Since we are coming up to halloween this calls for pumpkin recipes. The other day I went pumpkin picking at a local farm in Dorset where I picked up two nice looking pumpkins. Whilst in the field picking them I had a moment of inspiration and thought about doing a pumpkin recipe series where I make a breakfast, lunch, dinner and dessert recipes all containing pumpkin.

I haven’t actually used pumpkin in cooking before this recipe series so I have been really excited to experiment and try out some recipes.

First on the menu is a spiced pumpkin porridge. It is simple to make and has a real wintry and comforting taste to it.

1 portion

Prep: 3-5 mins

Cooking: 15 mins

GF,DF,VG,V,RSF

Ingredients:

• 300g pumpkin (weight after deseeding, peeling and chopping)
• 1 tablespoon maple syrup
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 cup GF oats

Method:

Firstly deseed, peel and chop the pumpkin into small chunks, you want roughly 300g after peeling and chopping.

Place into a pan, cover in water and boil for 10 mins.

Now drain the pumpkin and place into a blender. Add the maple syrup along with the cinnamon and blend until smooth.

Add the pureed pumpkin into a pan and heat on low/medium setting for a minute or so.

Finally add the oats into the pan and stir. Heat for around 30 seconds and then turn off the heat.

Keep stirring for another minute or so off the heat.

Tip: Save some of the pumpkin seeds, they are perfect for topping the porridge. Just fry them for a couple minutes in some coconut oil.