Pumpkins a super food ? Yummy Pumpkin Stew!

When you think of super foods Pumpkin doesn't come to mind but not all super foods need to come from exotic destinations and cost an arm and a leg. 

  The orange colour of pumpkin signals beta carotene, a plant pigment that's a potent disease-fighter.   

  Pumpkins are loaded with fiber, potassium, magnesium. They are rich in vitamins C and E, can lower the risk of several types of cancers.  And the best bit pumpkins are budget friendly and can be very easily grown organically in the backyard ( if you have a small yard look for dwarf varieties).    

Health benefits of Pumpkin

-  It is one of the vegetables which is very low calories;  provides just 26 cal per 100 g and contains no saturated fats or cholesterol; but is rich a source of dietary fiber, anti-oxidants, minerals, vitamins. Recommended by dieticians in cholesterol controlling and weight reduction programs.

-  Pumpkin is a storehouse of many anti-oxidant vitamins such as vitamin-A, vitamin-C and vitamin-E.

-  With 7384 mg per 100 g, it is one of the vegetable in the cucurbitaceae family with highest levels of vitamin-A, providing about 246% of RDA. Vitamin A is a powerful natural anti-oxidant and is required by body for maintaining the integrity of skin and mucus membranes. It is also an essential vitamin for vision. Research studies suggest that natural foods rich in vitamin A helps body protect against lung and oral cavity cancers.

-  It is also an excellent source of many natural poly-phenolic flavonoid compounds such as α and ß carotenes, cryptoxanthin, lutein and zeaxanthin. Carotenes convert into vitamin A inside the body.

-  Zea-xanthin is a natural anti-oxidant which has UV (ultra-violet) rays filtering actions in the macula lutea in reitina of the eyes. Thus, it helps protect from "age related macular disease" (ARMD) in the elderly.

-  Rich in B-complex group of vitamins like folates, niacin, vitamin B-6 (pyridoxine), thiamin and pantothenic acid.

-  It is also rich source of minerals like copper, calcium, potassium and phosphorus.

Super Pumpkin, Chickpea & Goji Berry Stew

The orange colour of pumpkin signals beta carotene, a plant pigment that's a potent disease-fighter. And this is a meatless stew, so the total fat content is minimal. Like all good stews, this is a fine make-ahead recipe.

  

Ingredients

Serves: 4

·         1 tablespoon macadamia oil

·         1 large onion, halved and thinly sliced

·         3 cloves garlic, finely chopped

·         500 g butternut pumpkin, peeled and cut into 2 cm chunks

·         1 1/2 teaspoons curry powder

·         1 teaspoon ground coriander

·         Pinch cayenne pepper

·         250ml tomato puree

·         400g soaked chickpea* or 1 can (420 g) chickpeas, rinsed and drained

·         1/4 cup goji berry

·         1/4 cup chopped fresh coriander, to garnish

* I prefer to use dried chickpea and soak them for a day before. Canned works just as well but I avoided canned foods as the lining in many of  the cans contains BPA.

Optional extras

- 1 tablespoon Dulse flakes (I add these to everything savoury I cook just to get more sea vegetables into my family)

- A good handful of baby spinach stirred just before serving YUM!

Preheat the oven to 180°C. Heat the macadamia oil in a flameproof casserole dish over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until the onion is golden-brown.

Add the butternut pumpkin, curry powder and ground coriander, cayenne pepper stirring to coat. Add the tomatoes, chickpeas, goji berry and 1/2 cup water. Bring to the boil over medium heat.

Cover the casserole with the lid, transfer to the oven, and bake until the pumpkin is tender, about 20 minutes. If using soaked chickpeas cooking time may be longer.

 Stir in the chopped fresh coriander just before serving.

Serve with Quinoa 

This was a winner with the whole family !!