Pumpkin Granola

If you make one thing this year using leftover pumpkin, then it has to be this Pumpkin Granola - it's my new favorite thing.

So Halloween has gone and left us for this year. Both my kids love this time of year, going to the local pumpkin patch, with hayride, face painting and of course at the end going into the pumpkin fields and picking your own pumpkins.

However the big pumpkins we picked I just use  for carving, never for cooking. If you have only tried pumpkin once and it came from a carving pumpkin and you hated it, well that's probably because carving pumpkins really don't taste very nice. For cooking you want the smaller pie pumpkins, which when cooked, whether it be in a soup, or roasted or pureed with winter spices, are rather delicious.

To make my pumpkin puree I like to bake the pumpkin, as I find the flavour is better, you can steam it, but the flavour can become a bit watery.

Using a large knife, I cut the pumpkin in half, scoop out the seeds (save those if you want to roast your own pumpkin seeds), then lay them  flesh side down on a parchment lined tray. Bake at 200c/400f for about 45 minutes, a knife should skewer into it easily as this point (and if you push on the skin, it should indent). Allow to cool slightly and then you can add to a blender and puree. Place in small tubs and freeze, that way you have pumpkin on hand for all the delicious Pumpkin recipes right here on Slimming Eats.

Pumpkin Recipes

If you don't have any fresh pumpkin on hand, then canned will work fine too, just make sure you select 100% pure pumpkin, which is low calorie, there is another canned variety which is a pumpkin pie filling which is loaded with sugar and other ingredients.

This one here is pretty good:

and can be found at certain grocery stores or Click here to order some from amazon

I was looking for inspiration for something using up some of the pumpkin puree, I was going to make up a big pot of my pumpkin oatmeal which the kids really love drizzled with maple syrup, but with the ingredients sat in front of me I wondered if I could make some kind of healthy granola. Most granolas are loaded with sugar, so are pretty high in calories.

But this Pumpkin Granola is delicious and low.

Combining just a couple of ingredients and baking in the oven, it turned out perfectly. Delicious Pumpkin Granola. It is seriously good stuff. Once cooked and cooled, you can just add to a lidded jar. I just made enough for 3 servings, but you could make more or less, by doubling or reducing ingredients.

This pumpkin granola can be enjoyed with some milk from you HEa and fruit, or sprinkled into some fat free yoghurt or you could even make this Pumpkin Granola Yoghurt Parfait. Either way you will totally love it.