Pumpkin – info & recipes
Pumpkin is a wonderfully healthful food, full of fibre, beta carotene, vitamin C, potassium, calcium, iron, as well as other vitamins and minerals.
Pumpkin is a member of the gourd family, which also includes watermelon and squash. Its lovely orange flesh has a mild sweet flavour. Pumpkin seeds (pepitas) are a good source of zinc, iron, calcium, magnesium, and essential fatty acids.
RECIPES:
PUMPKIN AND SWEET POTATO SOUP
• 500g organic pumpkin, peeled and chopped
• 500g organic sweet potato, peeled and chopped
• 1 tbsp organic coconut oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 tbsp finely chopped ginger
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 2 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 small red chilli, finely chopped
• 2-3 cups organic chicken or vegetable stock
• 2 cups organic coconut milk
• ½ cup chopped coriander
• extra coriander leaves
Heat oil in a large saucepan, add onion and gently cook until soft. Stir in ginger, garlic, cumin seeds and chilli. Add pumpkin and sweet potato pieces and mix well. Pour in stock, cover and simmer for 20 minutes, or until pumpkin and sweet potato are soft. Stir through coconut milk, and then blend soup. Return to heat and mix in coriander. Garnish with extra coriander leaves.
MOROCCAN BAKED PUMPKIN
• ½ medium organic Japanese pumpkin
• 2 tsp coriander seeds
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 tsp fennel seeds
• ½-1 tsp dried chilli flakes
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp unrefined sea salt
• 2 cloves garlic
• 2 tbsp organic olive oil
Preheat oven to 200C. Seed pumpkin and slice into 2 cm wedges, leaving skin on. Dry roast coriander, cumin and fennel seeds in a frypan until fragrant. Grind seeds, chilli, cinnamon and sea salt in a mortar and pestle, then add garlic and olive oil and pound to a paste. Rub paste over pumpkin wedges, place in a roasting dish, and bake for 30-40 minutes, or until well browned and cooked through.
Serve as part of a Middle Eastern mezze plate, or with any grilled, roasted or barbequed meat or poultry.
Serve with organic lamb cutlets that have been rolled in za’atar* then barbequed, and a salad of baby spinach leaves, sliced red capsicum, grated raw beetroot, cherry tomatoes, toasted pine nuts and mint leaves.
*Za’atar is a Middle Eastern spice mix available at The Health Emporium.
PUMPKIN AND ORANGE CAKE
• ½ cup organic maple syrup
• ½ cup organic butter, softened
• 1 cup organic pumpkin puree (boil or steam peeled pumpkin pieces until tender, then mash)
• 2 organic eggs
• ¼ cup freshly squeezed organic orange juice
• 1 tbsp organic orange zest
• 1 cup organic plain or spelt flour
• 2/3 cup organic wholemeal or wholemeal spelt flour
• 2 tsp aluminium-free baking powder
• ½ tsp unrefined sea salt
• 2 tsp Herbies Fragrant Sweet Spices* (or 1tsp ground cinnamon, ½ tsp ground nutmeg and ½ tsp ground mixed spice).
Preheat oven to 175C. Mix flours, baking powder, salt and spices together. In another bowl beat maple syrup and butter until combined, and then stir in pumpkin, eggs, orange juice and zest. Add dry ingredients and mix well. Pour batter into a greased and floured loaf tin or 20cm round cake tin. Bake for 30-40 minutes, or until cake is cooked through and a skewer will come out clean.
*Herbies Fragrant Sweet Spices is a blend of coriander, cassia, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, ginger, blue poppy seeds, cloves, green cardamom and rose petals, and is available at The Health Emporium.
