Why hello there Friday, I missed you.
5 pm Friday night is my favorite time of the week. It’s kind of like Christmas Eve. You see, Christmas Eve is nothing short of fabulous because no matter my age, I am always excited for Christmas morning. Similarly, Fridays nights are prime time to anticipate 48 hours of freedom. Ok…studying, but I don’t have to be anywhere, and that makes me smile.
Corey , however, prefers Sunday afternoons. Being the ray of sunshine that I am, I find Sunday afternoons depressing.
Well this week was a long one, and tonight I was craving something warm, hearty and healthy. Enter; Moroccan Pumpkin and Lentils, courtesy of Vegetarian Times.
I was hesitant at first. I usually think of pumpkin as something sweet. In my world, the word “pumpkin” is usually followed by sticky buns, pie and bread. So the idea of spicy pumpking seemed…odd.
Well, I was wrong! Spicy pumpkin = awesomeness. (<– word of the day)
This recipe is surprisingly good and satisfying. It’s savory, spicy, in season, and 1 cup cooked pumpkin provides the following RDA; 245% of vitamin A, 19% of vitamin C, 8% of iron, and even a sneaky 4% of calcium. (source). These numbers are for the pumpkin alone!
Since I only altered the recipe slightly, I’m going to give you the link to the original recipe, a list of my additions and offer tips to make peeling a pumpkin slightly less frustrating.
Recipe for Moroccan Pumpkin & Lentils
My Additions
- Instead of 1 tbsp paprika, I used 1/2 tbsp paprika and 1/2 tbsp smoked spanish paprika
- Once the stew was thoroughly cooked, I turned the heat off, mixed in 2 cups of chopped spinach and let sit until wilted.
Peeling a Pumpkin
*these directions are for a small, 1-2 lb pumpkin. You may need to cut a larger pumpkin into smaller chunks to keep it manageable
Option A
- using caution and a sharp knife, cut away the stem and bottom of the pumpkin, creating two flat surfaces
- wash and thoroughly dry the pumpkin
- balance your pumpkin on a flat side
- using a paring knife (or sharp vegetable peeler), peel the skin away in long, even strokes
- Flip the pumpkin over and repeat until you remove the entire peel
Option B
- remove stem and bottom, as in directions above
- cut in half
- scoop out seeds
- placing cut side down, microwave until tender (time will vary depending on size & microwave)
- let cool & peel skin away
Wow, this looks delicious! I love lentils. Thanks for adding me on Foodbuzz, I’m just checking out your blog and everything looks so delicious!
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This dish looks so warm and comforting. Love the composition of your ingredients.
What a beautiful, warming image you’ve shared of the ingredients.
Love your word of the day…I may have to borrow it this weekend. This looks like a hearty and healthy dish with both the pumpkin and lentils. Thanks for the inspiration – hope you’re having a good weekend so far!
Thank you! Hope your weekend was good too. By the way, your plum almond cake looks amazing (the photos jump right off the page!)
This looks like a great autumnal recipe
This looks amazing! The spice combo with the pumpkin is making my mouth water!
Thank you! I checked out your blog and will definitely be back. You showcase some very creative recipes & I love it!
Hey, this look good! Think we’ll give it a try this weekend
This looks good.
Spicy pumpkin sounds fabulous to me!
Lovely post! I like Saturdays because where I live coffee shops don;t tend to open on a Sunday. Though I don’t often work on a Sunday… it’s a toss up.
That’s interesting. I feel like things are open all day everyday in the US. I think that having a true day to do nothing would be fantastic! Hope you had a great trip