There is no denying it. Autumn has well and truly arrived and with autumn comes pumpkins so this week’s #CookBlogShare roundup includes 5 perfect pumpkin recipes.

I don’t know about you, but I do love the Autumn. Perhaps it is because I was an Autumn baby but I think its more to do with the fact that I love Autumn foods. Cosy and comforting, but still lighter than the full on dishes of winter. A nod towards colder, leaner days ahead but still not fully letting go of summer.  Each sunny day of autumn is all the more valued for the fact we know there are not so many of them ahead and the light at this time of year always seems to have a special quality. Yes, I am happy to embrace Autumn and of course, it also means even more baking which, in my mind, is never a bad thing.

Pumpkin has always played a big part in Autumn foods in the States but now we Brits too seem to be fully embracing pumpkin as part of our Autumn menus.  Just a few years back when I wrote my recipe for Pumpkin soup which is one of my early Recipes Made Easy Posts (excuse the dodgy iphone photos), I quoted how much pumpkin was thrown away each year when Jack o lantern are made. What a waste!  Well, there’s no need for that anymore as there are plenty of pumpkin recipes on the web and last week we had no less than 5 pumpkin recipes linked up to #CookBlogShare. I’m also delighted to see that each year we are gradually seeing more and more different varieties of pumpkin and squashes available, many of which are really delicious.  If you are not yet convinced try one of these delicious pumpkin recipes. I’m sure you will soon change your mind.

Five Perfect Pumpkin Recipes

Kicking off, Lost in Food shared their  Spicy Pumpkin soup and some fabulous pictures of pumpkins and squashes in all sorts of shapes and sizes. As a result I now find myself wanting to dive into a bowl of steaming pumpkin soup as right now I’m feeling a little chilly.

Next,  for  a main dish we have a Pumpkin Stew with Chick Peas and Morrocan Spices from Searching for Spice. This vegan stew is full of flavour and warmly spiced.  A great vegetarian one-pot meal that freezes well and is easy to prepare. Sounds good to me.

On the sweet side we have these  Gluten Free Pumpkin Pasties With Butterbeer Frosting from Domestic Deadline. Inspired by the Harry potter movies these pumpkin shaped pasties are filled with a mixture of pumpkin puree and cream cheese.

Or if its cake you are after, why not try this Healthy Pumpkin Cake with Dark Chocolate Drizzle from Everyday Healthy Recipes. “There is more pumpkin in this recipe than flour and certainly more than fat and sugar put together.  This means that the cake is high in fibre and vitamins A and C, as well as potassium (all thanks to the pumpkin). Pumpkin is also very low in calories.” I don’t know about you but I’m sold!

And finally, if you have a spoonful or so of pumpkin puree left over from other recipes, you could make a warming Homemade Pumpkin Spice Latte from Something Sweet, Something Savoury and you will be saving money too as its much cheaper than buying it from a coffee shop chain.