Pumpkins

How was everybody´s Halloween and Firework Night celebrations? Wondering what to do with all those pumpkins?

 

There are many varieties of pumpkins out there, often the pumpkins for carving are less sweet than most. For more information about pumpkin varieties click here

 

Pumpkins are a great source of natural sweetness, perfect for relaxing and warming the little ones after a long day at school. Great in soups, roasted, mashed, in stews, steamed, tempura battered and fried, in quiches etc.

 

More pumpkin recipes coming soon!

Halloween

Wishing you all a Happy Halloween this weekend!

Sweet Vegetable Bake

Ok so this is not for dessert but as part of the main meal, however by bringing into the meal sweet vegetables such as carrots, sweet potato and pumpkin you can reduce chocolate and sweet cravings afterwards.

Naturally sweet vegetables are great for nourishing the spleen and pancreas, and help children to relax after a long day at school - as well as the parents after a long days work!

• First of all finely slice plenty of onions (5-6) and saute with olive oil and a pinch of sea salt for about 20-25 minutes until very soft and sweet. 
• Whilst this is cooking, peel and finely slice carrots, sweet potatoes, parsnips and pumpkin and start to fill a greased oven proof dish with a layer of vegetables.
• Scoop on top a little of the onion mix and then place more vegetables on top.
• Continue in this way, as if you were making a lasagne. If you wish to brush the layers of vegetables with a soya sauce, toasted sesame oil dressing as you go along you may.
• Bake in the oven until soft inside and golden and crispy on top.

Children will love this!

Mmmm!

Flavours to try...

Creamy soups (Blend to create creamy consistency at end with a hand held blender)...

• Carrot and Orange (add some orange zest when cooking carrots with the sauteed onions)
• Pumpkin and cinnamon (add a touch of cinnamon powder when cooking the pumpkin with the sauteed onions)
• Pumpkin and chestnut (add some cooked, peeled chestnuts to the pumpkin and sauteed onions)
• Lentil and Fennel (add red lentils and chopped fennel to the sauteed onions)
• Cauliflower (Add a few bay leaves or a little nutmeg along with the cauliflower and sauteed onions - This makes a perfect alternative to bechamel as well)
• Courgette and leek (Add courgette and leeks to the sauteed onions. Wakame sea vegetable works very well with this soup)

The list is endless...


Just experiment! Remember the sauteed onions are key and also watch how much water is added. Keep the soup nice and thick and creamy, bringing lots of nourishment for the little ones!

Pumpkin Fun

Why not be a little creative in the kitchen with your children and design some Halloween pumpkin faces...

...everyone can design their own face and draw it on to their chosen pumpkin. Children can also help to scoop out the seeds from the pumpkin. Cutting the face is a little tricky so is best left to the adult.

And why not have a pumpkin themed evening with some roasted pumpkin for dinner too!

Oven Baked And Delicious

Baked Pumpkin, Squash and Sweet Potato have to be one of my favourites and they are also a huge hit with children. The natural sweetness and crispy texture will be a winner for sure.

Simply remove the seeds from the pumpkin and cut into slices (about 2cm thick) and the sweet potato into similar sized slices or wedges and drizzle the following dressing all over for an extra mmm factor...

1 teaspoon of toasted sesame oil, 2 tablespoons of olive oil, 1 tablespoon of apple juice concentrate and a dash of soya sauce

...bake in a medium oven until edges are crispy and the vegetables are soft and delicious in the middle.

Perfect as a vegetable side dish for many different meals, leftovers (not that there will be many left!) can even be added to soups, stews, cold salads etc etc.

Enjoy and do let me know how your children respond!

Pumpkin Soup With Cinnamon

Pumpkin soup is one of the most simple and easy recipes to do and kids will love the natural sweetness as well as the added smiley face :)

All you need is to saute 3 chopped onions in olive oil and a pinch of sea salt for 10-12 minutes until transparent, add chopped 1 or 1/2 a pumpkin depending on size (seeds removed), and a little water to cover a third of the vegetables and a pinch of cinnamon. Bring to the boil and simmer until the pumpkin is soft. Add some white miso to taste (roughly 1-2 tablespoons) and blend into a lovely creamy soup with a hand held blender.

Delicious!

Second Spring

I read a beautiful quote the other day which I thought was worth sharing...

Autumn... a second spring when every leaf is a flower - Albert Camus

So with the leaves beginning to change, the landscapes filled with hues of red, orange, yellow and gold its the perfect time of year to sample some of natures delights. Over this month I'll be focusing on a few of those delights, one of which is the humble pumpkin.

Pumpkin and squash are much over looked, often only used at Halloween as lanterns but they are one of the most versatile and delicious vegetables there are. Not to mention a great source of natural sweetness, something that tends to be lacking in modern day diets, often leading to cravings of the sugary stuff!

So lets wrap up warm, enjoy the second spring of colour around us and delight our senses with the delicious recipes to come. Your children will love them for sure!