Halloween has past, but it’s not quite Christmas season (yet!). And if you’re anything like us, you still have those pumpkins sitting around. But before you toss out that sweet and nutritious pumpkin pulp and seeds, here are some delicious recipes our friends at Virtua Health whipped up for us!

• Cinnamon Toast Seeds

• Ingredients:

  • 1 ½ cups pumpkin seeds
  • 3 tbsp butter, melted
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • 2 tbsp white sugar

• Directions:

  • Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  • Place pumpkin seeds into a large bowl. Mix butter, cinnamon, and salt together in a small bowl; pour over seeds and toss until evenly coated. Spread seeds in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet.
  • Bake in the oven, stirring occasionally, until seeds are light golden brown, about 40 minutes.
  • Remove from the oven; sprinkle sugar over warm seeds and stir until evenly coated.

• Homemade Pumpkin Puree

• Ingredients:

  • Pulp from one sugar-pie pumpkin, deseeded

• Directions:

  • Preheat the oven to 415 degrees.
  • Roast pulp for 20 to 25 minutes. Then let cool completely.
  • Add the pumpkin flesh to a food processor. Pulse for three to four minutes, stopping to scrape the sides.
  • Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week. Or, if you want to preserve that fall feeling until spring, you can freeze your puree in a container or Ziploc bag for up to three months. Add any spices you choose or leave plain.

• Pumpkin Muffins

• Ingredients:

  • ⅓ cup melted coconut oil or extra-virgin olive oil
  • ½ cup maple syrup or honey
  • 2 eggs, at room temperature
  • 1 cup pumpkin purée (recipe above works)
  • ¼ cup milk of almond milk
  • 2 teaspoons pumpkin spice blend
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 ¾ cups whole wheat flour
  • ⅓ cup old-fashioned oats, plus more for sprinkling on top

• Directions:

  • Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease all 12 cups of your muffin tin with butter or non-stick cooking spray.
  • In a large bowl, mix the oil and maple syrup or honey with a whisk. Add the eggs and beat well. Add the pumpkin purée, milk, pumpkin spice blend, baking soda, vanilla extract and salt.
  • Add the flour and oats to the bowl and mix with a large spoon, just until combined. Some lumps are okay.
  • Divide the batter evenly between the muffin cups. Sprinkle the tops of the muffins with about a tablespoon of oats, followed by a light sprinkle of raw sugar and/or pumpkin spice blend if you’d like. Bake muffins for 22 to 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into a muffin comes out clean.
  • Place the muffin tin on a cooling rack to cool. These muffins are delicate until they cool down. You might need to run a butter knife along the outer edge of the muffins to loosen them from the pan.
  • These muffins taste even better after they have rested for a couple of hours! They’ll keep at room temperature for up to 2 days, or in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. They keep well in the freezer in a freezer-safe bag for up to 3 months.

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