Zero Food Waste - Start with your pumpkin

I feel really passionate about not wasting food.  There is so much you can do with bits and pieces that you have in your fridge or cupboard with a little thought and planning.  

One of the biggest waste of food at this time of the year is the poor pumpkin.  We all have fun carving them with and without the kids but how many of us actually use the flesh we take out of the pumpkin before we carve?  If you don’t, I urge you to find a recipe you like the look of and try. 

Roasted pumpkin is so delicious and so versatile.  My favourite way to enjoy it is as a salad served with lamb or a cauliflower steak but the salad goes just as nicely with falafel.

My daughter Victoria really likes spiced pumpkin soup - now the weather has turned it is so nice with a crusty roll. 

Pumpkin / squash cake

This week I made a pumpkin cake and until this point I had never had sweet pumpkin. Rhona told me pumpkin was really nice sweet and since I love carrot cake I thought it was worth giving it a go - oh my goodness it is good.  So good.

What I really like to do is take a few pumpkins/squash, chop them up and roast them and put them in the fridge so I have some ready to go for quick dishes such as couscous, risotto or pasties.

Pumpkin & feta pasties

And for the ultimate easy meat-free Monday meal try this pumpkin satay curry.

Pumpkin / squash risotto