Perfect Plates of Pumpkin

I think pumpkin is one of the most underrated ingredient. Most people think of pumpkin and think thanksgiving- Pumpkin Pie or Halloweeen- carved and toasted seeds. I'll be honest- I'm not a pumpkin pie fan. I usually skip over that pie to rationalize my bigger piece of pecan pie. But I love pumpkin otherwise! I cook with it all the time. If you remember, before my current role as CEO/CFO/Domestic Goddess of the Phillips home, I was a dietitan. Pumpkin is a superfood in my eyes. It's has fiber, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, beta-carotene, potassium- all really great stuff for you! And it's especially super because you can easily get your family to eat it! I have two go to dishes that my kids love! Star ingredient? You guessed it- pumpkin! And Ill have you know that my sweet Blake claims my Pumpkin Pasta recipe to be my best dish and one of the many reasons he loves me so much. Right, dear? So, I'll share my secret super recipes with you. You can substitute canned for fresh, roasted, puréed pumpkin when it's in season. Pumpkin Pasta with Italian Sausage (I adapted this recipe from Rachel Ray 30 minute meals) 3 links turkey sausage, casings removed 1/2 c chopped onion 3 cloves garlic, minced 1 c dry white wine (I leave this out a lot just because I don't have any on hand and I increase chicken stock) 1 bay leaf 2 T fresh sage 1/4 t each ground nutmeg, cinnamon 1 c chicken stock 1 c pumpkin purée (careful not to get pumpkin pie filling) 1/2 c fat free half in half (use regular for a special occasion!) S & P to taste 1 pound cooked whole wheat penne pasta Cook and crumble turkey sausage over high heat. Once cooked, removed from pan, lower temp to medium. Add a small amount of olive oil and sauté onion and garlic until tender. Add wine, bay leaf, sage, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Increase to med-high heat and allow wine to reduce to about 1/4 cup. Add stock and pumpkin, allow to heat through and return sausage to pan. Turn to low heat, and add half and half. Let simmer 10-15 minutes. Toss with penne and serve. Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins 3/4 c sugar 1/4 c canola oil 2 eggs 1 can puréed pumpkin 1/2 t vanilla 1/4 c water 1 1/2 c AP flour 3/4 t baking powder 1/4 t baking soda 1/2 t cinnamon 1/4 t nutmeg 1/4 t salt 1/2-1 c chocolate chips (I like mini or dark chocolate) Preheat oven to 400 Mix sugar,oil, eggs. Add vanilla, pumpkin, and water. Mix all Flour through salt in a separate bowl. Add wet mixture to dry ingredients. Stir until incorporated. Fold in chocolate chips. Sprinkle the tops of the muffins with chips for a little extr a yumminess. Bake in muffin liners or greased muffin tin for 20-25 minutes. I am still without computer- it's getting a new hard drive this week. More memory! Yea! But I've got a super cute pic of Will- stuffing his face with the muffins. He ate two. Hoss. I hope you try these recipes! We're having a pumpkin muffins for snack today!