Pumpkin is a super nutrient dense, energy boosting and weight-loss-friendly food. It’s also delicious, versatile in cooking, and cheap!
This ¼ of a pumpkin cost me less than a dollar (here in Iraq) for 3.5 kilos — that’s about 8 pounds of pumpkin! It sure beats canned pumpkin both in price and quality!
I am so excited that we’re entering into fall because winter squash and pumpkins are one of my favorite vegetables! My favorite is actually the Japanese kabocha squash (which I got introduced to when living in Japan and would simply roast it and then dig in with a spoon — it’s naturally sweet and super yummy!). Luckily kabocha is now commonly available in the U.S. so if you haven’t yet tried it, please do — you can sub for any recipe calling for butternut squash.
Unfortunately, no kabocha here in Iraq, but what they grow here in Northern Iraq seems similar to the Cinderella pumpkin, also known as a Long Island Cheese Pumpkin (which I just learned from Google), and it’s quite delicious and versatile as well!
Health Benefits of Pumpkin:
Pumpkins are a super nutrient dense food, meaning they are low in calories (less than 50 calories in one cup) while being high in vitamins, minerals, antioxidants (esp. Vitamin A and beta-carotene). It’s also a good source of fiber. And since it’s 94% water you’ll also be keeping your body hydrated!
You get 245% of the RDI for Vitamin A in just 1 cup of pumpkin!
“Vitamin-A is a powerful natural antioxidant and is required by the body for maintaining the integrity of skin and mucosa. It is also an essential vitamin for good eyesight. Research studies suggest that natural foods rich in vitamin-A may help the human body protect against lung and oral cavity cancers.” (1)
Pumpkins are good for (2)…
- Boosting your immune system…due to its high vitamins A and C content, which helps boost your immune system, as well as vitamin E, iron and folate.
- Promoting weight loss…due to it’s high nutrient content while having under 50 calories per cup, and being a good source of fiber which can also help suppress appetite.
- Protecting your eyesight…due to high vitamin A content, as well as lutein and zeaxanthin contents, it can protect your eyes against sight loss as you age.
- Lowering your risk of certain cancers…due to carotenoids, which function as antioxidants, and are linked to lower risks of stomach, throat, pancreas and breast cancers.
- Promoting heart health…due to its rich potassium, vitamin C, fiber, and antioxidant content.
- Promoting skin health…due to beta-carotene which acts as a natural sunblock, and vitamins C and E, as well as lutein and zeaxanthin, which help keep your skin strong and healthy.
Roasted Pumpkin
I find the easiest way to cook pumpkin, or winter squash, it to simply cut in in half (or quarters, depending on size) and roast it in the oven. Once it’s cooked it will be super simple to scoop out the flesh (or you can eat the skin of some varieties, like kabocha).
Step 1. Pre-heat oven to 400. Cut pumpkin in half or quarters and remove seeds, and brush inside with coconut oil, avocado oil, or EVOO.
Step 2. Place cut side down on baking sheet (lined with parchment paper for easy clean-up)
Step3. Bake about 35 minutes or until very soft (just try piercing the flesh with a fork or knife to test) — mine almost looked like I over roasted it because the skin was turning brown, but actuallly the inside flesh was perfectly cooked!
Step 4. Let cool then scoop out flesh and store in a glass container for later use in any of the recipes below. It will last about a week in the fridge or you can freeze portions (a great alternative to canned pumpkin). If you’re trying kabocha I highly recommend eating the skin for extra fiber, vitamins and minerals — and I also just read that you can do the same for cinderella pumpkins so I’ll have to try it next time.
Creamy Roasted Pumpkin Soup by Cookie and Kate
This soup is soooo good! I was honestly skeptical about the combination of onions and garlic with the sweet spices (cinnamon and nutmeg) but trust me, it’s really good! And don’t skip the toasted pumpkin seeds on top when serving — they add nice texture and they are a rich source of Magnesium (a mineral most of us are deficient in without knowing it)
I just made the following alterations to the recipe:
- I used water instead of veggie broth
- I used homemade coconut, cashew, oat milk instead of canned coconut milk (because I already had some in my fridge). Get the recipe here.
- I added a few dashes of pumpkin pie spice in addition to the cinnamon and nutmeg (freshly grated nutmeg). I also served it with additional freshly grated nutmeg on top which kicks it up a notch, if you enjoy nutmeg, as you should!
Pumpkin Pie Chia Pudding, recipe from my detox program (coming soon this fall!)
INGREDIENTS (for 2 servings):
- 1 ½ cups unsweetened almond or coconut milk (in a carton, not canned)
- ¼ cup chia seeds
- 1 cup roasted pumpkin, or ½ cup canned pumpkin puree
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground ginger
- ½ tsp nutmeg (I just freshly grate the nutmeg into the blender and don’t measure; actually for all the spices you can just add without measuring and adjust to your taste preference. Depending what spices you like or don’t like you can adjust, or just use a pumpkin pie spice blend if you like clove as well.)
- Dates or maple syrup (optional, to taste) → I’ve made this without any sweetner and the pumpkin and spices are enough to give it some sweetness, but for more of a dessert treat I recommend about 2 large dates or 1 Tbsp maple syrup.
Blend the pumpkin with milk, spices and sweetener of choice (I use 2 dates), then add to a glass jar with the chia seeds, screw on the lid and shake well. If you’re using canned pumpkin puree you can skip the blending and just put everything in the jar directly and shake. Then refrigerate for 3-4 hours or overnight. If you’re in a hurry you could enjoy in as little as 30 minutes but it’s best when you give time for the chia seeds to fully expand and it then turns into more of a pudding consistency.
Pumpkin Protein Smoothie, another super satisfying breakfast recipe from my detox program
INGREDIENTS (for 1 serving):
- 1 cup unsweetened almond milk
- 1 tbsp almond butter (I make my own; Cookie & Kate has a great tutorial on how to make homemade nut butter)
- 1 scoop vanilla plant protein powder (or sub 2-3 Tbsp hemp seeds plus ½ tsp pure vanilla extract)
- ½ banana (preferably frozen)
- 1 tsp cinnamon (or pumpkin pie spice)
- 1 cup roasted pumpkin (or could sub canned pumpkin puree) → Note: the actual recipe in my detox program uses 3 grated carrots, but I was looking for ways to use up all my roasted pumpkin and it was the perfect substitute, but just know that you could also use carrots if you prefer more of a carrot cake taste.
Blend and enjoy! Note: If it’s quick thick I like to serve in a bowl, with some some freshly grated nutmeg on top, but you can also just add extra almond milk as needed to thin it out.
Turkish Pumpkin Dessert (with much less sugar!) — Note: The photo was taken after I had already started eating it, whoops!
This is my healthy take on this Turkish recipe of candied pumpkin with ground walnuts or pistachios served on top. → Check out my video demo of this recipe on IGTV (my first time posting to IGTV, yah!). It’s super simple though and really doesn’t need a demo (smile).
Step 1. Using the same roasted pumpkin that I’ve been using for all these recipes, scoop some of that into a small dessert bowl.
Step 2. Mix ~1 tsp raw honey with about 1-2 tsps of hot water (more or less honey to taste, depending how sweet your pumpkin is or how sweet you like things, but erring toward the less sweet side to keep this dessert healthy).
Step 3. Then, simply mix the honey with water and pour over your pumpkin.
Step 4. Grind some walnuts in a spice grinder, use a mortar and pestle or just chop finely, then sprinkle on top of your pumpkin.
Step 5. If you like, add a dash of cinnamon (which is always good to add to desserts because studies have shown that cinnamon can decrease the amount of glucose that enter your bloodstream after a meal and may help reverse insulin resistance which leads to diabetes; for more check out my blog on the health benefits of cinnamon).
Step 6. Enjoy!
Thai Pumpkin in Coconut Milk Dessert, by Thaitable
This recipe is super simple — even simplier than the Turkish dessert! The only variation I recommend is using coconut sugar if you don’t have the palm sugar called for in the recipe and start with much less than called for in the recipe and sweeten to taste (trying not to add too much). I also recommend garnishing with some toasted sesame seeds.
