Autumn’s Favorite Gourd

The Fall always brings a bountiful harvest of pumpkins. We usually only think of pumpkins in terms of pie, but they’re good for a lot more. As their deep orange color suggests, pumpkins are packed with vitamins A and C, potassium, dietary fiber, folate, omega-3 fatty acids, and many B vitamins. With all that nutrition, it seems a shame to simply use pumpkins for doorstep decorations.

Studies have shown that the orange-red carotene (or carotenoids) found in pumpkins can help reduce the risk of developing lung cancer, colon cancer, as well as protecting against heart disease and diabetes. Be sure to pick a baking, sugar, or sweet pumpkin to use for cooking. The jack-o-lantern style is stringy and tasteless and is used just for carving. This recipe only takes about 20 minutes to prepare and will be a hit at holiday dinners.

Main Ingredients
Filtered water
1 small organic pie/sweet pumpkin, seeds removed, peeled and cubed
1 small organic kabocha (Japanese pumpkin) squash, seeds removed and cubed (skin on)
Organic soy sauce or tamari
Cilantro for garnish

Glaze
1 Tablespoon organic soy sauce or tamari
1 Tablespoon organic agave nectar or maple syrup
1 inch organic ginger, minced
2 Tablespoons organic apricot preserves

Steam each kind of squash separately by placing a stainless steel steamer basket in a medium pot with 1 inch of water in the bottom. If you can do this with 2 pots at the same time you will save time. Sprinkle lightly with soy sauce before covering with lid. Steam until tender. Test one piece with a fork around 8 minutes. You want the squash soft and tender but not mushy. Meanwhile, mix together glaze ingredients.

When done remove squash from steamer basket and place both kinds in a medium bowl. Toss with glaze. Serve hot or, if you prefer, it’s just as good cold. Garnish with cilantro.

Resource: Healthy Meal Planning

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