With Halloween only a day away, we are all about pumpkins here. Pumpkin is a great source of vitamins A, C and D, as well as potassium and other minerals. They are low in fat and calories but are dense and therefore very filling. The seeds are rich in vitamin D and zinc and are a great anti-oxidant. Best of all, you can use the whole pumpkin! So, after you are finished with your Jack-O-Lantern be sure to try out some of these great recipes.
The first step in pumpkin carving is to remove the seeds. You can rinse them and pat them dry, or roast them in their pumpkin-y goodness. Toss them in olive oil and some salt, or the seasoning of your choice, spread them on parchment paper on an oven tray and roast in the oven at 140C/285F for about 15 minutes.
Once you’ve closed up shop on Halloween, you can use your pumpkin in all sorts of great ways. A quick search on Google or Pinterest will turn up hundreds of recipes. I’ve included some suggestions below. The first step, however, is to remove the pumpkin flesh from the skin. You can take a knife to it, but roasting it at 180C/350F for 15 minutes will make this a lot easier. If your recipe requires pureed pumpkin, then roast it for 30-40 minutes and it will be ready to use. Once you’ve cooked and mashed your pumpkin, it can be frozen and used later in the year.
Pumpkin pie and bread/muffins are terrific uses for your pumpkin but why not try something a bit different?
This one, for a delicious pumpkin pie smoothie comes from Caroline Hurley’s beautiful blog site Taste, Love and Nourish. She is passionate about creating recipes that are unique, flavourful and healthy. At The Fableists, we are smoothie fans and we love pumpkin pie, so this got our attention. And it’s super easy. You can use canned pumpkin puree as indicated in Caroline’s measurements, or make your own as instructed above.
Photo Credit: Taste, Love and Nourish
For the measurements, visit Taste, Love and Nourish:
ice cubes
pumpkin puree (reduce amount for a thinner smoothie)
frozen banana
golden flaxseed meal (or almond meal)
honey (or stevia for vegan)
almond milk (or milk you prefer is fine)
vanilla extract
cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom and sea salt
Combine all of the ingredients in a blender. Blend on high speed until smooth.
Serve in tall glasses with a straw or a spoon.
Makes 2 large smoothies
Next up is Pumpkin Korma Soup. Another easy recipe that leaves you lots of room to experiment with different flavours.
Start by sautéing 5 chopped shallots in some olive oil until they are soft
Add two chopped cloves of garlic for the final 30 seconds
Toss in chopped pumpkin (I’ve used the flesh of a medium pumpkin)
Add 750 ml of stock (chicken, veg or other) and cook until the pumpkin is soft
Then blend, add one tin of coconut milk and a couple of tablespoons of korma paste
Season to taste and serve.
Our final pumpkin recipe, for Pumpkin Fettuccine Alfredo comes via Forgiving Martha for CamilleStyles.com. Camille Styles, Inc. is a full service event planning company in Austin, Texas. As well as being an online destination for entertaining enthusiasts around the world, they also provide full creative service for brands from promo videos, to blog posts, to styling and shooting.
Photo Credit: Forgiving Martha for CamilleStyles.com
Ingredients:
1 teaspoon olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup pumpkin puree
1 teaspoon herbs de provence
salt and pepper, to taste
8 ounces fettuccine, cooked
freshly grated parmesan, to garnish
fresh sage, julienne, to garnish
Instructions:
Heat oil and butter in a sauce pan with minced garlic and cook until lightly golden and fragrant.
Whisk in cream, pumpkin and spices and let simmer until thoroughly heated and smooth.
Toss with cooked pasta, garnish with parmesan and sage.
Happy Halloween!
TheFableists 