Spicy Pumpkin Lunch Box Food

SPICED PUMPKIN ICEBOX CAKE

Steps:

• Position 2 racks in the center of the oven, and preheat to 400 degrees F. Stir together the granulated sugar and 1 teaspoon of the cinnamon in a small bowl.
• Let the dough rounds soften at room temperature for 10 to 15 minutes, then unroll onto 2 baking sheets. Brush both sides of the dough rounds with the melted butter, and sprinkle the tops with the cinnamon sugar.
• Bake the dough rounds, rotating the baking sheets halfway through, until they are light golden brown and crunchy, about 15 minutes. Let cool completely on the baking sheets.
• While the dough bakes, spread the walnuts out on another baking sheet, and bake until toasted, about 8 minutes. Let cool, then finely chop.
• Meanwhile, beat 3 cups of the heavy cream, the pumpkin pie puree and 3 tablespoons of the confectioners' sugar with an electric mixer in a large bowl until stiff peaks form, about 5 minutes.
• Put 1 of the baked dough rounds on a cutting board, and center a 9-inch round cake pan on top of it. Use the cake pan as your guide to trim the dough with a knife into a 9-inch circle. Reserve the scraps in a bowl. Repeat with the remaining dough round. Crumble the scraps into bite-sized pieces.
• Line the cake pan with plastic wrap, leaving a 2-inch overhang on all sides. Spread a third of the pumpkin mixture on the bottom of the pan, followed by 1 of the baked dough rounds. Top with half the remaining pumpkin mixture, then the crumbled dough scraps. Finish with the remaining pumpkin mixture and dough round. Cover tightly with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 12 hours or overnight.
• When ready to serve, unwrap the plastic wrap, and invert the cake onto a platter. Remove the cake pan and plastic wrap. Press the chopped walnuts into the sides of the cake. Beat the remaining 1/2 cup heavy cream, 1 tablespoon confectioners' sugar and 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon together until soft peaks form; slather the mixture on top of the cake. Cut into slices with a serrated knife.
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SICILIAN SPICY PUMPKIN

Steps:

• Cut the pumpkin flesh as you would a melon, into long, half-moon-shaped slices roughly 1cm thick. Heat the olive oil in a large shallow pan and fry the pumpkin with the garlic clove for about 3 mins, discarding the garlic as soon as it colours. You may need to do this in 2 batches. When all the pumpkin slices are fried, return them to the pan, draining off any excess oil first. Take off the heat.
• Dredge the pumpkin slices with the sugar and cinnamon. Mix well, then sprinkle with the vinegar, mint and pepper to taste. Cover with a lid or plate, and leave to infuse for at least 15 mins before serving warm or cold.

SPICY PUMPKIN SOUP

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Cut the pumpkin in half and remove the seeds with a spoon (see tip below). Cut into wedges or chunks (keep the skin on) and tip into a bowl. Put the garam masala, and 1 tsp each of the coriander and cumin into a small bowl and mix with 2 tbsp of the oil and season. Drizzle over the pumpkin and toss well to coat in the spiced oil. Transfer to a baking tray, spread out evenly and roast for 40-45 mins, turning halfway through cooking, until the pumpkin is very soft when pierced with a fork. Leave to cool on the tray for a few minutes.
• Heat the remaining 1 tbsp olive oil in a large saucepan and fry the onion with a pinch of salt for 10 mins until soft. Add the ginger, garlic and remaining spices and chilli flakes, and fry for a few more minutes until fragrant. Pour in the stock and bring to a gentle simmer.
• When the pumpkin is cool enough to touch, use a spoon to scoop the soft flesh from the skins. Add the soft pumpkin to the stock pan, discarding the skins. Remove from the heat and blitz the soup with a hand blender until creamy and smooth. Season to taste, adding extra chilli or garam masala if you like. Put back over a low heat and stir in the cream. Bring to a gentle simmer, then serve in bowls with a drizzle more cream and a pinch of chilli to serve. Top with toasted pumpkin seeds, if you like.

DETOX YOUR LUNCH BOX

Steps:

• Combine both the ingredients together in a pot.
• Bathe your produce in this solution for 20 minutes.
• Remove from pot and transfer your veggies and fruits to a pot of plain water for 10 minutes.
• Dry off your produce.
• Use the veggies and fruits now as normal.

SPICY PUMPKIN LUNCH BOX

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400.
• Heat the olive oil with the onions, chili powder and garlic in a large cast iron skillet, when they get fragrant, add the sausage discs. Toss together. After a few minutes, add the rice and stir fry for a three minutes. Turn off the heat and mix in the flax seeds and salt. Put aside.
• Lobotomize the pumpkins: cut the tops off (if you cut in a zig-zag, it's easier to put it back on later), scoop out the seeds and stringy stuff inside. If you want to roast the seeds (totally advisable), rinse them off and set aside. Pack the stuffing inside the pumpkins, replace tops. Put the pumpkins on a baking sheet in the preheated oven, and cover with tinfoil or an additional baking sheet inverted. Pop in the oven, check after 20 minutes, check after an additional 10-20 minutes. Pumpkins are done when they are slightly soft, and slightly brown. Serve with the lids on, and let eaters open them.