Pumpkin is not your average food. High in iron, full of vitamins, minerals anti-oxidants and even fiber, Pumpkin is one of the few vegetables allowed during the Atkins induction phase. Part of the squash family, Pumpkin seed can be used in any Winter squash recipe, being part of the same family as squash and cucumber. You can even roast it without opening it, on 350 degrees in your oven by poking holes in it to let the steam out. It will cook perfectly.
Pumpkin can keep for 6 months whole. Store them in a cool place (50-60 degrees) with newspaper beneath them when they aren't opened. Once opened though, you should use the pumpkin within a couple of days or so, as it can begin to decompose quickly. Once cooked it will usually keep for 4-5 days in the fridge. Dehydrated or canned, you can get a year or more out of pumpkin.
For seeds you can dry them on paper towels, oil them and salt/season them a bit if you prefer, and slow roast them at 250 degrees until the scent is right. This process is usually not more demanding then 45 minutes to an hour, when you stir them every 15 minutes for evenly dispersed roasting.
The Seeds can also be used to make milk, by soaking the seeds in 5 cups water and then blending the entire mixture until milky, adding agave or other desired flavoring touches as desired, then straining the pulp out. The pulp can be used a pate if desired, and the milk itself can be blended (like most non-dairy milks) with oil to make cream, or butter (butter comes with lots of blending).
Starting pumpkin seeds off (guesstimating 1 cup of pumpkin seeds and a 1/2 cup water) with less water will make a thicker cream instead of a milk if you do not wish to emulsify with oil. Adding 3-4 tbs of
agar-agar to heated pumpkin milk until it dissolves will help you to make a hard cheese (though adding lemon juice, garlic powder, and onion powder to taste is recommended for cheesy flavor). Some raw foodists ferment the creamed versions of nut milks (without oil) of the milk as cheese over the course of 2-3 days in a lightly colored pan after simmering milk to rid of potentially harmful bacteria. It could work with seed milk.
A quicker way to roast pumpkin seeds
Pumpkin's color communicates its beta-carotene benefit right from first sight. It's full of
Vitamin A, Protein, Alpha and Beta Carotenes, antioxidant carotenoids, Zinc, copper, Manganese, Phosporous, Amino Acid L-Tryptophan, Vitamins C, K and E, iron as mentioned, fiber, minerals as mentioned, potassium, effective carbohydrates, and magnesium. In short, this vegetable is a powerhouse of goodness. The seeds, called Pepitas are abundant with minerals as well as what some say is an anti-inflammatory effect. It has also been said it can protect against prostate cancer and osteoporosis.
The heavier sizes are great for cooking (2 to 5 pounds is a good range- when they are too big they are not as suitable), while light sized pumpkins are drier with more open space in their middles.
This Fall, you can share some of those interesting facts with your social circle, as many have no idea pumpkin can be used for more than pie and seeds.
Some folks even make boats out of the giant ones ^_^
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