Pumpkin, Pear & Apple

Well, the blogging's been slow around here but fall has come and 

is bringing it's bounty.

I adore fall foods and I'm excited to dive into some new dishes for our littles.

I have more posts coming up and some small giveaways as well.

Today I'm showing a puree of some of the best of fall... pumpkins, pears and apples.

Although I know you can get pears and apples year-round in grocery stores...

these are in season now so stop by your local farmer's market and let yourself be

amazed at how flavorful and delicious they are.

This is my first attempt at cooking pumpkin and it was soooo easy.

It makes me wonder if it's worth it making pumpkin pie from scratch.

It wouldn't actually be very hard.

Thoughts?

Oh and if you have canned pumpkin that would be fine...

but only the plain stuff, not the pumpkin pie mix.

Pumpkin, Pear and Apple

1 baking or pie pumpkin, cut in half and gutted :)

2 pears, skinned, cored and cut into chunks

2 apples, skinned, cored and cut into chunks

pat of unsalted butter optional

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.

As for the gutting of the pumpkin- just take out all the seeds (bake these for an adult snack)

and all the stringy stuff by scraping it with a spoon.

Place your pumpkin face down on a baking sheet.

Place your apple and pear in a small dish (I used a loaf pan).

Put the pumpkin, pears and apples in the oven.

Bake for about 20 minutes and then cover the apples and pears with a piece of foil.

Make sure you seal it around the top, using a pot holder of course, 

so that we create some steam and get some juices going.

We don't want it to get dry and want to use that liquid for the puree.

Bake for another 10 minutes or so.

At this point your fruit will be ready and you can check your pumpkin.

If the skin is easily pierced with a fork then it's done (as mine was).

If not then leave it in until ready.

Put it all in a food processor and puree, 

thinning with water or unsweetened apple juice until the desired consistency.

Otherwise you could also mash for a chunkier texture.

The fat in butter helps the body absorb the beta-carotene.  

Enjoy!

*Variations

-I added 1/4 tsp of cinnamon

-Try adding curry, nutmeg, pumpkin pie spice, cardamom or ginger

-Puree with chicken, turkey or pork

-Add herbs like mint or cilantro

-You could also steam the ingredients instead of roasting

*Storage

Refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months

*Benefits

Pumpkin is packed with potassium (3 times a banana) and is packed with beta-carotene, lutein (for your eyes), fiber, vitamin A, calcium, magnesium, iron and phosphorus.

Pears are a good source of fiber, vitamin C, E, K and B2, copper as well as potassium.

Apples are loaded with fiber, vitamins C, beta-carotene, riboflavin, thiamin, potassium,

phosphorus and calcium.