Dietitian Recipe: Pumpkin 2-Ways

31 May Dietitian Recipe: Pumpkin 2-Ways

Pumpkins are a delicious, versatile and nutrient dense vegetable that is in season through winter in Melbourne!

Choosing seasonal produce is not just fantastic for the environment, but also for our own health. Adjusting our intake of produce throughout the year helps increase the variety of nutrients we consume. For example, pumpkins are rich in Vitamin A, which is important for eye health, and fibre to promote good gut health. Pumpkin seeds are also a source of iron and mono-unsaturated fatty acids, which are beneficial for heart health.
In this blog you’ll find 2 recipes to get the most out of our pumpkins!

 

Pumpkin Soup

Winter in Melbourne and pumpkin soup go hand in hand, so it only seems appropriate to find the easiest and tastiest pumpkin soup to get us through the cooler months.

pumpkin-soup

Ingredients:

  • Extra virgin olive oil for cooking
  • 1 brown onion
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • 1kg pumpkin
  • 1L vegetable stock
  • Cream

Method:

  1. Add drizzle of olive oil, diced onion and garlic gloves into a pot and cook over low heat
  2. Once soft, add peeled and chopped chunks of pumpkin
  3. Next, add vegetable stock
  4. Bring to the boil, and then reduce the heat to and allow to simmer for 20 minutes, or until pumpkin is soft
  5. Allow to cool before blending the contents of the pot to the smoothness you prefer
  6. Serve with a drizzle of cream

Notes:

  • Try using roasted pumpkin for a sweeter taste!
  • Don’t rush the cooking time in the pot – it’s almost impossible to blend undercooked pumpkin
  • Add extra vegetables or legumes to increase variety and bulk up your dish

 

Roast Pumpkin

This take on an Ottolenghi Roast Pumpkin will definitely take your dinners up to the next level!

roast-pumpkin

 

Ingredients:

  • 5kg pumpkin, cut into wedges with the skin on
  • 2tsp cinnamon
  • About 100mL olive oil
  • 50g coriander leaves and stalks
  • 1 crushed garlic clove
  • 20g pumpkin seeds
  • 200 – 250g Greek yoghurt
  • 5tsp sriracha

Method:

  1. Preheat oven to 200C fan forced
  2. Place wedges of pumpkin into a large bowl
  3. Drizzle half the olive oil into the bowl and toss pumpkin so they are well coated
  4. Sprinkle the cinnamon over the pumpkin and mix again
  5. Spread pumpkin onto lined baking trays and roast for 40 – 60 minutes until soft and golden brown
  6. Make coriander sauce while pumpkin is cooking by adding coriander, garlic and 3-4 tablespoons of the olive oil to a processor and blend
  7. Once pumpkin has cooked, turn the temperature down to 180C
  8. On a separate tray, spread pumpkin seeds out and add to oven to cook for 5 minutes
  9. While pumpkin and pumpkin seeds are cooking, add sriracha through the yoghurt
  10. When serving, spread pumpkin wedges out on a large serving plate, drizzle the yoghurt and coriander sauce over pumpkin and scatter the seeds. Enjoy!

 

 

References:

https://www.avogel.com.au/nutrition/ingredients/pumpkin/#:~:text=Pumpkins%20are%20an%20extremely%20nutrient,of%20your%20RDA%20of%20iron.

http://seasonalfoodguide.com/melbourne-victoria-seasonal-fresh-produce-guide-fruits-vegetables-in-season-availability-australia.html

https://drizzleanddip.com/2015/01/08/roasted-pumpkin-with-chilli-yoghurt-and-coriander-sauce/