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Pumpkin Rice Recipe

October is the perfect month to enjoy this delicious pumpkin rice dish. It calls for a cup of dried apricot and/or raisins to add just a touch of sweetness to this nutrient-dense meal.

Pumpkins are one of nature's best sources of beta-carotene, an antioxidant that can decrease your risk of developing many different types of cancer and heart disease. If you have a healthy digestive tract, your body can convert beta-carotene to vitamin A, making it an important nutrient to your immune system, skin, and eyes.

Ingredients:

6 cups peeled, seeded and diced pumpkin
1/2 cup uncooked white rice
1 3/4 cups water
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 cup chopped onions
1 cup chopped dried apricots or raisins or combination of both
1 teaspoon sea salt

Directions:

Bring 1 cup of water to a boil in a saucepan. Add rice and stir for about 20 seconds. Reduce heat, cover saucepan, and simmer for about 20 minutes.

In another saucepan, heat extra-virgin olive oil over medium heat and stir in chopped onions. Cook until onions become soft. Add pumpkin, chopped apricots and/or raisins, sea salt, and about 3/4 cup water. Cook for an additional 20 minutes over low to medium heat.

Add rice to the pumpkin mixture. Cook for another 10 minutes, or until pumpkin is tender. Serve while it's hot. Enjoy this delicious pumpkin rice dish!

 
 

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Comments

Thank you for posting this recipe that sounds absolutely delicious. I have just one question about the preparation of the pumpkin. The recipe calls for "peeled, seeded and diced pumpkin". I had one experience as a young adult, when I decided to try making a pumpkin pie from scratch. I found it nearly impossible to peel a raw pumpkin; so difficult in fact, that I decided it was unfeasible to ever try it again. Can you please offer some advice on accomplishing the "peeling and dicing" required by this recipe?

Thank you,
Bruce Reid

We cut a pumpkin in half, take out the seeds and rough, fibrous material, then use a strong knife to chop the pumpkin up into small pieces - we try to keep each piece down to about the size of half a slice of bread. We then use a paring knife or vegetable peeler to remove the skin.

All of this takes some time and elbow grease, but if you enjoy pumpkin, it's definitely worth the effort. If this process is difficult for you, then I recommend using sweet potatoes or butternut squash instead of pumpkin.

Good luck!

I agree with Dr. Kim about halving the pumpkin. I find it easier to peel the pumpkin then with a very sharp knife, such as a Kiwi vegetable cleaver from Thailand. Any very sharp knife will do, but the Kiwis are usually very sharp and cost about $5. I get mine from a Thai specialty store. They are stainless steel, which makes them difficult to sharpen. Professionals who use them just throw them away when they get dull. I can get about 18 months out of one, but I do sharpen it periodically. If you have the resources for expensive knives and you know how to sharpen them, they work well, but I think the Kiwi is just as economical over the long run. Remember to protect your fingers from a dull knife, they don't work with pumpkins (or any other vegetable processing).

Came across this recipe by accident.

It seems a great recipe.

For optimal cancer fighting, I would like to suggest replacing uncooked white rice with other more healthful, unrefined grains eg. millet, quinoa, red rice and brown rice.