Image credit: Pumpkins by tibbygirl on Flickr. CC BY 2.0.

All home cooks know what a tasty and versatile ingredient pumpkin is. You can use it in savory recipes or sweet recipes. You can roast a fresh pumpkin, or you can save some time and get it (pretty cheaply this time of year) in a can.

Now that pretty much everyone is going nuts for all things pumpkin at the moment, so I thought I’d share a few recipes that I’ve tried (or I am adding to my winter cooking wish list) to inspire you to try whipping some of this up for yourself.

On the light (healthy and tasty) side:

• Vegan pumpkin pie hot chocolate – Warm blanket, hot chocolate and a good book make for a perfect night in!
• Vegan French toast – This is so easy to make. It’s a favorite on lazy Sundays.
• Hearty harvest chili (vegan) – Filling one-bowl meal. What could be better?
• Gluten free pumpkin bars with crumble topping – The perfect marriage between a pumpkin pie and a sugary crumble topping.

The dark (less healthy, but tasty) side:

• Stuffed shells with pumpkin parmesan sauce – Add pumpkin to a creamy cheese sauce and pair with pasta? Comfort food bliss!
• Deep fried pumpkin spice latte – Oh. My. These look so good and really simple to make.
• Dark and spicy pumpkin loaf – Simple, easy. Lots of butter. Does it get any better than that?
• Pumpkin cinnamon rolls – If you’ve got some time on your hands this weekend, please make these (and invite me over to taste test them)!

Now it’s your turn! Share some of your favorites in the comments! I always love to hear new ways to add more (pumpkin pie) spice to my life!