Dinner ideas to boost your vitamin intake

Fruits and vegetables of the orange variety pack vitamin C, which helps keep your immune system healthy.

Orange juice and pumpkin soup

The perfect hearty meal to satisfy any hunger craving, this soup features three vitamin C-packed orange vegetables.

Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 1 butternut pumpkin, whole
• 1 large sweet potato, cubed
• 2 large carrots, diced
• 1/4 cup of vegetable oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 tablespoon of ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon of ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon of ground cloves
• 4 cubes of vegetable stock
• 1 litre of boiling water
• 1 can of evaporated milk
• 1/4 cup of fresh orange juice

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 200 degrees Celsius.
2. Place the pumpkin in a large baking dish. Pour about 2.5 centimetres of water into the dish and cover with aluminium foil.
3. Bake in preheated oven until the vegetables are tender, around one hour.
4. Heat the oil in a stockpot over medium heat. Combine the onion, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves in the hot oil and cook for 3–5 minutes, stirring regularly.
5. Crumble the vegetable stock into the pot and begin slowly adding the boiling water to the mixture while stirring.
6. When the water returns to a boil, add the carrots and sweet potato. Cover and cook until the potato and carrots are tender, 20–25 minutes, then remove from heat.
7. Scrape the flesh from the baked pumpkin and add to the soup. Mix well.
8. Once slightly cooled, ladle batches of soup into a blender or food processor and blend on high until smooth. Repeat until all soup has been blended.
9. Return blended soup to stockpot over medium heat. Stir in the evaporated milk and orange juice.
10. Cook soup until entirely heated, 10–15 minutes. Serve with a crunchy baguette.

Spinach and pumpkin swirl quiche

Sweet potato and pumpkin are the stand-out stars in this vegie-ful dish, which is yummy on its own or served with a side salad.

Serves 4–6

Ingredients:

• 1 large sweet potato, diced
• 1 medium pumpkin, chopped
• 2 carrots, chopped
• 4 eggs
• 30 grams of butter, melted
• 1/4 cup of olive oil
• 1/4 cup of brown sugar
• 300 grams of spinach
• 125 ml carton of cream
• Pinch of curry powder, ground cumin, nutmeg and cinnamon
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. In a large saucepan, combine sweet potato, pumpkin and carrots. Pour in enough water to cover vegetables. Cook over low heat until very tender, about 40 minutes. Drain and mash and allow to cool.
2. Preheat oven to 175 degrees Celsius. Grease a 30-centimetre pie pan.
3. To mashed pumpkin mixture, add two eggs, butter, olive oil, brown sugar, spices and salt and pepper. Puree mixture in blender or food processor then set aside.
4. Separately in a food processor, combine spinach, two eggs, a pinch of salt and cream. Puree until smooth. If mixture is too liquid, you can add some breadcrumbs if available to thicken it.
5. Pour spinach mixture into pie pan, flattening with a spoon.
6. Gently pour pumpkin mixture on top of spinach layer. Flatten partially with a spoon, but leave a few waves. Do not spread squash mixture all the way to edges of pan; allow spinach mixture to “peek” through edges. Using a spoon, gently stir the two mixtures to create a marbled effect. Do not over-mix.
7. Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes, until set in centre.

Roasted vegetables

Serve these hearty vegies on the side of roast chicken, or boost your vitamin intake with a full plate of tasty roasted vegetables.

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 1 butternut pumpkin, cubed
• 3 carrots, cubed
• 1 large sweet potato, cubed
• 2 potatoes, cubed
• 3 parsnips, cubed
• 3 turnips, cubed
• 1/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 230 degrees Celsius.
2. Place all vegetables in a large mixing bowl. Drizzle with olive oil and toss to coat.
3. Season to taste with salt and pepper and place the vegetables into a deep roasting pan.
4. Roast in the preheated oven until the vegetables have lightly browned around the edges and are tender, about 45 minutes. Stir once as the vegetables are roasting to ensure even cooking.

Butternut pumpkin and cranberry pizza

Bring all new meaning to the humble pizza with robust pumpkin flavours and the tasty tang of cranberry sauce!

Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 1 pizza crust
• 1/4 pumpkin, cubed (small)
• 1/4 jar of cranberry sauce
• 1/4 cup of cheddar cheese, grated
• 2 tablespoons of parmesan cheese, grated
• 50 grams of brie cheese, sliced
• 20 grams of pinenuts

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 230 degrees Celsius.
2. Roll out the pizza dough and shape into a round circle to fit a 25-centimetre pizza pan. Slide the dough onto the pan.
3. Spread cranberry sauce over the pizza base.
4. Add small cubes of pumpkin, spreading evenly over the pizza.
5. Sprinkle cheddar, parmesan and brie cheeses, then add the pinenuts over the cheese.
6. Bake in preheated oven until cheese is melted and pumpkin is cooked.
7. Remove pizza from the oven, slide onto a serving plate and cut into wedges. Serve immediately.

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