“I want some pumpkin pie!” my 3-year-old daughter insisted.

I guess she thought it was Thanksgiving because of the meal I had prepared: turkey breast, mashed potatoes, gravy and vegetables.

“I’m sorry but we don’t have any pumpkin pie,” I replied.

“Pumpkin pie, please,” she pleaded, smiling sweetly and batting her eyelashes.

This child meant business. Maybe she thought that using the magic word and turning on the charm might make it appear.

She took my hand and led me over to the refrigerator. She examined the contents of the refrigerator. She stood on her tiptoes to peruse the countertop. I lifted her up so she could see that I wasn’t tricking her.

I opened the freezer and distracted her with ice cream. She settled for a dish of ice cream.

Pumpkin pie didn’t start out as a dessert with the crust and whipped topping that ends many holiday meals. In colonial times, New England bakers cut off the pumpkin tops, removed the seeds, and filled the cavity with spices, milk and a sweetener, such as maple syrup.

Then they baked the pumpkin. The concoction was probably more like pumpkin pudding or sweet pumpkin soup.

Enjoy some pumpkin outside of holiday celebrations. Pumpkin, the colorful icon of autumn, is very nutritious. Pumpkin gets its orange color from beta-carotene, a pigment that our bodies use to make vitamin A.

Vitamin A helps keep skin and tissues healthy, helps our eyes see normally in the dark and acts as a natural antioxidant nutrient that could lower our risk for certain types of cancer. Pumpkin also is a good source of fiber, plus it’s naturally low in fat and sodium.

Of course, adding a pie crust and whipped topping adds greatly to the amount of fat and calories a pumpkin contains. Try baked or boiled pumpkin or squash, seasoned with butter, salt and pepper, as a tasty side dish.

To make pumpkin dessert, you can start with canned pumpkin or you can prepare your own pumpkin. To boil pumpkin, wash the pumpkin thoroughly, then cut it in half and remove the seeds and stringy part. Cut in small pieces and then peel each piece. Boil for about 30 minutes or until tender. Mash or use a food processor to puree. Pumpkin also can be baked or steamed.

Pumpkin seeds are fiber-rich snacks, too. After removing the pumpkin pulp, wash off the seeds, blot them with a paper towel, toss them with a little vegetable oil, place them on a baking sheet and bake at 250 degrees until light brown (30 to 40 minutes), stirring occasionally. If you like, you can salt them lightly or add spices of choice.

Here’s a pumpkin dessert with a kid-friendly title and less fat and calories than typical pumpkin pie. It’s from the USDA’s Recipe Finder Web site at http://recipefinder.nal.usda.gov/.

Peter Pumpkin Squares

1 (16-ounce) can pumpkin
1 1/2 c. brown sugar
4 eggs
3/4 c. cooking oil
1 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
1 1/2 c. rolled oats
1 Tbsp. ground cinnamon
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
Margarine or butter to grease the pan

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl, stir together the pumpkin, brown sugar, eggs and oil. Mix well. In a large bowl, mix the flour, oats, cinnamon, baking powder and baking soda. Add the pumpkin mix to the flour mix. Stir well. Grease the baking pan with butter or margarine. Pour the batter into the greased baking pan. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes.

Makes 24 servings. Each serving has 180 calories, 8 grams (g) of fat, 25 g of carbohydrate, 2 g of fiber and 60 percent of the daily recommendation for vitamin A (as beta carotene).

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Source: Julie Garden-Robinson, (701) 231-7187, jgardenr@ndsuext.nodak.edu
Editor: Rich Mattern, (701) 231-6136, richard.mattern@ndsu.nodak.edu

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