Healthy Pumpkin Recipe - The Episcopal Diocese of Northern California

by The Episcopal Church Medical Trust Health Partners

This fall, don't overlook pumpkins as a source of nutrition. Pumpkins are loaded with vitamin A and fiber, and low in calories. So don't just buy canned pumpkin for pie; keep it in the pantry to whip up a quick, homemade pumpkin recipe like the one featured below.

Pumpkin Soup

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup water
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 can (8 ounces) pumpkin puree – (or you can make your own puree by roasting a small pumpkin and whipping the flesh in a blender or food processor.)
• 1 cup unsalted vegetable broth
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 cup fat-free milk
• 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 green onion, green top only, chopped

Directions

In a large saucepan, heat 1/4 cup of the water over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until tender, about 3 minutes. Don't let the onion dry out.

Add the remaining water, pumpkin, broth, cinnamon and nutmeg. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Stir in the milk and cook until hot. Don't boil.

Ladle into warmed individual bowls and garnish with black pepper and green onion tops. Serve immediately and enjoy.

Nutritional analysis per serving

Serving size: 1 cup
Calories: 72
Sodium: 241 mg
Total fat: 1 g
Total carbohydrate: 12 g
Saturated fat: < 1 g
Dietary fiber: 2 g
Monounsaturated fat: < 1 g
Protein: 3 g
Cholesterol: 1 mg

Adapted from http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/healthy-recipes/ and www.webmd.com

This material is for informational purposes only and is not intended to be professional medical advice or treatment. Always seek the advice of a health care professional with any questions about personal health care status, and prior to making changes in approaches to diet and exercise. This material is for informational purposes only and is not a guarantee of coverage under any Episcopal Church Medical Trust (“ECMT”) health plan. To determine what services are covered under an ECMT health plan, the corresponding Plan Handbook should be reviewed carefully. In the event of a conflict between this information contained in this email and the official Plan documents (schedule of benefits, Summary Plan Description, booklet, booklet-certificate), the official Plan documents will govern. Unless otherwise noted, websites referenced herein that are outside the www.cpg.org domain are not associated with the ECMT and its affiliates (collectively, the “Church Pension Group”) and the Church Pension Group is not responsible for the content of any such website. All quotations are used with permission.