Add ground turkey and cook until no longer pink.
2. At this point you can transfer the turkey mixture to the crock pot or keep it in the large pot on the stove. To the turkey mixture add black beans, diced tomatoes, pumpkin puree and bone broth. Stir to combine.
3. Add chili powder, cumin, oregano, cinnamon, salt and pepper and allow to cook in the crock pot for 4 hours on low heat or 2 hours on high heat. If on the stove, cover the pot and let simmer, stirring occasionally for 30 minutes
4. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed before serving. Enjoy!

Snack: Toasted Pumpkin Seeds 3 ways

Using a spoon, scoop the seeds out of your pumpkin. Remove all of the pulp and rinse and drain the seeds. Spread out on a cookie sheet to dry for several hours or overnight.

Heat a dry skillet over medium heat. Stir the seeds constantly as they are toasting to prevent burning. When they begin to turn golden brown they are done. Remove them from the heat and immediately and transfer to a bowl. Drizzle the seeds with a small amount of olive oil and toss with seasonings. Here are three combinations to try!

• Sweet and Spicy: drizzle some hot sauce and agave
• Chocolate: sprinkle with brown sugar and cocoa powder
• Garlic Parmesan: sprinkle with garlic salt and parmesan cheese

Dessert: Pumpkin Cheesecake Parfait

Servings: Makes 4 parfaits

Ingredients

• 1 cup plain Greek yogurt
• ½ cup pumpkin puree
• ¼ cup whipped cream cheese
• 1 Tbsp pure maple syrup or agave
• ½ tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
• ½ tsp cinnamon
• 4 graham cracker sheets
• 4 Tbsp chopped pecans
• Whipped cream

Instructions

1. Put graham crackers in a Ziploc bag and crush into crumbs.
2. In a large bowl, use an electric hand mixer to mix together the Greek yogurt, cream cheese, pumpkin puree, vanilla extract, maple syrup or agave, pumpkin pie spice and cinnamon. Mix until well combined and creamy. Place the mixture in a piping bag or Ziploc bag with a corner snipped off.
3. Into the bottom of a small glass, pipe a layer of pumpkin yogurt mixture. Then sprinkle a small amount of graham cracker crumbs. Repeat with a second layer of the pumpkin yogurt mixture, top with a dollop of whipped cream and finish with a final sprinkle of graham cracker crumbs and 1 Tbsp chopped pecans. Repeat the same process for the other 3 parfaits.

If you'd like more guidance on incorporating nutritious recipes and other healthy choices into your life, you can schedule an appointment with NorthBay Health dietitian, Laura O’Mary at (707) 624-7900.