It is Thanksgiving, so let me start by saying Happy Thanksgiving to all of you 🙂

Are you all ready and turkeys ready for the oven? Well then, you can always add a delicious side to turkey; so how about the beautiful pumpkins and squash for that? Pumpkins and the varieties of Winter Squash are all in season right now, so why not make the best of these fabulous tasting vegetables?

Here are 5 very simple and easy ways that work very well with pumpkin and squash:

1. Gruyere & Pumpkin bake:

Peel and deseed the pumpkin, cut it into wedges and place in a baking dish. Pour over enough cooking cream to barely cover the wedges. Season well with DS Pink Himalayan Salt, black pepper and a pinch of nutmeg. Cover with foil and cook in 450F oven until a knife can easily go through the pumpkin wedges, about 12-15 minutes. Remove from the oven, remove the foil and top with with a generous layer of grated Gruyere cheese and bake in the preheated oven until golden and bubbly.

2. Butternut Squash Risotto:

Roast cubes of butternut, sprinkled with DS Premium Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil, seasoned with DS Himalayan Salt and black pepper until softened. While the cubes are roasting, make a simple risotto. When the rice is just cooked, stir in the roasted squash cubes and sprinkle with DS Dried Sage leaves and grated Parmesan Cheese. Serve hot.

3. Roasted Butternut Squash Wedges:

Cut peeled squash into wedges, place on a lined baking sheet. Mix a little bit of cinnamon powder and cumin with some DS Himalayan Pink Salt and rub into the squash wedges. Drizzle with DS Premium Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil and roast in a hot oven, until tender and slightly charred.

4. Pumpkin & Potato Mash:

Steam equal quantities of potato and pumpkin or any type squash until tender. Mash well, mix with equal quantities milk and cream and 1 tbsp DS Hazelnut Butter, and season with DS Himalayan Pink Salt, black pepper and a pinch of nutmeg. Fold in some halved toasted hazelnuts. Serve warm.

5. Make a Curried Pumpkin Soup:

Saute a chopped onion in vegetable oil or butter until softened. Add the cubed, peeled squash and sprinkle a tablespoon of roasted curry powder and mix to coat. Pour in coconut milk and vegetable stock and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until the squash is tender. Season to taste and blend into a smooth soup. Meanwhile, roast some cubes of pumpkin to add to the soup in order to have more texture to the otherwise pureed texture of the soup. Also toast some cashews, roughly crush them and add them to the soup for a bit of crunch.