Peter pumpkin squares

Pumpkin spice as a fall flavor gets a lot of press. But pumpkin — the vegetable — is the real star. Take away the labor by purchasing canned pumpkin and this vegetable gets a 5-star rating for convenience too. Just make sure to buy plain 100% canned pumpkin not its pre-sweetened cousin pumpkin pie mix.

Pumpkin is packed with nutrition and is low in calories like most vegetables. It falls into the red/orange subgroup of vegetables where beta carotene, or the plant-based form of Vitamin A is abundant. In fact, just ½ cup of canned pumpkin provides about 100% of the daily recommended amount of Vitamin A. It is also an excellent source of fiber and a good source of potassium — 2 nutrients that promote heart health. And there's an alphabet of micronutrients like iron, magnesium and copper to name a few.

It's mild flavor lends itself to both savory and sweet! Add it to soups, stews, macaroni and cheese for flavor, thickness and tons of nutrition. Bake it into a sweet treat for a quick breakfast, mid-day snack, after school "hungries" or even dessert and you'll be satisfying a sweet tooth along with a powerhouse of nutrition.

We love this recipe because it features one can of 100% pumpkin and whole grain oats.

TIP: If you add raisins, you have both fruit and vegetables in one sweet treat.

Peter pumpkin squares

Ingredients:

• 1 can pumpkin (15 ounces)
• 1 1/2 cups brown sugar, packed
• 4 eggs
• 3/4 cup oil (cooking)
• 1 1/2 cups flour (all-purpose)
• 1 1/2 cups rolled oats
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon margarine or butter (to grease the pan)

Instructions:

• Wash hands with soap and water and preheat oven to 350 °F.
• In a medium bowl, stir together the pumpkin, brown sugar, eggs and oil. Mix well.
• In a large bowl, mix the flour, oats, cinnamon, baking powder and baking soda.
• Add the pumpkin mix to the flour mix. Stir well.
• Grease a 9x13 inch baking pan with butter or margarine.
• Pour the batter into the greased baking pan and bake for 30 minutes.

Recipe adapted from myplate.gov.

Next steps:

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