Leftover pumpkin?

Hi everyone. I just quickly wanted to introduce myself: my name is Asa Kaur Narinder and I’ll be creating some fun, festive recipes for all you to follow and enjoy.

I consider myself a food fanatic, an individual who loves to cook and bake. I specialise in plant-based food inspiration and recipe developing. I believe that spending time in the kitchen can be a huge stress-reliever; a form of meditation. Cooking doesn’t require any special knowledge or skills; just get stuck in and have fun, learning along the way! I aim to provide you guys with simple, no-waste recipes, which can easily be adapted to incorporate ingredients you already have. I am passionate about encouraging people to cook and I endeavour to raise awareness about the problems contributing to climate change. I can't stress the importance of avoiding food waste; it is one of the largest contributors to climate change. We can start the fight against food waste by changing our mindset, and it all starts in our kitchens.

I'm excited to be on board as a Friend of Vegetarian for Life. Volunteering my passion and skillset to encourage the reader to get cooking, I welcome any feedback, both positive and criticism. Last year I started an Instagram page, which I use as my creative outlet. Over the past year I've had the pleasure of working with so many wonderful, innovative companies within the plant-based industry.  I look forward to connecting with you all – if you would like to interact with me directly or see more of my work and recipes, head over to my Instagram page.

Thank you for taking the time to read through this message, I hope that you’re all keeping safe and healthy.

Asa x

If you're stuck for ideas on how to use up leftover pumpkin from Halloween, you'll love my recipe below...

Pumpkin Pot Pie

Serves 4 | Prep Time 20 min| Total Time 1 hour | Vegan 

Ingredients

Filling

• 1 tbsp olive oil 
• 150g/3 small onions, diced  
• 1 clove garlic, thinly sliced
• 150g/1 large carrot, diced 
• 400g pumpkin, diced
• 100g cabbage, diced
• Salt to taste
• 1 tsp white pepper
• 2 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp cumin
• 2 tsp dried parsley
• 1 tsp pumpkin spice
• Juice of ½ lemon
• ¼ cup water
• ½ veggie stock cube
• 1 tbsp all-purpose flour

Pie crust

• 200g all-purpose flour
• ¼ tsp salt
• 125g cold butter (vegan), diced
• 60ml cold water
• 1 tbsp vegan margarine, melted

Method          

Crust

1. Place your flour in a large bowl and mix in your salt. Add in the diced cold butter. Using your hands, blend the butter into the flour, creating a crumb-like consistency. Pour in your cold water, bring the mixture together into a dough. Do not knead, just bring it together.
2. Cover in plastic wrap and rest in the fridge for 30 minutes.
3. It's ready to use as needed.

Filling

1. Place a heavy-based pan over medium heat. Pour in your oil, and add the diced onions, sliced garlic, carrots and cabbage. Cover the pan and let the mixture sweat over medium heat for 10 minutes, checking and stirring regularly to prevent over-browning.
2. Once the onions have become translucent and the carrots have softened, add all of the spices, lemon juice and diced pumpkin. Mix well and continue cooking for a further 10 minutes or until the pumpkin has slightly softened.
3. In a microwave-proof bowl, break up and add your stock cube and water. Microwave for 30 seconds; remove from microwave; and stir until no large lumps remain. Add your flour and whisk vigorously until well combined.
4. Once the pumpkin has softened, add the stock mixture in a steady stream while stirring. Keeping your pan over a low heat cook until you have a thick stew like consistency. This won’t take long.
5. Once the filling is ready, cover and place on the side. Preheat your oven to 180 degrees celsius.
6. Take your crust out of the fridge and roll out to a ¼ of an inch of thickness. Use the rim of the ramekin as a mould to cut out the right size and shape.
7. Divide the filling amongst the 4 ramekins.
8. Cover the pastry. Have fun with the design!
9. Brush the tops with melted margarine and carefully place into your preheated oven.
10. Bake for 35–45 minutes, until the tops are golden brown.
11. Remove from oven once the tops are evenly browned. Let the pies rest for 10 minutes and serve while warm.

Tips

• Serve the pie with a spiced white sauce or veggie gravy.
• Be sure to dice your pumpkin nice and small, to ensure quick and even cooking.
• The pie will keep in the fridge up to 3 days (uncooked) or freeze for up to 1 month (uncooked).