Recipes with Pumpkin

Pumpkin is a food that is not very popular in our cuisine. However, it's a mistake given the versatility that pumpkin allows us to have in the preparation of dishes, both as a protagonist and companion.

Pumpkin is a very nutritious food, low in calories and very versatile. Although the harvest season is in the fall, it can be found in the supermarket all year round. To benefit from all of the properties of this product, here are three recipes with pumpkin.

Pumpkin cream soup

This creamy soup is the most common way to eat pumpkin. It’s a nutritious recipe, easy and one that everyone loves. If you have never prepared it, we encourage you to try. We are sure you’ll love it!

Ingredients for two people:

• 14 ounces of pumpkin
• 7 ounces of potato
• 2 carrots
• Half a leek
• 2 slices of cheese
• Olive oil
• Salt

Direction :

1. Boil a pot containing 4 cups of water. As it’s reaching boiling point, prepare the rest of the ingredients.
2. Cut the pumpkin into cubes. Cut and peel the leeks and the potatoes.
3. Add all of the ingredients to the pot and cook on low heat for 20 minutes. Add two tablespoons of olive oil and a pinch of salt.
4. Puree all of the ingredients and also add two slices of cheese. This way, the puree will be much creamier.
5. You can decorate the dishes with caramelized onions, crispy ham or leek strips.

Pumpkin cake

Pumpkin is such a versatile product that it serves to make both sweet and salty recipes. This delicious pumpkin cake is proof of that. It’s a recipe that you can make on the weekend and eat healthy breakfast throughout the week.

Ingredients:

• 10 ounces of pumpkin
• 8 ounces of flour
• 7 ounces of sugar. You can replace it with Stevia
• 3 eggs
• 3 tablespoons of olive oil
• Pinch of yeast
• Half a dozen nuts

Direction:

1. Pre-heat the oven to 330 degrees. So that when the cake is ready to bake, the oven will be too.
2. Cut the pumpkin into several pieces and slice them. Set aside on a plate.
3. In a bowl, mix three eggs and add the sugar. Add the yeast, oil, and flour. Remember, if the flour is sifted the cake will be much more spongy.
4. Add the sliced pumpkin to the bowl, with the nuts. Another option is to place the nuts on top of the cake to make it more colorful.
5. Pour the mixture into a silicone mold. These molds are very easy to use and we avoid unnecessary calories, by not having to smear them with butter.
6. Put into the oven for half an hour and it is ready. To remove from the baking pan wait until it’s cold. To ensure that the cake is cooked, stick a toothpick in it every few minutes. When the toothpick comes out clean, it means that the cake is ready.
7. You can decorate it, but it’s a cake that doesn’t need to be decorated. This may only tarnish the flavor of the pumpkin, which is the protagonist of this recipe.

Lentils with pumpkin

The pumpkin combines perfectly with the vegetables. It can be shredded or cut into cubes, as shown in the image. It is a perfect dish for the winter months and also has a variety of nutrients.

Ingredients for four people:

• 15 ounces of lentils
• 1 tomato
• 1 carrot
• 10 ounces of pumpkin
• Salt

Direction:

1. Wash the lentils and add them to a pot, with a liter and a half of water.
2. In a special cheesecloth bag, add the whole unpeeled tomato – previously washed – and the peeled carrot, split into two pieces.
3. Let the pot warm until it boils.
4. Once it boils, reduce the heat to a minimum and cook (in the cheesecloth bag) for 30 minutes.
5. While the lentils and vegetables are cooking, peel the pumpkin and cut it into medium sized cubes so that it’s easy to eat.
6. After half an hour remove the cheesecloth bag with the vegetables and add the pumpkin. Taste the lentils and add the necessary salt.
7. With a blender, crush the tomato and carrot, if needed, add a little water from the pot where the lentils are cooking.
8. Once the lentils and pumpkin are cooked, add the crushed vegetables and put on the heat for five minutes. Stir from time to time to avoid sticking.