What to do with pumpkin?
Pumpkin is the new watermelon. Heidi Klum is most probably already busy carving one for Halloween. I’m more about making soup, or eating it as oven fries.
This orange veggie keeps you skinny baby. You can eat as much as you like. A pumpkin is full of fibre, so gives you that full feeling, but has few calories. Around 40 per portion (two large scoops).
More benefits? Absolutely!
– There is mega amounts of vitamin C in a pumpkin and that means a stronger immune system. Which you’ll need for the coming cold days.
– Pumpkin is good for your skin and protects against the sun. It is not a substitute for sunblock but gives extra support. Pumpkin has similar properties to carrots: good for the eyes.
Cleaning one of them is a bit of a (horrible) job, but in any case, here are my three favourite recipes.
This is my favourite, Thai pumpkin soup
What you need and how to make it:
- 1 pumpkin
- 1 bouillon block
- 2 red onions
- coriander
- lime
- one spoon of red curry paste
- large splash of coconut milk
- coconut oil
Peel the pumpkin and chop into pieces. Repeat with the red onion. Add a little coconut oil to a pan and fry the onions. When they become a little glassy, add the pumpkin. Shake around and add salt and pepper. Next add 1 litre of boiling water and the bouillon block. Cover the pan, fire down low and allow to simmer (around 15 minutes). As soon as the pumpkin pieces have softened, whiz with the hand mixer. When it’s smooth, add a bit of coconut milk and a spoon of red curry. Mix again and taste. Add more coconut milk to taste, or maybe a little water if it’s too thick. That’s it. Pour into bowls, snip a few pieces of coriander over the top and squeeze a little lime juice over it.
Pumpkin Fries
What you need and how to make it:
- 1 pumpkin
- olive oil
- sea salt
- cayenne pepper
- thyme
Preheat the oven to 200 degrees.
This is all very easy. Cut the pumpkin into fries, leaving the skin on. Place the fries in a bowl and sprinkle olive oil, herbs and sea salt over them. Shake well, so that everything is covered with olive oil. Lay the fries on a baking sheet with baking paper and bake for 30 minutes until crunchy and cooked through.
Pumpkin Cupcakes
You can also use pumpkin as a sweet. Not quite as healthy, but as you can imagine, these cupcakes are delicious. Take a look at the recipe here, it’s from Chicks Love Food. Wonderful for a Sunday baking session.
