Pumpkin Curry

Woah! It’s Halloween! Man, October flew by and here we are on the threshold of another holiday season. Being a new homeowner, I am attempting to add more and more personal touches to make our house feel like a home. One of my favorite Halloween decorations I made were these luminaries to light the path of the trick or treaters in our neighborhood. Super easy, super cute. Thanks, Southern Living, you’re a pal.

As tempting as it was to post a sweet dish on here for Halloween, I figure you’ll get enough of them in the upcoming holiday season. If you have a sweet tooth, you’ll definitely want to come back here in December. We have big plans, folks, big plans. Anyhow, we’ll continue with a mouth watering seasonal savory dish today!

We posted a version of this recipe long ago, but after rereading it, all I wanted to do was revise it. Now, the cooking time is shortened, the ingredient list is shorter, and the culinary skills are way more logical. It’s like a new, healthier, tastier version of what you may have seen previously on this site.

This is a great recipe for using those darling little pie pumpkins you are decorating with for fall. A bonus: this recipe is paleo friendly, vegan, and sugar free! It only takes a few hours in the crock pot, so it’s perfect if you get home in the afternoons (like me) from work. Enjoy, Happy Halloween, and we’ll chat again real soon!

Pumpkin Curry

Prep Time: 60 min. (includes roasting the pumpkin) Cook Time: 3-4 hours

Ingredients:

2 whole pie pumpkins

4 tablespoons olive oil

2 teaspoons kosher salt

2 teaspoons black pepper

1 onion, sliced in half moons

2 cups baby carrots, halved

½ bunch cilantro, chopped

6 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup chicken stock

14-oz. lite coconut milk

1 tablespoon red curry paste

1 tablespoon fish sauce

1 teaspoon turmeric

1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1 teaspoon chili powder

1 lime, juiced

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350°F.

On a sturdy cutting board, remove the stem of two pumpkins, and slice pumpkins lengthwise. Dispose of pumpkin seeds and strings. Cut each half again lengthwise, and place the eight pieces of pumpkin on two baking sheets. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon olive oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast pumpkin in the oven for 45 minutes, or until pumpkin is soft when pierced with a fork. Allow to cool and peel off the pumpkin skin using a knife. Cut pumpkin into 1″ cubes. Place cubed roasted pumpkin pieces in the crock pot.

Meanwhile, prepare the curry. In a medium sized skillet, heat 3 tablespoons olive oil over medium. Once hot, add onion and carrots. Saute until onions are translucent, about 5 minutes. Season with salt. Then, add garlic and red curry paste. Simmer for another minute.

Transfer vegetable mixture to crock pot on “low” setting. Add remaining ingredients and stir. Cover crock pot with lid and cook for 3-4 hours on low.

Serve curry over cauliflower rice (one head of cauliflower, food processed and sauteed with a bit of olive oil, salt and pepper), and top with fresh cilantro.

Serves 8