Pumpkin season is well and truly upon us. Sadly, so many pumpkins go to waste every year. So today wanted to share with you some of my favourite recipes to hopefully inspire you guys to eat the whole pumpkins this year, and not throw them into landfill! The skin, seeds, flesh, even the guts. Everything! Well, apart from the stalk! But you can compost that!
With families making up for missing out on the fun last year, a bigger Halloween means that a predicted 35 million pumpkins will be bought and carved, and, without intervention, a spine-chilling 14.5 million will end up in the bin as food waste. There are so many recipes online. Foodie Instagram’s, Blogs, YouTubes – the possibilities are endless at what you could make.
Please note that if you paint your pumpkin, draw on it, etc then sadly you can’t eat it or compost it as the toxins seep into them, making the whole thing toxic. – Please don’t paint your pumpkins!
The Skin
For the skins I love to make crisps for the girls. Every year they love them and I get all excited about making them! Selina has a super simple recipe and they go perfectly with soup!
The Seed’s
Wash and dry your seeds. Lay evenly on a baking sheet an Roast in the oven (200 degrees C ) with a little olive oil, garlic powder, some salt & pepper for around 15 mins, stirring occasionally. Once done, you have a healthy snack that is high in protein.
The Flesh & The Gut’s
The rest of the recipes are from one of my all time favourite foodie influencers, Caitlin from “From my bowl”. They are Vegan, but I am sure you could add dairy if you really wanted to ( 10 points if you try the vegan versions because they are amazing! ) The first recipe is how to make your own puree, so you dont have to go out and buy the canned stuff because, lets face it – fresh is always that little bit better!
Please note – You can add the stringy guts to the blender when making the Puree. It doesnt have to be discarded!
My favourite Pumpkin recipes are:
Baked Vegan Pumpkin Mac & Cheese
There are so many recipes online. Foodie Instagram’s, Blogs, YouTubes – the possibilities are endless at what you could make.
However, the amazing people at @oddboxldn have launched an SOS, or Save Our Squash hotline. The hotline will provide unique recipes to inspire people to get creative in the kitchen and help the planet at the same time.
Simply send the type of squash you want to save and two ingredients you already have to sos@oddbox.co.uk, and you’ll get bespoke recipe inspiration in return.
What would you be making or want to try making with your Pumpkin’s this year? Leave in the comments below!
