This is taking sides to a whole new level. For the lat 2 weeks I’ve started each week with a batch of this pumpkin in my fridge to add to different salads and meals through the week because it makes me look forward to eating whatever it is that I add it to.
You can add it to a rainbow salad bowl instead of grains. It’s perfect with roast chicken or with an egg or two at breakfast. I loooove it. It takes a little bit of time to make so it’s more of a weekend thing for me. Or last week I made it while I was making my dinner and let it continue to cook while I ate and then it went in my lunch the next day. This is also the perfect vegetarian starter or share plate!
Steaming it first makes it beautifully soft in the centre and it caramelises up in the oven so you have this sticky-spiced-flavoursome-yummy-ridiculous pumpkin. And then there’s that dressing.
It’s a ranch like dressing with lots of tang. However it’s made from good for your gut ingredients and there’s only 2 of them: Blue Cheese and kefir. So it’s basically a probiotic punch in a dressing. Plus it tastes amazing! This dressing is my favourite discovery of this whole gut makeover thing. I’ve been having it on a lot of salads and even with my hashbrowns because yummm.
Serves 2
Ingredients
1/4 kent or jap pumpkin cut into 4 wedges
1 Tbs za’atar spice mix
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp salt
1 Tbs olive oil (add more if you need to)
Dressing
1 Tbs blue cheese
1/3 cup kefir
Optional, to serve:
Handful of rocket
2 Tbs roughly chopped roasted pecans
2 Tbs pomegranate arils (seeds)
Directions
Preheat oven to 160 degrees. While the oven heats steam pumpkin over a pot of boiling water for 15 minutes. Leave the water
Line a tray with baking paper. Transfer pumpkin to the tray and sprinkle with 1/2 the spice mix and drizzle over 1/2 the olive oil. Flip the pumpkin, sprinkle in remaining spices and drizzle over the remaining olive oil. Sprinkle over salt.
Roast the pumpkin for 1.5 hours until soft and golden.
Meanwhile, place the blue cheese in a small bowl and melt over the still hot water that you steamed the pumpkin over. Once melted add the kefir and whisk until you have a smooth sauce.
To serve drizzle the pumpkin wedges in ranch dressing and scatter over the rocket, pomegranate and pecans if using.
HH. x
