October 20, 2008
An Paleo Autumn Favorite: Squash
Regardless of if you have kids that want to carve it, or a family that wants to eat it, or a patch of them nearby that you like to visit as a seasonal outing, there’s no doubt that the most famous squash this time of year has got to be the good old pumpkin!
Nutritionally speaking, a cup of pumpkin contains only 50 calories, 2 g of Protein, 12 g of Carbohydrate and no fat. It’s a great source of Vitamin A as well as Beta Carotene.
In the kitchen, you can use pumpkin in both sweet (of course, pie comes to mind; but who wants a gluten-filled crust?) and savory recipes.
On the sweet side, for a Paleo- friendly breakfast idea, blend a 1/2 cup of pumpkin with a cup of chilled, brewed green tea, a tablespoon of raw almond butter and 1 scoop of egg white protein powder. For a dessert, cube raw pumpkin and combine in a roasting pan with a touch of olive oil and some chopped golden delicious apples. Bake at 450 for about an hour, stirring occasionally, then transfer to the food processor and puree. Refrigerate to chill and with a touch of cinnamon & a sprinkling of crystallized ginger, you’ve got a healthy, zero-fat/dariy/grain dessert!
For a more savory approach, toast the seeds under the broiler and add a dash of kosher salt. Eat as a snack with an apple or use atop a salad. Or, cube the pumkpin and throw it into your roasting pan with your other seasonal faves. Finally, why not make a beef stew and right before serving, transfer it into the pumpkin shell and warm it in the oven til you’re ready to serve. What a novel presentation!
So when your kids bug you to take them to the pumpkin patch, don’t think only of which will make the best jack-o-lantern; think also about which will make the best stew!
