Ten ways to use up leftover pumpkin
Pumpkin is a very healthy vegetable – it’s absolutely stuffed with vitamin A, which is fabulous for your eyes, and helps strenghthen your immune system while keeping your major organs in tip-top condition. It also contains plenty of vitamin C, as well as beneficial minerals such as potassium, manganese and copper. It’s packed with fibre, which is superb for the health of your digestive system. It has high levels of beta-carotene, a plant pigment which has remarkable antioxidants properties that boost the health of your skin.
As an ingredient, pumpkin is incredibly versatile – it can be used in both sweet and savoury recipes, and it’s an efficient way of replacing fats while keeping up moisture levels in cakes and bakes. You can make your own pumpkin puree from leftover fresh pumpkin by roasting in a medium-hot oven for 45-60 minutes and then whizzing in a food processor or mashing with a fork. Or you may just have half a tin left after making a recipe – so here are ten exciting ideas for delicious pumpkin dishes to try if you find yourself with a surplus….
These posh little Italian-style biscuits are vegan and free from refined cane sugar. They’re excellent served with coffee, and the chunky pieces of Brazil nut add protein and minerals to the mix, as well as a lovely, crunchy texture. The pumpkin puree gives these another level of taste and a great orange hue, while the cinnamon lends them a warm, spicy flavour which is sure to tickle the taste buds.
Barley is a grain that’s full of vitamins, minerals and fibre. It’s also a fantastic alternative to rice, and gives a nutty, rustic flavour to dishes, along with an attractive mouth feel. It’s really good in soups and stews too. Here, we’ve combined it with pumpkin and piquant spices for a hearty, warming risotto dish that will really fill you up (and because of all that fibre, keep you feeling full for ages).
Here’s a lip-smacking alternative take on traditional chocolate brownies. No cocoa here though! And as there’s no wheat flour, these scrummy treats are also naturally free from gluten. They combines the richness of organic coconut sugar with gooey, thick coconut jam and the wonderful flavours of pumpkin pie spice to create something so moreish that you’ll never be able to stop at just one square!
Who doesn’t love a big slice of cake every now and then? This gorgeous, moist dairy and sugar-free cake will please vegans and non-vegans alike, and foregoes cane sugar in favour of the healthy sweetness of xylitol and the deep, rich flavour of organic maple syrup. The soaked cashews, the oat milk and the pumpkin all work together to make the texture soft, delightful and full of excellent nutrition.
Pumpkin & Sun-Dried Tomato Spread
If you’re a little tired of hummus, here’s an awesome alternative which will revitalise your taste buds and put the pizazz back into your light lunches! Pumpkin works amazingly well with sun-dried tomatoes, and this recipe also contains sunflower seeds, which whizz up wonderfully to bring the other ingredients together while bringing an alluring creaminess to the dish and also, of course, dialling up the levels of nutrients, with impressive amounts of B vitamins, selenium, iron, protein and healthy fats. Adding some garlic and onion powder as well as a bit of spicy chilli really makes it dance on your tongue!
These breakfast cookies taste lovely but are also wonderfully guilt-free: they contain no sugar (we’ve used natural xylitol instead) and their impressive fibre content, which is supplied by the pumpkin, nuts and oats, will fill you up comprehensively, and keep you satisfied until lunchtime. When you factor in the impressive antioxidant power from the cinnamon and ginger, these breakfast cookies one of the best, most nutritious (not to mention delicious) ways you could possibly start your day – although they’re just as good at dinner time too!
The ultimate vegan tear’n’share! This awesome sweet bake is absolutely unbeatable served warm from the oven, and uses pumpkin not only to lend a wonderful flavour and colour, but also as a way to moisten the dish, increase the fibre content and replace the need for further fat. The coconut sugar and the cinnamon give it a deep, rich, warming, caramelly flavour that’s impossible to resist!
Pumpkin Gnocchi with Cheezy Cashew Sauce
This is an unusual way to use pumpkin, but wow – this dish really works fantastically well, and is one of the most filling midweek dinner ideas we’ve come across. Not only that – it’s vegan, gluten-free and an absolute sinch to make. It utilises the wonderful ability of soaked cashew nuts to whizz up into a delectably creamy sauce – and when you bear in mind the wonderful health benefits of cashews, this is an extremely nutritious, delightfully colourful and deliciously seductive supper!
Here’s the traditional pumpkin dessert served in diners across North America and beyond – but made healthier. We’ve dispensed with the usual condensed milk in favour of apple & banana puree to reduce the calories and dairy content, and to boost the fibre. The eggs can also be replaced by using an egg replacer, and vegans can use a non-dairy butter alternative. This is a stunning, very filling and hugely satisfying way to eat pumpkin, and works best paired with a great cup of coffee….
…such as this one! Pumpkin puree is a great addition to a creamy latte, where it marries magnificently the flavour of freshly-brewed coffee – and the honey, pumpkin pie spice and vanilla extract make this hot, soothing drink a real slice of heaven that’s perfect to flop onto a sofa and chill out with.
Pumpkin is delicious and full of good things, and you can use it in a hundred different ways in some truly magical dishes – so come and grab some here!
Don’t forget to have a look too at our wide range of pumpkin seeds, which are nutty, crunchy, full of amazing vitamins and minerals, and can be used in some fantastic recipes too.