Pumpkin is much more than just a piece pf decoration for Halloween. It is also a super useful product that is great to use as often as possible. Let's figure out why you should love pumpkin, why make it a permanent part of your diet, and how to cook it as simply and deliciously as possible.
Pumpkins can be any autumn color: orange, green, yellow, brown or even grey. This vegetable is often underestimated for no reason. First of all, its composition is a real superfood, which at the same time costs a penny. And secondly, pumpkin is delicious, it is very easy to cook, and it is also great ingredient for a variety of dishes.
Seasonal products usually contain the maximum concentration of benefits for healthy living as well as wonderful taste. And the pumpkin season is just in full swing and will last until winter. Moreover, pumpkins are stored so well that you can stock up on them even for the snowy season.
Let's talk about pumpkins and find out: what kind of dishes you can cook of them and what sorts are the tastiest.
Less calories, more benefits
A human is 60% water, and a pumpkin is 90% water. The remaining 10% is fiber. It is difficult to gain weight when eating pumpkin, even if overeating. 100 g of the product contains an average of 26 kcal. At the same time, this vegetable is very nutritious.
Average pumpkin contains:
А, В1, В2, С, Е, В3, В5, В6, В9 vitamins. Provitamin A (also known as beta-carotene) prevails in quantity — it is 5 times more abundant in pumpkin than in carrots.There is also a lot of ascorbic acid (vitamin C — 11%) and pantothenic acid (vitamin B5 — 8%);
minerals: potassium, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, copper, iron, manganese, fluorine, sulfur, zinc, iodine and sodium. Above all copper (18%) and potassium (8%).
Due to the listed substances, eating pumpkin contributes to the natural detoxification of the body, reduces puffiness, normalizes the work of the gastrointestinal tract, helps to maintain a healthy metabolism and visual acuity.
Pumpkin is often added to the menu of hypertensives, people with metabolic disorders who suffer from excess weight. It is useful for problems of the genitourinary system of men and women, and is also actively used in children's diets.
Lycopene, a carotenoid, a powerful antioxidant, immunostimulator and oncoprotector, deserves special attention in the composition of pumpkin. A number of studies have confirmed that regular consumption of foods rich in lycopene reduces the likelihood of cardiovascular problems and serves as a prevention of prostate cancer in men.
Cool thing about lycopene: it is not destroyed even during heat treatment, but on the contrary, it turns into an active form and is better absorbed. Therefore, pumpkin is useful to eat both raw and cooked.
Not only pumpkin soup
Many people consider pumpkin soup as their favorite dish. However, there are a lot of simple, healthy and tasty recipes. Despite its sweet taste, pumpkin is a very versatile product that tastes good with a variety of ingredients. Here are some examples:
Omelet with pumpkin. Wash, clean and cut the pumpkin into large cubes. Simmer in a pan, add other vegetables and fill with pre-beaten eggs. Sprinkle the finished dish with sea salt, your favorite spices and fresh herbs.
Pumpkin side dish. Cut the pumpkin into cubes (1 cm wide). Cover the baking sheet with parchment or a silicone mat. We lay out the pumpkin and bake at a temperature of 180-200 degrees until ready — the pieces should be easily pierced with a fork. Season the cooled pumpkin with oil (sesame, olive, or linseed), spices, salt, and garlic. Serve as a side dish to meat or fish.
For veggie lovers. We take zucchini, eggplant, cauliflower, pumpkin, mushrooms, boiled (or canned) chickpeas and tofu. Cut vegetables and mushrooms into pieces (courgette, eggplant, champignons are larger, pumpkin into smaller cubes, cauliflower into small florets). We stew pumpkin in a pan, after a couple of minutes add cauliflower, then zucchini and mushrooms. When everything is almost ready, add chickpeas and tofu, previously cut into cubes. Keep covered for another 5-7 minutes. Salt the finished dish, add spices and herbs.
Pumpkin and apple fritters. Grate raw pumpkin and apple in equal amounts. Add flour, 1-2 eggs and sugar to taste. Mix everything to a homogeneous mass (medium thickness is required). Fry the fritters in refined coconut oil. Serve with your favorite berries, honey and nuts.
Salad with grated raw pumpkin. While several chicken eggs are cooking, grate the pumpkin. We also grate ready and cooled eggs. Season the mixture with sour cream, salt, pepper and garlic (dried or chopped fresh).
Baked pumpkin can be added to your favorite porridge - oatmeal, rice or millet, and in its raw form you can simply crunch with this vegetable, like carrots or apples. If the pumpkin flesh is cut into straws, then together with other vegetables, it will perfectly complement hummus.
The tastiest pumpkin
For any variety of cooking thetas of pumpkin is vital. There are over twenty sorts of pumpkins. Which one is the best? Let's check it out.
The following sorts of pumpkin are usually available at local markets:
"Butternut". It has long "neck", round basis, light shade of orange and brown skin. Its juicy, not too fibrous, sweetish pumpkin with hints of nut;
"Sweet winter". Big, round shaped and slightly flattened pumpkin. The surface is embossed, as if divided into lobes. Hard grayish skin, often has bumps. The pulp is sugary, so it goes perfectly with sweet dishes;
"Marble". Huge, round shaped pumpkin, which can be grey or green. The flesh is both juicy and elastic, very sweet to the taste;
"Orange sun". Medium-sized pumpkins, rounded at the bottom, and elongated to the top with a cone (like a bulb or a pear). The skin is bright orange, smooth and quite hard. The flesh is dense, slightly starchy, sweet, but not cloying;
"Hokkaido". It resembles "Orange Sun" in shape and hard skin. Small pumpkins with a sweet nutty taste. The nutty note is revealed even more during baking.
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This is how a close acquaintance with a pumpkin turned out. If you are not inspired to cook it, don't worry. But still stock up on a couple of fruits. Halloween is almost here, and Jack-o'-lanterns won't cut themselves.
Pumpkin. Unusual autumn menu
Pumpkin
Unusual autumn menu
Pumpkin is much more than just a piece pf decoration for Halloween. It is also a super useful product that is great to use as often as possible. Let's figure out why you should love pumpkin, why make it a permanent part of your diet, and how to cook it as simply and deliciously as possible.
Pumpkins can be any autumn color: orange, green, yellow, brown or even grey. This vegetable is often underestimated for no reason. First of all, its composition is a real superfood, which at the same time costs a penny. And secondly, pumpkin is delicious, it is very easy to cook, and it is also great ingredient for a variety of dishes.
Seasonal products usually contain the maximum concentration of benefits for healthy living as well as wonderful taste. And the pumpkin season is just in full swing and will last until winter. Moreover, pumpkins are stored so well that you can stock up on them even for the snowy season.
Let's talk about pumpkins and find out: what kind of dishes you can cook of them and what sorts are the tastiest.
Less calories, more benefits
A human is 60% water, and a pumpkin is 90% water. The remaining 10% is fiber. It is difficult to gain weight when eating pumpkin, even if overeating. 100 g of the product contains an average of 26 kcal. At the same time, this vegetable is very nutritious.
Average pumpkin contains:
Due to the listed substances, eating pumpkin contributes to the natural detoxification of the body, reduces puffiness, normalizes the work of the gastrointestinal tract, helps to maintain a healthy metabolism and visual acuity.
Pumpkin is often added to the menu of hypertensives, people with metabolic disorders who suffer from excess weight. It is useful for problems of the genitourinary system of men and women, and is also actively used in children's diets.
Lycopene, a carotenoid, a powerful antioxidant, immunostimulator and oncoprotector, deserves special attention in the composition of pumpkin. A number of studies have confirmed that regular consumption of foods rich in lycopene reduces the likelihood of cardiovascular problems and serves as a prevention of prostate cancer in men.
Cool thing about lycopene: it is not destroyed even during heat treatment, but on the contrary, it turns into an active form and is better absorbed. Therefore, pumpkin is useful to eat both raw and cooked.
Not only pumpkin soup
Many people consider pumpkin soup as their favorite dish. However, there are a lot of simple, healthy and tasty recipes. Despite its sweet taste, pumpkin is a very versatile product that tastes good with a variety of ingredients. Here are some examples:
Baked pumpkin can be added to your favorite porridge - oatmeal, rice or millet, and in its raw form you can simply crunch with this vegetable, like carrots or apples. If the pumpkin flesh is cut into straws, then together with other vegetables, it will perfectly complement hummus.
The tastiest pumpkin
For any variety of cooking thetas of pumpkin is vital. There are over twenty sorts of pumpkins. Which one is the best? Let's check it out.
The following sorts of pumpkin are usually available at local markets:
· · ·
This is how a close acquaintance with a pumpkin turned out. If you are not inspired to cook it, don't worry. But still stock up on a couple of fruits. Halloween is almost here, and Jack-o'-lanterns won't cut themselves.