Tis the season for all things pumpkin. After trying some pumpkin-orange juice at a fancy-schmancy restaurant; I knew I had to try juicing this autumnal squash at home.
Pumpkin season is in full swing. Everywhere you look there seems to be a jack smiling back at you. After trying pumpkin-orange juice at brunch; I had no choice but to include this classic fall gourd in my “try juicing this” experiments. Not only are pumpkins cool to look at, they also have a ton of health benefits. For one thing, pumpkins are incredibly high in fiber. Think about the texture of freshly cooked pumpkin — mega fibrous. If you’re looking to up the roughage in your diet; pumpkin is it. In fact, there is 7 grams of fiber in one cup of cooked pumpkin; that’s more than 2 slices of whole grain toast! Pretty impressive, I must say. Now let’s get down to the vitamins and minerals of this thing. The key word here is beta-carotene. Pumpkin is simply bursting with the stuff. One cup of pumpkin provides enough beta-carotene to create 200 percent of your vitamin A requirements. Vitamin A is crucial for eye health and the prevention of macular de-generation. If you want to keep your eyes clear and healthy into old age, make sure pumpkin is in on the menu. Vitamin C is abundant in pumpkin as well, so don’t be afraid to eat a whole whack of it when cold season comes around.
Cooked pumpkin is perfect for both Vata and Pitta Dosha-types due to its sweet and moist nature. Cooked pumpkin is comforting and grounding during the fall season, which is why people go nuts over pumpkin spice the second a leaf hits the ground. When you juice it however, you’re getting a full surge of pumpkin power right to your system. The taste is mellow; similar to carrots but not as sweet. Adding oranges and ginger definitely added that much needed sweetness and rounded out the flavor. I would highly recommend you try out pumpkin juice for yourself and after cutting up the flesh, I had a whole bunch leftover to roast in the oven. Yum.
What you need:
2 cups of raw pumpkin pieces
3 navel oranges, peeled
1 thumb sized piece of raw ginger root
If you do not have a juicer — blend ingredients in a high speed blender until pureed and strain through a cheesecloth or nut milk bag.
