Halloween is the perfect day for roasting pumpkin.
Touchdown!!! (John Bazemore/AP Photo)
Before I get into that tastiness, I need to talk a little football. In addition to being Halloween weekend, it was a HUGE football weekend. Georgia Tech‘s Homecoming game was against the undefeated Clemson Tigers. Tech won pretty 31-17, making me one happy girl Saturday night. 🙂
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Every fall people go crazy over the return of canned pumpkin to grocery store shelves. While the canned stuff is good (and convenient), it doesn’t hold a candle to homemade pumpkin puree.
Don’t use your jack-o-laterns for this.
Recycling is good, but those are different pumpkins. What you want to use is the smaller Sugar Pie Pumpkin, which has a sweeter, softer flesh. They can be found at most grocery stores.
Gutted and ready to roast
Yes, it is slightly more time-consuming than opening a can. The end result is well worth it. There is just something about the flavor and the texture that is much, much better. It will take your pumpkin pies and breads to a new level of delicious.
Post-Roast Pumpkin
You’ll notice a huge difference when using it for non-baking purposes too. I love mixing it in my Greek yogurt, smoothies, and pasta dishes.
Some people lick batter out of bowls… I may have done something similar with this pumpkin skin.
Yesterday I even mixed my pumpkin puree with coconut milk and cayenne and used it as a marinade for my tempeh before pan-frying it. Lunch doesn’t get more fall than that!
Pumpkin-encrusted tempeh salad
The puree can be portioned and frozen for later use (if you don’t eat it all at once). Pumpkin muffins year-round!
Pumpkin puree
The puree is decadent. Fresh pumpkin contains more moisture than canned, making the texture absolutely fabulous. You won’t be able to resist sprinkling some cinnamon and nutmeg on it for a mid-morning snack.
Perfect post-photo shoot snack
Don’t forget to save the seeds for roasting!
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It wasn’t a bad fitness week. Thank you all for your well-wishes regarding my injury. I did make the call not to run my portion of the relay. It was a tough decision, but I just literally couldn’t run more even a mile Saturday morning. Now I’m concentrating on healing up and being able to run the Half Marathon on Thanksgiving. I can’t believe its less than a month away!
Workout Recap (10/24-10/30)
- Monday – 4 mile run, 6 min plank sequence, 100 push-ups
- Tuesday – Biceps/Back, P90X Ab Ripper X, 100 push-ups
- Wednesday – 100 push-ups
- Thursday – 6 mile run, 100 push-ups
- Friday – Triceps/Chest, Ab Ripper X
- Saturday – Shoulders/Butt, 45 mins elliptical, 100 push-ups
- Sunday – 15 mins abs, 45 mins stationary bike, 100 push-ups
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Roasted Pumpkin
- 1 sugar pie pumpkin
- olive oil
- salt
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Cut the pumpkin in half. Scoop out the “guts” (save the seeds to roast later), and then slice each half once to create a total of 4 pieces. Rub the wedges with olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Place on a foil-lined baking sheet to bake for about an hour (or until tender).
Scoop the meat out of the skins and puree in food processor.
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Best costume of the weekend: Charlie Sheen with Goddesses.
What was the best costume you saw this weekend (or at work today)?
What food items commonly purchased pre-made do you like to make yourself?
I agree, nothing beats freshly roasted pie pumpkin puree 🙂 I used to get cans, but my CSA this year has provided me with tons (literally…) of pumpkins, and so I’ve been roasting every weekend.
I too roasted a whole pumpkin on Sunday!! Actually two pie pumpkins!! I absolutely love the taste of the pumpkin and having this in my frig gives me lots of options for the week. Great ideas for using the pumpkin!
I like to make things like hummus, salad dressing, ect… It’s always so much fresher!
Okay… you convinced me to try it!!
I am going to bake a pumpkin today =)
I’m still laughing at the Charlie Sheen w/ goddesses idea… that is hilarious!!
I can’t beat that!
Ah, P90X. My wife has done that and I still like to say “superman, banana” at odd times. And you thought I’d skip right to the food. Thanks for the pointers on pumpkins. I don’t normally pay too much attention to the type I buy. Katherine laughs because I really just want the seeds.
Ha – I hate that move! But it works. 🙂
I can see myself enjoying the combination of pumpkin puree with coconut milk and cayenne. Guess I’ll have to make an extra purchase at the store today. thx for the tip and Happy Halloween!
I need to make my own pumpkin anyway as I can’t find the canned stuff half the time. Also, I’m so happy to see tempeh here! I love it but few dare to eat it and cook it!
Gah I was so pumped for that win on Saturday!!! Gooo Jackets!!
I’m really sorry about your injury. I hope you’ll be all healed up for the Thanksgiving Half!
Yum!!! I love fresh roasted pumpkin. You’re absolutely right- though I usually do take the easy way out, the few times I have opted for fresh pumpkin as opposed to canned, I have definitely been able to tell the difference. I remember when I was living in Italy, we wanted to celebrate with a traditional Thanksgiving meal and I got assigned the pies. They don’t have pre-made pie crust or canned pumpkin over there (that I could find!) so I made everything from scratch and they were by far the best pies I have ever made. Now, lets talk about making pumpkin puree when all you have is a fork……
Having to do it with a fork could double as an arm workout! I’m going to try it next time… notsomuch. 😉
Though I’m still bummed about my Tigers, I’ve moved on and am ready to enjoy the rest of football season. It’s coming to a close so fast! Where did the time go? I am ready for an off weekend though. Since Clemson isn’t playing Saturday, I might actually have time to hike, clean my house, or even roast a pumpkin (I always just buy the canned stuff).
I know! I’m always so sad for it to end. Why can’t football season be as long as baseball?!
yum! i love roasted pumpkin- great post!
I am going to try baking a pumpkin when I get home! There is so much you can do with it. I love pumpkin puree too and it would be fun to actually make my own rather than use the canned stuff. Of course, the canned is much more convenient haha
Happy Halloween! 🙂
I so want to go to the market and load up on pumpkins…LOVE THEM. But I have never roasted them.
hey! I posted homemade pumpkin puree too! Isn’t it the best thing ever! Congratulations on top 9! Love the last picture!
Could you can the pumpkin for later use? Isn’t there a formula or something for canning? Either way- it seems like if this were able to be canned and processed, you could keep larger quantities for longer, right? Someone has to know how to do this, because I’m going to need to store a lot of it for the winter! You have solved all of my pumpkin-loving problems!
I would imagine so… I have NO canning experience though. Lt me know if you figure it out!!
OK – I am missing posts for some reason so I must go back & see what happened to you…. OR I read & have old people/hormone no memory! 😉