Roasted Pumpkin
Pumpkin is a nutritious squash full of vitamins; however, it is often incorporated into many high-calorie, high-carbohydrate dishes such as pies, breads and pastas. By learning cook and enjoy pumpkin in other ways, you can discover new, lower-carbohydrate meal options. It will give a boost to both the nutrition value and the flavor of your meals.
Instructions
1. Cut the fresh pumpkin in half and scoop out all the seeds. Place each half cut-side down on the baking sheet.
2. Bake the pumpkin at 400 degrees F about one hour, or until it begins to darken and shrivel some, and is soft when you insert a fork through the outside. Bake it less time if you plan to dice it, and longer if you plan to scoop it out for pureeing.
3. Remove the pumpkin from the oven. Carefully turn the pieces over and let cool until you can touch it and work with it more.
4. Make a soup by sautéing onions and garlic in olive oil inside a large soup pot. Scoop the pumpkin out of the shell and add to pot. Season with a 1/4 tsp. of sugar and 1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice. Add 2 cups of chicken stock and use the immersion blender to blend the soup together. Add a 1/4 cup of half-and-half or milk to give it a creamier consistency.
5. Scoop pumpkin and place it in a mixing bowl. Puree the pumpkin using the immersion blender.
6. Stir pureed your favorite yogurt for breakfast. Mix it into a 1/2 cup of part-skim ricotta cheese with 1/4 tsp. of cinnamon and 1 tsp. of honey for a dessert.
7. Cut a firmer roasted pumpkin into small pieces and remove any skin.
8. Add the diced pumpkin to a sauté of other vegetables such as zucchini and onions for a side dish. Toss a cup of it into a pot of vegetable soup.
Tags: immersion blender, pumpkin into, Scoop pumpkin