VENICE, LOS ANGELES (KABC) --

Vegan chef and cookbook author Attila Hildmann loves the red curry pumpkin because it's relatively easy to use -- you don't have to peel it. Although he says, you will need a really sharp knife no matter what your plan of attack is.

"You can just slice it up, remove the seeds, bake it, boil it or just use it raw," said Hildmann.

While many make pies from canned pumpkin, Hildemann says try fresh or raw. The taste is quite different and it's not that hard to start from scratch.

His refrigerator pie is made from raw pumpkin, coconut oil, cashew butter, agave and pumpkin spices. Along with that sharp knife, you'll want a powerful blender to make a smooth filling.

There are other things to try besides pie. Roasted eggplant lasagne with quinoa filling and pumpkin cream sauce is gluten free but packed with flavor.

"If you know how to prepare vegetables, they can actually be pretty tasty. I know a thing about it because I didn't like vegetables," said Hildmann.

But a health scare got him to experiment with produce and the results were a huge success. His plant-based cookbooks are best-sellers and he lost 77 pounds in the process.

A few key points, make sure there is enough protein and fat. Yes fat, for the right texture and to help absorb the veggies nutrients.

An example is a salad of roasted pumpkin, garbanzo beans, broccoli, sun-dried tomatoes and toasted pine nuts.

Visit link:
Vegan chef cooks up creative ways to use pumpkin in everyday foods