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Pumpkin and squash – a useful food or just a beautiful decoration? It is very often present in our daily healthy vegan gluten-free diet. We grow different varieties of several types of pumpkins and squash in our garden during the summer – Sweet Winter squash, Sweet butternut squash and Pumpkin. In autumn we collect all the pumpkins and store them in a cool and dark place in the basement.

We also collect green unripe pumpkins and squash – I also cook them in delicious soups and stews. When the pumpkin is too big, I divide it into parts – I cook one part immediately, and I clean the others from the seeds and peel, cut them into pieces, put them in boxes and put them in the freezer. So I have a cleaned and sliced pumpkin for cooking and I can use it for a longer time. To preserve the B vitamins and Beta-carotene, I prepare pumpkin steamed or baked in the oven when I need it for sauces or desserts.

Sweet Winter squashCucurbita Maxima Duchesne – squash Balka, squash Samson, squash Hokkaido – with a thick rind, hard and dense core, sweet enough for desserts. Due to the thick bark it has a long shelf life. I usually prepare it by steaming it or baking it in pieces with the crust in a tray on baking paper in a preheated oven at 200°C with a fan for about 50 minutes. I use the sweet winter squash to make creams and desserts.

The Sweet Winter squash is close to the Sweet butternut squash in terms of calories, but is generally low in calories. It contains vitamins – Vitamin C and Vitamin B6, Vitamin A and Folate / B9 /, Riboflavin / B2 / and Niacin / B3 /, Pantothenic acid / B5 / and Thiamine / B1 /, Choline and Vitamin K, Vitamin E. As and minerals – Iron and Potassium, Manganese and Copper, Magnesium and Phosphorus, Calcium and Zinc, Selenium. Among the essential amino acids in its composition are – Tryptophan and Leucine, Valine and Isoleucine, Threonine and Histidine, Phenylalanine and Lysine, Methionine. As well as a small amount of the antioxidants Lutein and Zeaxanthin.

Nutritional value per 100 g. product:

Energy value – 34 kcal

Protein – 1 g.

Carbohydrates – 7 g.

Fat – 0 g.

Fiber – 2 g.

In the recipe for Cream “Pumpkin Temptation” I use baked sweet winter squash. You can read the recipe here: Cream “Pumpkin Temptation” – Vegan and gluten free (danara.eu)

Sweet butternut squashCucurbita moschata (Duchesne ex Lam.) Poir. – butternut squash Violin, butternut squash Matilda, butternut squash Cinderella – with a thin skin, juicy and crunchy, with small seeds for roasting. Usually these butternut squashes are baked in pieces with the peel in a pan on baking paper and preheated oven at 200 ° C with a fan for about 30 minutes. I like to eat roasted pumpkin natural without additives, I just take a roasted piece and eat it with a spoon from the sweet and juicy core! If there is a piece of roasted butternut squash left, I peel it and add it to the smoothie.

Sweet butternut squash contains more calories than other types of pumpkins and squash, but is generally low in calories. It contains vitamins – Vitamin A and Vitamin C, Vitamin E and Vitamin B6, Thiamine / B1 / and Folate / B9 /, Pantothenic acid / B5 / and Niacin / B3 /, Choline and Riboflavin / B2 /, Biotin / B7 / . As well as minerals – Magnesium and Iron, Potassium and Calcium, Copper and Phosphorus, Manganese and Zinc, Selenium. Of the essential amino acids in the composition of sweet nutmeg include – Tryptophan and Leucine, Valine and Isoleucine, Phenylalanine and Lysine, Threonine and Histidine, Methionine.

Nutritional value per 100 g. product:

Energy value – 36 kcal

Protein – 1 g.

Carbohydrates – 8 g.

Fat – 0 g.

Fiber – 2 g.

Not a sweet pumpkinCucurbita pepo L. – for most people is just a pumpkin for lanterns or food for farm animals. But for me, it’s a great food that enriches our daily healthy vegan gluten-free diet. With it I prepare soups and stews, sauces and fresh salads. I often replace carrots in cooked dishes with pieces not sweet pumpkin, and in salads I include it as roasted cubes or raw grated on a coarse grater. And its seeds are baked in the oven at 100 ° C with a fan for 20 minutes and after they cool down we eat them in small quantities as a snack between main meals.

Not sweet pumpkin is low in calories, but rich in vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. It contains vitamins – Vitamin A and Thiamine / B1 /, Vitamin C and Riboflavin / B2 /, Vitamin E and Pantothenic acid / B5 /, Folate / B9 / and Choline, Vitamin K and Vitamin B6, Biotin / B7 / and Niacin / B3 /. As well as minerals – Iron and Magnesium, Calcium and Phosphorus, Potassium and Copper, Zinc. Of the essential amino acids in the nutritional composition of pumpkin include – Tryptophan and Lysine, Leucine and Valine, Isoleucine and Threonine, Histidine and Phenylalanine, Methionine. As well as antioxidants – Lutein and Zeaxanthin.

Nutritional value per 100 g. product:

Energy value – 13 kcal

Protein – 1 g.

Carbohydrates – 2 g.

Fat – 0 g.

Fiber – 1 g.

In the recipe for Roasted rice “At Mom’s” I use not sweet pumpkin. You can read the recipe here: Baked rice “At mom’s” – Vegan and gluten free (danara.eu)

Pumpkin seeds – crispy and oily, with a characteristic taste and aroma. I usually use peeled raw pumpkin seeds for sauces and spreads, as well as for making vegetable cheeses. I add peeled pumpkin seeds to quick breads and gluten-free puddings for breakfast. I also use them in the preparation of raw cakes and candies. Sometimes I roast peeled pumpkin seeds in a pan and add them for crunchiness to fresh salads. I make vegetable milk with raw peeled pumpkin seeds soaked in water for 24 hours.

Pumpkin seeds are high in calories, but also high in valuable nutrients. They contain vitamins – Niacin / B3 / and Thiamine / B1 /, Choline and Folate / B9 /, Vitamin E and Pantothenic acid / B5 /, Riboflavin / B2 / and Vitamin K, Vitamin B6 and Vitamin C, Vitamin A. As and minerals – Magnesium and Phosphorus, Manganese and Iron, Copper and Zinc, Potassium and Selenium, Calcium. Of the essential amino acids in their composition are – Tryptophan and Valine, Isoleucine and Histidine, Leucine and Phenylalanine, Threonine and Lysine, Methionine. As well as small amounts of antioxidants – Lutein and Zeaxanthin. Of the unsaturated fats, pumpkin seeds are high in Omega 6 and low in Omega 3 ALA.

Nutritional value per 100 g. product:

Energy value – 559 kcal

Protein – 30 g.

Carbohydrates – 5 g.

Fat – 46 g.

Fiber – 6 g.

Sources used for the nutritional value of vegetables:

www.en.wikipedia.org

www.bg.wikipedia.org

www.checkyourfood.com

www.healthbenefitstimes.com