Fall is here, and so are all of the recipes that come with it. Pumpkins are great for making jack o’ lanterns, but they also have a lot of nutritional value.

According to Daily Burn online, the benefits of pumpkins vary from antioxidants and anti-inflammatory agents to helping with stress relief (which most high schoolers could use), organ health, joint health and soft tissue.

They also can help protect your eyes against cataracts which is clouding of the usual clear lens of the eye and degeneration which is the loss of function in the cells of a tissue or organ.

While the seeds may seem unappetizing to most and end up forgotten in the trash, seeds not only help improve cholesterol and promote healthy skin, but they improve brain function. Imagine eating this as a salty snack before a test or while you are studying.

Here are some sweet, savory, and subtle pumpkin recipes where they increase the flavor and increase your health benefits.

Baked Parmesan Pumpkin Fries

Total Time: 1 hr 15 mins

Ingredients: 

• 1 small pumpkin
• 2 tsp cornstarch
  
• 2 tsp olive oil
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 3 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
• ¼ cup minced fresh parsley
• ½ tsp coarse sea salt

Directions:

• Use a sharp knife, and cut the pumpkin in half. Scoop out pulp and seeds
• Slice the two ends off each half of the pumpkin. Slice in half again. Using a vegetable peeler, peel pumpkin pieces and then slice pieces into 1/4″ fries.
• Place fries in a large bowl and cover with cold water. Let fries soak up to 30 mins, but preferably overnight.
• Preheat oven to 425 and line baking sheets with parchment paper.
• Drain fries, pat well with paper towel.
• Fill zip lock bag with dried fries and top with cornstarch then shake.
• Place fries in a bowl, drizzle with olive oil and toss with sprinkles of  paprika and garlic powder. Spread on a single layer on baking sheet
• Bake in oven for 10-15 mins. Mix Parmesan, parsley, sea salt mixture while baking.

Pumpkin Bread

Cook time: 1hr 5min

Ingredients: 

• 1 (15 oz) can of pumpkin Puree
• 4 eggs
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• ⅔ cup water
• 3 cups white sugar
• 3 ½ cups all purpose flour
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 1 ½ tsp salt
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp ground nutmeg
• ½ tsp ground cloves
• ¼ tsp ground ginger

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Grease and flour three 7×3 inch loaf pans
  
• In a large bowl, mix together pumpkin puree, eggs, oil, water and sugar until well blended.
  
• In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour,
  baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and ginger.
• Stir the dry ingredients into the pumpkin mixture until just blended.
• Bake for about 50 minutes in the preheated oven. Loaves are done when toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Pumpkin Garlic Knots

Ingredients:

• 1 cup warm water
• 1 packet of active dry yeast
• 2 tbsp of honey (or agave nectar)
• ½ cup of canned pumpkin
• 2 tbsp and ⅓ cup of olive oil
• 1-½ tsp coarse kosher salt
• 3 ½ cups of unbleached flour
• 3 cloves of garlic minced
• Salt and pepper
• ½ tsp of dried oregano leaves

Directions:

• For the dough: Pour the warm water into a medium bowl and whisk in the yeast. Let sit until frothy, about 10 minutes. Whisk in the agave nectar, 2 tablespoons olive oil, and pumpkin puree.
• In a large bowl, whisk together the flour and salt. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients then pour in your wet ingredients.
• Using a rubber spatula, pull all the ingredients together. When you can no longer mix, use your hands to start kneading the dough. Knead the dough until it comes together in a smooth and elastic ball, adding flour as necessary to prevent sticking.
• Lightly oil another large bowl and put your dough ball inside it — flipping over once to coat both sides lightly with oil. Cover with a damp towel or plastic wrap and let rise for about 2 hours; or until nearly doubled in size
•  Preheat oven to 425 degrees F, put in a pizza stone (you may use a pan, too, but it works best with a stone), and divide the dough into two equal pieces. If you’re planning to use the other half the next day, just put it in a large zip-lock bag and store in the fridge. You may also freeze the dough for up to three weeks.
• To create the garlic knots: tear off sections of dough (2 tablespoons at a time) and roll them into a long snake shape. Tie that snake in a knot. Set aside and continue with the rest of the dough.
• Once you’ve made all your knots, put them on your stone (or on your pan) and let bake until golden brown on the tops, about 10-15 minutes depending on size of knots.
• While the knots are baking, in a bowl mix together the 1/3 cup olive oil with minced garlic, salt, pepper, and oregano. When the knots are done, toss in the olive oil mixture to coat.