Pumpkin Recipes

Recently I was asked by The Evening Chronicle to create some healthy recipes around Pumpkins. Below is the finished piece, but if you want to see the online article click here. I had loads of fun in the kitchen creating these recipes, my family and friends have been inundated with so many pumpkin dishes, I asked them for feedback and criticisms, so some of these recipes have been changed up to 4 times to perfect them!

Also the photographer was a genius! He spotted some beautiful Autumn trees near by and wanted to use the various colourful leaves for the most amazing backdrop. I love this time of year!

*** Enjoy ***

Lewis Arnold/Evening Chronicle 

Born and bred in Newcastle Stacey Smith is a former GB Athlete, who competed in 800m/1500m for her Country. She has always been involved in health and fitness and has a long list of sporting qualifications to her name.

She is now a fully qualified Sports Physiotherapist, NHS Nutritional Advisor and Personal Trainer. Stacey is passionate about helping people to become healthier and her dishes on her blog are all aimed at healthy recipes and cater for various food intolerances and allergies.

Stacey also focuses on nutritional education, and say's "There's not enough information out there about nutrition and food awareness and there is a lot of mixed messages so people are often confused."

" I like to explain why I am using certain ingredients and what they can do for your health."

Her blog also focuses on fitness, giving tips, advice and reviews and you can visit her blog at www.staceyssay.blogspot.co.uk

So with halloween coming up what better excuse and time to start experimenting with 'Pumpkin'. "The Pumpkin is an under rated veg its very versatile, cheap, easy to cook with, low in calories, high in fibre and full of nutrients such Vitamin A,C, Potassium, Zinc and Magnesium."

Here she's  going to show you some lovely healthy pumpkin recipes.

Pumpkin Soup

This is a great quick recipe, so easy to make and really cheap and healthy too! Perfect for on a budget, students or beginners.


Ingredients 

• 1 kg Pumpkin, peeled, de-seeded, and chopped into chunks.
• 1 large Leek, 1 inch slices
• 1 large Red Onion sliced
• Dried Thyme & Sage
• Olive Oil
• 1 Pint Vegetable Stock
• Black Pepper& Salt

Put 2 tablespoons of Olive Oil in a large pan, gently fry off the sliced Onions for 5mins on a low/med heat, add the chopped Leeks and cook for another 10mins, stirring occasionally. Add in the Pumpkin and Herbs then cook for another 10mins, stirring to make sure all ingredients are being evenly cooked. Add the Stock, Black Pepper and Salt, cook for 20min on a simmer then blend for your preference. I prefer my soup chunky so I only blend it a little bit.

Pumpkin&Sweet Potato Fritters 

Makes around 10-12

Lewis Arnold/Evening Chronicle 

Pumpkin and Sweet Potato go great together, serve this for lunch with some salad or as an alternative to your normal breakfast. The use of Coconut Oil instead of traditional Olive Oil for frying is because Olive Oil becomes toxic as it is heated very high, whereas Coconut Oil doesn't. Use Olive Oil for cooking at lower temperatures or in salad dressings. 

Lewis Arnold/Evening Chronicle

• 350g Grated Pumpkin
• 160g Grated Sweet Potato
• 1/2  Red Onion- finely sliced
• 2 tablespoons Rice Flour 
• 3 eggs
• Paprika
• ChillI Powder
• Black Pepper & Salt
• 2 Stalks Fresh Coriander 
• Coconut Oil for frying

Place all the ingredients in a bowl and mix well together, making sure all the ingredients are coated in egg and that there's no clumps of flour. Using a tablespoon scoop out the mixture and use your hands to mould into a disc like shape...this will get messy! Don't make them too big otherwise they won't cook in the middle. Fry with some coconut oil on a low-to-med heat, these can burn so be careful and take your time, once golden (this should take around 5mins), flip the fritters onto the other side and fry for a futher 2mins. 

Pumpkin & Coconut Cake Loaf

Lewis Arnold/Evening Chronicle

No fat and very low sugar. The use of banana and maple syrup provides sweetness but from a more natural source, this is better for us then the use of processed sugars. Ive tried a tested this recipe out a few times on my friends and family and they all wolf it down. You can buy pumpkin puree in specialist shops or make it yourself, simply dry roast pumpkin chunks in the oven for half an hour or steam it, then puree the pumpkin in a food processor or with a blender.

Lewis Arnold/Evening Chronicle 

• 300g Pumpkin Puree
• 25g Maple Syrup
• 1 Banana
• 40g Coconut Flour
• 30g Desiccated Coconut
• 50g Ground Almonds
• 30g Oats
• 1 Tablespoon Flaxseeds
• 1 Tablespoon Chia Seeds
• 1/2 Teaspoon salt
• 20g Mixed Seeds
• 1 Teaspoon Cinnamon, 1/2 Teaspoon of Ground Ginger, Nutmeg,All Spice

First make your Flaxseed/Chia Egg, this is a replacement for egg in the recipe. If you don't mind using eggs and are not intolerant/allergic/vegan then use 1 free range egg instead. Otherwise place the flaxseeds and Chia Seeds in a bowl with 6 tablespoons of water and leave for 10mins for the seeds to soak and expand.

Place all the ingredients in a food processor (apart from the Oats, Seeds and Flaxseed/Chia Mix if using them). Whizz up all the ingredients until fully mixed then stir in the Oats, Seeds and Flaxseed/Chia Mix. 

Place in a loaf tin (fully lined) 20cm by 10cm for 35-40mins at 210.

Pumpkin Hummus

Serve this with pitta bread, or if you are being a bit healthier try my beetroot crisps on my blog or vegetable sticks. 

• 400g Pumpkin, peeled, de-seeded and chopped
• 1 Tin Chickpeas
• 2 Tablespoon Olive Oil
• 2 Springs Fresh Rosemary
• Salt and Pepper
• 2 Tablespoon Tahini
• Juice of 1 Lemon
• 2-4 Garlic Cloves, 

Put the Oven on 210. Roast the pumpkin in the oven with the olive oil, garlic and fresh rosemary for 45mins. Once done, add to a food processor (without the fresh rosemary) chickpeas, tahini, lemon juice, salt and pepper for seasoning and blitz until a smooth paste forms. Serve with a drizzle of olive oil and a extra sprinkle of dried rosemary if you have some.

Pumpkin Protein Balls

Lewis Arnold/Evening Chronicle

For all my fitness buffs out there, I knew I had to incorporate pumpkin into a protein ball recipe. I get asked all the time for various protein recipes so the use of pumpkin means this is lower in fat and sugar then some of my other protein balls. Super healthy and perfect for a snack.

Makes 20

• 30g Vanilla Protein Powder (I use Sunwarrior Vegan Blend)
• 3 tablespoons Pumpkin Puree
• 3 Medjool Dates
• 3 Tablespoons Desiccated Coconut
• 2 Tablespoons Flaxseeds

Simply put all the ingredients in a food processor and blend together, roll into balls (size of a teaspoon)

Warm Autumn Salad

Serves 4

I made this for a recent dinner party and everybody loved it, I served this salad with Smoked Mackerel and Blackberry Chutney (recipe on my blog), perfect for a cosy Autumn evening.

Ingredients 

• 500g Pumpkin- peeled, deseeded and cut into square chucks not too small as they will mush.
• 250g Brussel Sprouts
• 100g Tricolour Quinoa
• 1 Red Onion
• 4 Cloves Garlic with skin still on
• 2 Stalks Celery
• 2 Handfuls Kale
• 1 Tablespoon Honey (Maple syrup if vegan)
• 1 Apple
• 2 Tablespoon Apple Cider Vinegar
• 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil- plus more for roasted vegetables
• Hazelnuts

Method

Put the oven on 210. Throughly wash the brussel sprouts, chop into halves then place on a tray with a drizzle of olive oil, plenty of black pepper and 2 cloves of garlic (slightly crush them a bit to release the flavour but leave them whole). Do the same with the prepared Pumpkin. Leave in the oven for 30mins.

Make the Quinoa, this takes around 15mins, place in a saucepan with 500ml water, boil them simmer, once cooked, drain. 

Chop up the Onion, Celery and Apple, place in large Salad serving bowl with the Kale. 

Once the quinoa, pumpkin and brussel sprouts are cooked place them into the same salad bowl genetally stiring so all ingredients are evenly mixed. Mix together the Apple Cider Vinegar, Olive Oil and Honey, drizzle over the salad and place on top a handful of Hazelnuts. 

Pumpkin Brownies

Lewis Arnold/Evening Chronicle

For when you're trying to be good but still want a bit of a dessert. If you want more a chocolatey hit, a handful of chopped 85% dark chocolate will do it! Raw Cocoa has a much richer taste then normal Cocoa Powder which has been heated and processed... zapping it's nutrients, so if you're using normal Cocoa Powder you'll need to double this amount.

• 80g Oats
• 180g Black Beans (cooked)
• 200g Pumpkin Puree
• 2 Teaspoons Dried Coffee mixed with 2 tablespoons boiled water.
• 90g Maple Syrup
• 50g Coconut Oil
• 2 Teaspoons Madagascan Vanilla
• 6 Tablespoon Raw Cocoa 

Method

In a food processor place the Oats and blend until a fine powder/flour forms. To the Oat Flour add the Black Beans. Make sure you rinse the beans very well, sometimes if there is any residue left the brownies can have a bean after taste ...and we don't want that! As well as the beans, add the rest of the ingredients. Mix until combined, you may have to scrape down some of the mixture on the sides a few times. 

Place the mixture in a tin (6" by 6") and into to oven at 220 for 30mins. 

Pumpkin Granola (No Sugar and No Fat)

Lewis Arnold/Evening Chronicle

Thanks to clever marketing people assume that Granola is a health food, now most Granolas (even homemade ones) are full of extremely high amounts of sugar and fat. This granola has no sugar at all and tastes amazing, there is some good fats in here from a few Pecans and Almonds but it's a very limited amount. Make a big batch and it lasts for weeks.

Ingredients 

• 150g Pumpkin Puree
• 200g Oats
• 50g Desiccated Coconut
• 2 Teaspoon Pumpkin Spice Mix 
• 1/2 Tablespoon Cinnamon
• 20g Pecan Halves
• 20g Slivered Almonds

Oven 130.

First make the Pumpkin Spice mix. I make a big batch of this and store it in a glass jar to use it in other recipes to...the Pumpkin Spice Latte (see below) also uses this mix.

Mix together 3 tablespoons Cinnamon, 2 teaspoons Ginger, 2 teaspoons Nutmeg and 1 teaspoon of All Spice. Remember once this is made you only need 2 teaspoons of the mix in this recipe.

Mix together all the ingredients in a large bowl, making sure everything is coated with the Pumpkin Puree. Scatter the mix over the tray, you may get clusters of mixture sticking together, I leave it like that as it adds a bit more crunch to the granola. This will take around 2 or 3 trays to bake, so spread the mixture evenly. Place on oven for 90 mins, taking the trays out to turn over the mixture every 15mins, keep an eye on the Granola as it can burn if the oven is too hot. 

Black Pepper and Sea Salt Pumpkin Seeds

When preparing pumpkin, most people throw out the seeds...don't! It's such a waste, these seeds are a bundle of vital nutrients and can be made into delicious snacks. Store in sealed plastic container and they can last for weeks. These seeds are high in protein and plant based fatty acids, which help regulate cholesterol levels and improve brain function.

Lewis Arnold/Evening Chronicle

Ingredients

• Fresh Pumpkin Seeds
• Sea Salt
• Black Pepper
• Coconut Oil

Oven 220. 

Rinse the seeds thoroughly and discard of any pulp. Place in a pan with 1 pint of water and teaspoon of sea salt, boil then simmer for 10mins. Drain, place on heated tray with 1 tablespoon of melted Coconut Oil. Toss the seeds onto the tray coating all of them, then generously coat the seeds in lots Black Pepper and Salt, roast in oven for 10-20 min depending on the seed size. If you notice any seeds browning quicker then the others pick them out and continue to roast all the seeds till golden. 

Pumpkin Spice Latte

Makes 1

The famous Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte is a favourite among coffee lovers in Autumn. However it actually contains no real pumpkin, but a heap load of sugar and artificial ingredients instead plus it  can set you back 400kcal. So if you are still wanting your PSL hit without the hefty calorie intake try this recipe. I made this with a coffee machine which has a steamer on the side to make cappuccinos and lattes. If you don't have one, use a Cafetiere to make your coffee and an electric whisk to froth your milk in a heated saucepan.

• 1 tablespoon of Pumpkin Puree
• 200ml Unsweetened Almond Milk
• 1 tablespoon of Pumpkin Spice Mix (see recipe above)
• 100ml freshly brewed coffee (depends on how strong you want your coffee)
• 1/2 tablespoon Maple Syrup if you need it. 

Mix together the pumpkin puree, almond milk, spice mix and maple syrup if you're using it. Either heat this in a pan and use an electric whisk to froth it or use a coffee steamer to gently build the heat and thickness up.

Prepare the Coffee and gently pour over the milk. Sprinkle over some cinnamon if you like, but hold off on the whipped cream. 

Healthy Homemade Tricolour Beetroot Crisps

One of my recent blog posts discussed why we should be eating with the seasons and which Autumn/Winter foods have now come into season... you can read it here if you missed it.

Now one of the foods which comes into season is the beautiful beetroot. Beetroot is packed full of health and it also fab for sports performance too.

Recent studies show that beetroot is a little bit of a wonder food! It's rich in folate, manganese, thiamine, riboflavin, selenium, copper, zinc, potassium, iron, phosphorus, magnesium, betaine, choline, Vitamin; A, B6, C, K plus pantothenic acid and nitrate.

Studies in the consumption of beetroot shows improvement of muscle oxygenation during exercise, it lowers blood pressure, fights inflammation, it contains anti-cancer properties, increases white blood cell production and shows it can increase heart health. 

Now I've been on the hunt for different types of beetroot...how beautiful does the candy stripe look?


We had these on Sunday night, I also made Kale Crisps, Black Pepper&Sea Salt Roasted Pumpkin Seeds, Hummus and Salsa.


 A standard Sunday night with the X Factor on calls for nibbles! 

Beetroot Crisps

• 6 Beetroot Bulbs (2 red, 2 candy stripe,2 golden) 
• Himalayan Salt 1 teaspoon
• Black Pepper
• Rosemary- Dried.
• Apple Cider Vinegar, 3 tablespoons
• Olive Oil, 2 tablespoons 
• Paprika

Method

Wash and scrub the beetroot removing any dirt and stringy bits. Thinly slice and place in a bowl with the  olive oil, apple cider vinegar and salt. Leave for 10mins, occasionally turning them so they are all coated. 

Place the beetroot flat out on a tray and sprinkle over black pepper, paprika, and rosemary and little more salt. Bake at 140 for 60mins. If you want crisper crips then lower the temperature to about 100 and leave for another 2 hours. I still like mine to have a little softness in the middle as I feel like I'm getting more nutrients from them... so I take them out after 45mins.

Stace x

Mount Purious - Rosehip Oil

Skincare has always been an essential of mine, Mother always told me to look after it and only use simple products. She has great skin and has only ever used Vaseline or a really basic thick cream, the more fussy it is the more it doesn't work in her eyes!

Being a Vegan has taught be a lot about nature, I'm starting to get more interested in Naturopathy, Herbalism, Natural Medicine and looking at how we can use our natural surroundings to the best for us and the environment.

The new Skincare brand Mount Purious also believes in similar values and I've tried out their Rosehip Oil to see what difference it makes to my skin. There are no fillers, chemicals or anything added to this product, its simply just Rosehip Oil!

Properties of Rosehip Oil include high amounts of essential fatty acids, Vitamin E, Vitamin C, B-Carotene- Vitamin A. According to some studies, benefits of using Rosehip Oil include Anti Ageing, reduction of scarring, helps fix Eczema, anti inflammatory, helps damaged skin, sun damaged skin and improves pigmentation. Miranda Kerr and David Gandy uses Rosehip Oil, so if its good enough for supermodels its good enough for me! I've seen other reviews and people have been getting great results with wrinkles!

Ive been using it for a month now, I've also been using a Natural Avocado Soap instead of using face wipes and the 2 combined have done wonders for my skin! I apply lots of it at night to work its magic, it's not greasy or makes your skin feel oily at all.

My skin is so much softer, clearer and brighter! People have said I look like I have a glow, which has never been said before! Even through lots of sweaty exercise, the Rosehip Oil has managed to calm my skin down and make it feel hydrated and pampered. Also strangely my eyelashes and eyebrows have been growing really fast! Interested to see if anyone else experienced this?

Mount Purious cold press their Rosehip Oil, this is very important as through any heating process the great properties will be reduced. It's 100% Certified, Organic and Vegan, a brilliant product and will forever be in my skin care ritual.

Stace x

Urban Fit Gym - Strength & Conditioning Specialists

Once upon a time Deadlifts, Hand-clings, Snatches, Plyometrics and generally throwing an Olympic Weightlifting bar around was the norm for me. Movements of which rival a Russian Circus Team and environments most people are too scared to enter was my like my second home.

After getting out of the Athletics scene I've experimented in different forms of exercise to keep me entertained, all great for short periods of time but I end up bored and then see it as a waste of money. Then slowly and surely a montomous disheartening routine soon emerges and I find myself on the cross trainer once again staring at a screen, trying to push myself with all my might, wishing I wasn't there and wishing I was back in a professional gym.

Ive visited most of the gyms and fitness environments in Newcastle and the North East and so far I've not found anything that 'gets me'. If I've been excited about a gym and I see it has loads of potential for me then normally they tell me that the package I'm looking at will be £100 to £400 a month. So I begin my search again. Quality exercise should not be that expensive!

After searches and searches Ive stumbled across a training facility that is exactly what I've been looking for. In a way I actually don't want to tell you about it because selfishly I want it all to myself!

Urban Fit Gym is a specialised Strength and Conditioning Training Facility in Throckley, Newcastle. Owner James Murray has years of experience in the Industry. He has previously worked with NUFC as the Strength and Conditioning Coach and was a Lecturer of Sports Therapy at Newcastle College amongst doing many other things within the industry. A CV to impress the sporting elite!

This Gym focuses on Strength and Conditioning, with Personal Trainers on sight to coach you (for no extra cost). Their focus is high quality training with injury prevention and cure. Sports Therapists are also on site to make sure everything you do is biomechanically correct. This is the perfect place, as the staff are not just PT's.

Urban Fit Gym also focuses on education, they want to train you but also educate you at the same time, so you always leave your session knowing more then the previous day and they want you to know what Strength and Conditioning really means. They also regularly run courses on Active IQ Personal Training, Sports Massage, Kettlebell Qualifications and many more, so if you have caught the bug you can become a PT too.

They've been putting me through my paces, pushing me hard but also looking after my weaknesses (shin pain caused from chronic medial tibial stress syndrome, spontaneous knee pain and lordosis). Within the first session I was sold to it completely. I felt so looked after, James knows what he is talking about, and I think the main thing for me was because it wasn't just about fat loss which most gyms are. He explained what he had planned, and why. Not... 'just because I fancied it'. It isn't about extreme exercise which leaves you crippled for 5 days, as soon as your posture/form/technique weakens then you are told to stop. You are not performing quality movements, so this repeated over time only results in muscular imbalances and possibly injuries. As mentioned we also focused on my previous injuries and weaknesses, why had I got them in the first place and what we will do to rectify that. That was the winning ticket for me!

You are asked about your goals, so training is tailored to you, with a new Workout of the Day set out on the board (WOD) we regularly adapted them to suit me. Such as switching to the rowing machine instead of shuttle sprints (these can hurt my shins). WOD ranges from 15-30mins, they want you to put your absolute best into the session, not to worry about time but to focus on leaving everything in the gym. You are not limited to WOD though, you can also come in do your own session if you really want to, and it works on a drop in basis, so no booking in or timetables to stick to.

Apart from us ordinary folk the Sporting Elite also train here, with Professional Footballers, Boxers, Wrestlers, Motor Cross, Rugby Players, Runners, Entire Sports Teams and many more. They see this as an environment where they can work extremely hard, focus on themselves and their goals and looking to focus on Strength and Conditioning to improve their athletic performance.

The Urban Fit Gym want people who are serious about training, who have been perhaps disillusioned with training in the past and find it hard to maintain and sustain. They want to change your mindset and see training as a long term focus. Health is Wealth as I say! A lot of other gyms are focused on only exercising and eating correctly for a '6 week transformation' and then after that people return to their old habits, gain the weight back, become weak, and all the hard work has been undone... whilst costing you £400.00 for the experience.

Urban Fit Gym are open minded and do transformations if requested but they want to educate you on long term goals, long term training and healthy eating without the hefty price tag. They offer memberships from £50.00-£75.00 a month, with other packages available. Extremely good for money, and is a training facility which has longevity, not just to attend for a month and leave to go somewhere else.

Alongside the Gym is also Nutritional support, advice and personal plans made for you. Intolerances, allergies and preferences are all taken into account. Another huge bonus, as a lot of gyms only provide a basic nutritional plan given to everyone.

So time to get back into my Squats, Bulgarian Split Squats, Deadlifts, RDL's, Kettlebells, Cleans and many many many more. I wouldn't be able to list everything they do here, I would be on forever. The variety they have it excellent and you will not get bored! No 2 sessions are the same. I haven't been this excited and focused on training for a long time, there's only so much cross training one person can do on their own. In this Gym I'm in my element again.




Stace x