Gaby
Pumpkin season has arrived, and that means your meals get an instant upgrade. Pumpkin is packed with organic acids, beta-carotene, B vitamins, and vitamins C and E. The flesh is rich in potassium, zinc, magnesium, iron, and other trace minerals. Baked pumpkin acts as a mild laxative, diuretic, and promotes bile flow. Like raw pumpkin, baked pumpkin retains many nutrients, and cooking helps your body absorb some of them better. Add pumpkin to meals to support heart health, vision, joints, and skin. This recipe keeps things simple—perfection in simplicity—but you can add other vegetables, mushrooms, or nuts if you like.
Ingredients: 450 g pumpkin, 250 g chicken fillet, 20 g butter, vegetable oil for frying, 2 cloves of garlic, 1 tsp honey, 2 tbsp lemon juice, 1 tsp dried parsley or ½ cup chopped fresh herbs, salt and black pepper to taste.
Wash the pumpkin, peel it, and cut it into cubes. Chop the chicken fillet and pat it dry. Combine the pumpkin and chicken in a bowl and season with salt and pepper. Add honey, one minced clove of garlic, and the lemon juice. Mix everything together and let it marinate for 20 minutes.
Transfer the mixture to a hot skillet and fry in oil until the chicken is opaque.
Transfer the contents of the skillet to a baking dish and bake at 180°C (350°F) for 30 minutes.
Mix the softened butter with fresh or dried parsley and the second minced clove of garlic. Spoon this herb butter over the cooked chicken and pumpkin when serving; as it melts, it makes the dish even more fragrant.
Life Hack
Eat pumpkin with some fat to maximize beta-carotene absorption. If you want to add other vegetables, keep in mind that pumpkin may not pair well with bell peppers: while peppers are rich in vitamin C, pumpkin contains enzymes that can break down vitamin C, so eating them together may reduce vitamin C absorption. Serve the pumpkin-and-chicken casserole with risotto if you like. As for spices, pumpkin works well with curry, smoked paprika, black pepper, cumin, and ginger.
