50 Best Plants on the Planet (47 page)

Adjust an oven rack to the lower third of the oven; preheat the oven to
375
degrees F. Wash a baby pumpkin (also called “pie” or “sweet”) with cold water. Dry. Place it on a cutting board on its side. Cut through the “equator” using a sturdy knife. Use a sturdy spoon to remove the seeds and fiber. Coat a rimmed baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray. Place the pumpkin halves cut-side down on the sheet. Roast for
35
to
40
minutes, or until the pumpkin is fork tender. Remove it from the oven. The skin should be a little loose. When it is cool enough, use a paring knife to pull off and discard the skin. Place the flesh in a food processor and whirl until it is smooth and puréed. If using other pumpkin varieties, the purée may be watery. In that case, drain the purée in a coffee filter for a few minutes to remove excess moisture.

Warm 1 tablespoon butter and 1 tablespoon olive oil in a 4- or 6-quart saucepan or Dutch oven on medium heat. Add 1 medium onion (chopped); cook until it is softened. Add
½
teaspoon ground cinnamon,
½
teaspoon ground cardamom, and
2
teaspoons dried red pepper flakes; cook for
1
minute, stirring occasionally. Add
3
cups chopped carrots,
6
cups fat-free low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth, and
1
cup water; bring them to a boil, partially cover, and reduce the heat to low. Simmer for
25
minutes. Add
2
cups pumpkin purée; simmer for
5
minutes. Process the soup in batches in a food processor or blender, using caution (hold down the lid with a pot holder). Season with salt and pepper; if needed, add
½
teaspoon additional dried red pepper flakes. Garnish each serving with a pinch of finely chopped Italian parsley and a dollop of plain fat-free Greek-style yogurt.

An appealing blend of spices makes these pancakes so delicious that toppings are optional. In a small bowl, stir together
1
cup all-purpose flour,
3
tablespoons light brown sugar,
1
½
teaspoons baking powder,
1
½
tablespoons pumpkin pie spice,
½
teaspoon ground cinnamon, and
¼
teaspoon salt. In a food processor, combine
1
cup nonfat milk,
⅓
cup pumpkin purée,
1
tablespoon canola oil, and
1
large egg. Pulse
3
times. Add the dry ingredients; pulse
6
to
8
times, or until thoroughly blended. Coat a griddle or nonstick skillet with nonstick spray and heat on medium heat. Add
¼
cup batter for each pancake. Turn when the edges are cooked and bubbles appear. When they are cooked through, after
1
to
1
½
minutes, remove the pancakes.

Roast a baby (“sweet” or “pie”) pumpkin as in To Make Pumpkin Purée
(page 257)
. Wearing oven mitts, turn the halves cut-side up; cut them into quarters and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. In a small bowl, combine
½
cup panko (Japanese bread crumbs) with
1
tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil and
¾
teaspoon chopped fresh thyme; scatter them over the pumpkin. Adjust an oven rack to
8
to
10
inches below the broiler element; preheat the broiler. Broil until the tops are browned and crisp, about
2
minutes. Watch carefully because bread crumbs burn easily.

Roasted pumpkin purée is delicious tossed with pasta and fresh herbs. Topped with both toasted walnuts and Parmesan cheese, the dish is augmented with a garnish of tasty pumpkin wedges made delicious with fresh orange juice and a generous sprinkle of orange zest and freshly ground black pepper. You can reserve the pumpkin seeds you remove in step 1 for roasting
(see page
257
)
, if you wish.

Yields
12
side-dish servings

NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION

(per serving, without optional oil)

calories
200

fat calories
50

total fat (g)
6

sat fat (g)
1.5

cholesterol (mg)
5

sodium (mg)
300

total carbohydrates (g)
31

fiber (g)
4

sugars (g)
3

protein (g)
8

vitamin A IUs
90
%

vitamin C
20
%

calcium
10
%

iron
8
%

One 3-pound baby (sweet or pie) pumpkin

Nonstick vegetable oil cooking spray

¼
cup fat-free, low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth

1 orange, zested and juiced

3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh basil

1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

14 ounces corkscrew-style whole-grain or multi-grain pasta, such as rotini or fusilli

½
cup walnut pieces, toasted
(
see Cook's Note
, page 240)

OPTIONAL GARNISH
extra-virgin olive oil or pumpkin seed oil

OPTIONAL
dried red pepper flakes

½
cup grated Parmesan cheese

1
.
Adjust an oven rack to the lower third of the oven. Preheat the oven to
375
degrees F. Cut the pumpkin in half through the equator using a sturdy knife. Use a sturdy spoon to remove the seeds and fiber. Coat a rimmed baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray. Place the pumpkin halves cut-side down on the sheet. Roast for
35
to
40
minutes, or until the pumpkin is fork tender. Remove it from the oven. The skin should be a little loose. When it is cool enough, use a paring knife to pull off and discard the skin.

2
.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.

3
.
Half of the pumpkin will be puréed for the sauce and the other half used as a garnish. Cut each half into wedges. Place half of the wedges in a food processor fitted with the metal blade. Add the broth, zest, half the juice,
2
tablespoons of the basil, and the vinegar. Season with salt and pepper; purée until smooth.

4
.
Drizzle the remaining orange juice over the pumpkin wedges still on the rimmed baking sheet. Sprinkle with the remaining basil and season well with salt and pepper.

5
.
Cook the pasta in the boiling salted water until it is al dente (following the package directions). Drain the pasta, reserving
⅓
cup of the cooking water. Toss the pasta and puréed pumpkin together in a large bowl. Add the reserved pasta water and toss again. Taste for seasoning.

6
.
Heap the pasta on a large platter. Scatter the walnut pieces on top. If desired, drizzle with a little extra-virgin olive oil and sprinkle with pepper flakes. Arrange the pumpkin wedges around the edge of the pasta. Top the pasta with the Parmesan and serve immediately.

Pumpkins make gorgeous edible containers. The soft interior flesh is spooned up along with the tasty filling, leaving the skin behind. In this recipe, a reduced-fat twist on succotash is the stuffing. It teams beautifully with the sweet starchiness of pumpkin. Because it is showy, serve the stuffed pumpkin at the table. With each serving, scoop up a good-size portion of pumpkin to accompany the succotash. If you have any succotash leftovers, they are well-suited as a component in a broth-based soup.

Yields
8
to
10
servings

NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION

(per serving, with
¼
cup pumpkin)

calories
170

fat calories
70

total fat (g)
8

sat fat (g)
1.5

cholesterol (mg)
5

sodium (mg)
50

total carbohydrates (g)
20

fiber (g)
3

sugars (g)
3

protein (g)
6

vitamin A IUs
170
%

vitamin C
20
%

calcium
6
%

iron
10
%

One 3-pound baby (sweet or pie) pumpkin

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

1
½
tablespoons white wine vinegar

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

8 large fresh basil leaves, minced

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

1 cup hominy, drained

1
½
cups corn kernels

1 cup frozen shelled edamame or lima beans, thawed, patted dry

One 15-ounce can red beans, rinsed, and drained

OPTIONAL FOR SERVING
brown rice or wild rice

1
.
Adjust an oven rack to the lower third of the oven. Preheat the oven to
400
degrees F. Using a sturdy knife, cut off a pumpkin “lid” (cutting about
1
inch from the top). Use a sturdy spoon to remove the fibers and seeds. If desired, reserve the seeds for roasting
(see page
257
)
. Season the inside of the pumpkin with salt and pepper. Wrap the exterior and cut edges and lid separately with aluminum foil. Reposition the lid on the pumpkin and place it on a baking pan (not glass). Put it in the oven and add about
½
inch of hot water to the pan. Bake until the pumpkin's interior is fork tender but not mushy, about
1
hour and
15
minutes. Check halfway through baking; add more water to the pan if needed. Cautiously remove the pan from the oven. Using pot holders or oven mitts, remove the pumpkin to a serving platter.

2
.
Meanwhile, make the vinaigrette: In a small bowl or glass measuring cup with a handle, whisk the vinegar and season it with salt and pepper. Whisk in the oil in a thin stream. Stir in the basil; set aside.

3
.
To make the succotash: In a large, deep skillet, heat the oil and butter on high heat. When the butter melts, add the hominy and corn. Cook, stirring occasionally, until they are lightly browned, about
5
minutes. If the mixture starts popping and sending kernels out of the skillet, reduce the heat to medium. Add the edamame and red beans. Add the vinaigrette and stir to combine. Cook until heated through,
2
to
3
minutes. Taste and adjust the seasoning if needed.

4
.
When cool enough to handle, remove the foil from the pumpkin and lid. Fill the pumpkin with the succotash and replace the lid. Because the pumpkin is full, it is easier to scoop the first
2
or
3
servings of pumpkin from the interior of the lid. If desired, accompany the succotash and pumpkin with rice.

These nutrient-packed individual pies are baked in mini pumpkins instead of piecrust. Diners can spoon up filling along with a little baked pumpkin to boost the nutritional benefits. Whipped cream and baked piecrust leaves are optional.

Yields about
12
to
15
servings

NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION

(per serving, without optional garnishes)

calories
80

fat calories
0

total fat (g)
0

sat fat (g)
0

cholesterol (mg)
0

sodium (mg)
60

total carbohydrates (g)
16

fiber (g)
1

sugars (g)
12

protein (g)
3

vitamin A IUs
180
%

vitamin C
10
%

calcium
8
%

iron
6
%

12 to 15 mini pumpkins (
see Cook's Notes
)

3 egg whites

1
½
cups pumpkin purée or one 15-ounce can solid pack pumpkin (not pumpkin pie mix)

One 12-ounce can evaporated fat-free milk

½
cup sugar

1
½
teaspoons pumpkin pie spice

½
teaspoon ground cinnamon