Three Delicious & Healthy Fall Pumpkin Recipes

Fall is upon us. That means pretty colours and even prettier fruity friends gracing supermarkets everywhere. You know what I speak of, my friends - the pumpkin! If you're like me and you love to get your pump on, enjoy these beta carotine rich savoury dishes.

A good tip I found was to steam a bunch of pumpkin and puree it in a blender or processor. I keep it in the fridge and use as needed. A couple of these recipes call for puree. You can use organic canned, but who are you kidding, non canned puree is much healthier for your precious bod!

I also use garama masala in a couple recipes - it's a delicious Indian spice blend usually containing cumin, cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom and cloves. A true taste of fall!

Maple Roasted Root Veggies with Red Rice

- 3-4 cups chopped pumpkin and yams
- 1/4 cup pure maple syrup
- 1 tbsp red miso
- 2 tbsp avocado (or olive) oil
- 1/2 tsp garam masala
-3/4 cup red rice
-1 organic vegetable bouillon cube
- 1" piece of kombu

Preheat oven to 375. Combine syrup, miso, oil and garam masala in a bowl, whisking well until combined. Toss chopped veggies in the glaze. Roast in the oven for 45-50 minutes, turning halfway.

Meanwhile, combine the rice with about 1 and a half cups of water. Bring to a boil, add bouillon cube and simmer on low heat. Add kombu (it helps with the digestibility of grains and gives them a nice earthy taste, I find). Cover, and cook for about 30-35 minutes, or until water is absorbed.

Serve veggies over rice.
Serves 3-4.

Pumpkin Porridge

This is a great alternative to standard porridge toppings, like banana. Not too sweet but packs great flavour! You can add a little maple syrup if you like it sweeter, but I think adding dates makes it perfect.

- 1/4 cup pumpkin puree
- 1/3 cup rolled oats
- 1/2 tsp pumpkin spice
- 1 tbsp almond butter
- 3-4 pitted dates, chopped (optional)
- Non-dairy milk, to taste

Boil about 1/2 cup of water. Put oats and pumpkin in a bowl, and cover with boiling water just so the oats are covered, not too soggy. Stir, and let sit for about a minute. Add remaining ingredients and mix well.

Serves 1.


Beet Pumpkin Soup

So. Freaking. Good. And very low cal!

- 1 cup pumpkin puree
- 3-4 large beets, chopped
- 1 tbsp avocado (or olive) oil
- 1/2 tsp garam masala
-1/2 - 3/4 cup non-dairy milk
- Sea salt, to taste

Combine beets with oil and roast for 35-40 minutes, or until tender, turning halfway. Process in a food processor until no large chunks remain. Heat in a pot with milk and pumpkin. Add spices, continue stirring until heated through.

Serves 2 as a main or 3-4 as a side.