Recipes for Pumpkin by: Melanie Grant from Life is For Living
If you are looking for an awesome holiday destination head down to the Yarra Valley, you might just run into Mel at the local Farmers Markets. Melanie is a friend of mine and this is her story. And she shares with us her recipes for pumpkin.
In January this year, my little family and I made the big decision to pack up our suburban life and move to a more peaceful life in the Yarra Valley. For me, this change has been a long awaited dream come true. My goal now is to live as sustainably as possible and create a better living environment for my children and me. Our country life is filled with a lovely big green block, chooks, greenery, vegetable patches and fruit trees. We are learning more about how our actions affect the environment around us every day and for this, I will always be thankful we made the change.
The simplest way I believe we can all live a more sustainable life is to support local business. The Yarra Valley and Dandenong Ranges is filled with some of the most beautiful art, produce and creators. My goal is to support this business through the Life is For Living directory. I am truly passionate about each and every business I work with.
While visiting the Yarra Valley you must check out these two amazing food stores: Ample Food Store and Bumpstead Family Apiaries.
Here are Thai Recipes for Pumpkin that will inspire you to cook immediately.
Recipes for Pumpkin #1
Thai Pumpkin Soup
Ingredients
- 1 kg Butternut Pumpkin, peeled, cut into 2cm cubes
- 2 tbsp Red Curry Paste
- 250 ml can coconut cream
- 1/4 cup roughly chopped fresh coriander leaves
- 2 cups Chicken or Vegetable Stock
Instructions
- Heat a large saucepan over medium heat. Add pumpkin and curry paste. Cook, stirring, for 1 to 2 minutes or until the paste starts to stick to the bottom of the pan.
- Add coconut cream. Cook, stirring, for 1 minute.
- Add Stock and bring to the boil.
- Reduce heat to low. Simmer, covered, for 20 minutes or until pumpkin has softened.
- Remove from heat and set aside for 5 minutes.
- Blend with a stick mixer or food processor until smooth. Season with salt and pepper. Top with coriander.
Notes
Recipes for Pumpkin #2
Pumpkin & Vegetable Bake with Cauliflower Mash
Ingredients
- 2 medium zucchini, sliced
- 1 red capsicum, sliced into strips
- 2 tbsp cornflour
- 4 cloves garlic, crushed
- 2 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 bunch sage, leaves picked, thinly sliced
- 3 sprigs rosemary, leaves picked, finely chopped
- Sea-salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper, to season
- ½ Butternut Pumpkin, sliced
- 4 potatoes, thinly sliced
- 3 red onions, sliced into rings
- 3 punnets cherry tomatoes, halved
- 2 cups chopped spinach
- 1 bunch flat-leaf parsley, leaves picked
- Feta Cheese to your taste
- Extra flat-leaf parsley, to garnish
- Olive oil spray, to grease dish
Ingredients for Cauliflower Mash
- 1 small head (1kg) white cauliflower, trimmed, cut into small florets
- 30 grams butter, softened
- 1/3 cup finely-grated feta cheese
- Salt, to season
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180°C.
- Combine zucchini, capsicum and cornflour in a large bowl and toss to coat. Stir in garlic, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, sage and rosemary. Season and set aside.
- Grease a 10-cup capacity baking dish with olive oil spray. Season potato and pumpkin with salt then put 1/2 in the bottom of the dish. Top with 1/2 of the onion, then sprinkle with feta cheese to your taste. Put 1/2 of the zucchini mixture on top, then 1/2 of the tomato, then another sprinkle of feta. Arrange spinach and parsley leaves over top, then add another feta sprinkle. Repeat with remaining ingredients.
- Set aside while you make the cauliflower mash
Method for Mash
- Bring a large saucepan of water to the boil over high heat. Add cauliflower. Cook for 15 to 20 minutes or until cauliflower is very tender. Drain and return to saucepan.
- Add butter and mash until almost smooth.
- Spread Mash over the top vegetable layer and sprinkle with a little more feta cheese.
- Cover with baking paper and foil, then bake for 45 minutes.
- Remove paper and foil and bake for a further 20 minutes or until the mash is golden. Cool for 10 minutes. Garnish with extra parsley, then serve.
Notes
Recipes for Pumpkin #3
Seedy Pumpkin Oat Bars
Ingredients
- ¼ cup Pumpkin Seeds
- ½ cup Chia Seeds
- ½ cup Sesame Seeds
- ½ cup Linseed
- ¼ cup Sunflower Seeds
- 2 cups Rolled Oats
- 2/3 cup Honey
- 2/3 cup Coconut Oil
Instructions
- Preheat Oven to 190°c. Line a lamington pan (18 x 28cm) with baking paper.
- Make your seed mix by mixing black chia seeds, sesame, linseed, sunflower into a jug, then pour into an airtight container or jar to store.
- Combine oats and 1½ cups of seed mix into a bowl with a fork.
- Melt together honey and coconut oil.
- Add into the dry mix & use a wooden spoon or spatula to mix. Once combined scrape into the pan. Smooth evenly.
- It may not reach the other end so make sure you keep it at least 1cm thickness as it will spread during cooking.
- Bake for 20mins or until the golden on top.
- Leave to cool completely in the pan before transferring onto a board. Remove the paper & cut into rectangles. Store in a lined airtight tin.
Notes
