I’m overrun with pumpkins. They’re on my kitchen table, outside my front door, and even dotted around my yard. We’ll be making lanterns out of some of them, but what about the rest? There’s no way that I’m wasting any good pumpkin, so I’ve been at work in my kitchen creating all kinds of pumpkin dishes. Also the humble pumpkin is incredibly nutritious. It’s a low calorie vegetable contains vitamin A, flavonoid poly-phenolic antioxidants such as leutin, xanthin, and carotenes in abundance.
Here is a simple soup, that is so very easy to make and just delicious. I made it on the Home & Family show (10/29 10a or 9c), and the cast and crew went nuts over it. I recommend making triple quantities and freezing some.
Creamy Pumpkin Soup
- 2 cups fresh, steamed pumpkin
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 1 medium apple, peeled, cored and cubed
- 1/2 cup water
- 1tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp nutmeg
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 3 cups veggie or chicken broth
- 1/4 cup heavy cream or 1/2 cup of silken tofu
To prepare the pumpkin, I recommend de-seeding it and then hacking it into chunks ( I know – easier said than done!). Then steam the chunks until the pumpkin is tender (about 8-10 minutes). When it is cool enough to handle, scrap the pumpkin into a bowl. You may have to steam in two batches, depending on the size of your pan.
Water saute the onions and apple over a medium heat for about 3 minutes, until tender. Stir in the spices and seasoning.
Place the onion/apple mixture in a blender or food processor. Add the pumpkin and the stock. Blend until smooth. Finally add the cream or tofu and blend for another 30 seconds.
Heat gently for 4 or 5 minutes (but don’t let it boil) before serving. For a special occasion, I like to serve it in a hollowed-out pumpkin.
Sweet & Spicy Pumpkin Seeds
This is a family favorite and very addictive!
Seeds from one pumpkin, washed, and boiled for 10 minutes in salty water. (Add 1tbps salt to each cup of water used).
- 1 egg white
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (optional)
Beat the egg white, and then mix in the spices. Add the pumpkin seeds to the mixture and coat them well.
Lay them out on a well-greased baking sheet or even cover the baking sheet with greased parchment paper.
Bake for 10 minutes, or until brown and crispy. I suggest stirring and turning half-way through cooking time.
You can sprinkle a little extra brown sugar on them before serving.
