Nine adventurous pumpkin recipes (forget pie)

(Photo: iStockPhoto)

Halloween is all about pumpkins (and costumes). But pumpkins aren't just for jack-o'-lanterns and pumpkin pie. In fact, if you're leaving the pulp, the seeds, and even the rind on the kitchen floor, you're missing out.

Pumpkins are a superfood: The meat is a top source of both vitamin A and beta carotene, and its seeds are a top source of iron.

Here you'll find recipes for a variety of delicious pumpkin dishes that go way beyond typical.

And don't stop with traditional orange pumpkins. While sweet and delicious, pumpkins and winter squash come in a variety of forms, from the familiar -- butternut and acorn squash, for instance -- to the decidedly strange heirloom varieties.

Many of these pumpkin recipes start with pumpkin puree. There's no reason you have to buy canned puree -- especially if you've just carved pumpkins for jack-o'-lanterns. (Three pounds of pumpkin will produce about three cups of puree.) Here are three ways to make pumpkin puree.

Whether or not you're ready to puree, get your creative (and salivary) juices flowing by checking out these recipes:

(Photo: Alton Brown)

Five sweet pumpkin recipes

Pumpkin Seed Brittle Recipe
Frosted with salt, this sweet and savory brittle is sure to please. Place in a pretty tin to give as a gift this holiday.

Ginger Pumpkin Flan Recipe
Try this unforgettable twist on a traditional dessert.

Pumpkin Tart With Pecan Crust Recipe
Straight from Peter Berley's 'Flexitarian Table,' this unique recipe mixes two traditional fall dessert staples into an entirely new creation.

Mocha Pumpkin Cheesecake Recipe
Mocha. Pumpkin. Cheesecake. Enough said.

Pumpkin Milk Shake Recipe
In his classic style, the Green Cheapsakate suggests making use of your entire pumpkin, with predictably unusual recipes. (Pickled pumpkin rinds anyone?)

(Photo: iStockPhoto)

Four savory pumpkin recipes

Pumpkin Ravioli With Kale Pumpkin Seed Pesto Recipe
Master the art of ravioli-making with this seasonal dish.

Heirloom Pumpkin With Blue Cheese Crostata Recipe
The ideal holiday salad, this dish offers the best of harvest flavors -- green apples, heirloom pumpkin and tangy yet smooth blue cheese.

Baked Acorn Squash With Red Quinoa and Pumpkin Seed Stuffing Recipe
This recipe features two tricky-to-use fall and winter veggies, pumpkin and acorn squash.

Crudités With Pumpkin Sage Pâté Recipe
This vegan pâté that's perfect to serve as a holiday appetizer.

See more pumpkin recipes.

More from The Daily Green

• 19 of the Most Creative Homemade Halloween Costumes
• 10 Superoods for Strong Muscles
• 12 Surprisingly Smart Uses for Oatmeal
• 10 Immune-Boosting Superfoods
• 8 Strange Heirloom Pumpkins (and How to Cook Them)

Reprinted with permission of Hearst Communications, Inc