Part of my "mission" along with the COAST hammering.. to bring healthy food ideas along.
Well.. my wife is such a good cook.. seems a shame not to share her ideas more widely.
This week CW's "Wonder Food" - on appraoch to October .. a very seasonal pumpkin seed.
These have a high amount of unsaturated fat and per the Mad Cats and other medics around the family.. body does need some "fats".
Pumpkin seeds can be bought or scooped fresh from the pumpkin and toasted under the grill. My wife does do this.. Per a fact sheet in Alice's cookery book cupboard . these seeds are high in Vit E, iron, magnesium, potassium and zinc.
With all the hype on Omega-3 (force fed here in Co Durham to our 15-16 year olds this year
in the hope of A* grades for all
) these seeds are the veggie/vegan form of Omega 6 and Omega 3 fatty acids.
How Alice prepares them fresh from a pumpkin.. she removes any pulp or strings and rinses. She then places in bowl... drizzles with olive oil and lets them marinate in this overnigh with a light sprinkle of sea salt. She then roasts them in oven (350 degrees F) for 15 minutes and sometimes sprinkles curry or chilli powder on them to give them a bit of "bite"
The pumpkin itself is a nutritional power house and when you scoop out the pulp for the kids at Hallowe'en - be sure to use and eat the fruiit .. it't related to melon. All "gourds".. pumpkin, melon, squash and sweet potato are full of Vit C and E, alpha/beta cortene .. high fibre.. low calory, magnesium, potassium and pantothenic acid apparently. (Alice's cookery book tells me this
)
It's relatively cheap to buy and regarded as as "superfood" - contains carotenoids which per recent tabloid press and verified by the Mad Cats and medics across the family.. can help boost optical nerves and help us fight cancers and the Mad Doc's "lurgies"
as well as help out heart muscle.
All the Swiss girls and my wife tell me that a winter squash/pumpkin should be rock hard. If soft .. too young or too old to eat. Wildy tells us to "look for one with a stem Liebchen .. no stem.. bacterai enter the squash"
Get one with a dull skin as "unwaxed and mature to eat" Choose one with a deep colour. This means "ripe" per my wife.
Buy British squash if you can.. cool climate squash and pumpkin have better flavour - so I'm told.
My wife has asked me to post up a couple of her recipes for pumpkin. I can tell you in all honesty that I found them very tasty indeed - and not because I must obey my wife
OK
Ingredients for a very nice pud...
half cup sugar.. teasponn cinammon... half teasponn salt.. quarter teasponn ground ginger.. and cloves (optionals) .. 2 large eggs.. one 15 ounce tin of Libby's pure 100% pumpkin... and 12 ounce tin of Carnation milk.
MIX the sugar, cinammon, slat, ginger, cloves in bowl. Beat the eggs and stir into your dry mix. Gradually stir in the evaporated milk. Pur into shallow dish and bake in preheated 350 degree F oven for 40 mins. Centre of this should "wiggle" Cool.. E NJOY or place in fridge and serve with cream or ice cream. .. Mmmmmmm!
She has another which she serves up with turkey, chicken, pork or salmon,
You need..
extra virgin olive oil...one butternut squash ( seeded) and cut half lengthwise, one tablespoon of REAL BUTTER (oooh sinful
_ ) 2 tablespoons of dark honey.. salt and freshly ground black pepper.
OK .. Alice says you must preheat oven to 400 degrees F
Lightly grease a baking sheet with olive oil. Place the squash halves and cut to help them caramelize and bake them for 40 minutes or so. A skewer has to pierce with ease ...
Whilst the squash is baking.. melt the butter, add the honey and season with the salt and pepper to your taste..
When the squash is cooked .. simply brush with this mix and return to oven for five minutes. Cut the squash into pieces and serve with the white meat or salmon.
I can tell you.. a very tasty pleasant experience .. and very good for your health as well .
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. Does make me feel less guilty knowing of it's health benefits - and I do restrict myself to just a couple of 750ml glasses per day 
before a meal - you take in 10% fewer calories.
I remember that.