
get it?
Well folks, I finally did it. I cooked with a Pumpkin:
A real, once-live pumpkin that didn’t come out of a can. Of course, upon actually cooking with it I realized that my Libby’s canned pumpkin couldn’t possibly be from this type, but it deterred my not! But before I delve into the cooking world, I promised Halloween pictures!
Now back to what you really came for:
The inside:

I did not take this photo.
This baby was impossible to cut (even for a computer) and I ended up baking it for a little, cutting it in half, and baking it for a wile longer. And when it was done it surprisingly was like a stringier butternut squash! Quite unexpected. So what did I make with it you ask?
Pumpkinified Indian Spiced Chicken & Barley – Slow Cooker Style
serves 6
Ingredients
– 1 lb chicken breasts
– juice of 1 lemon
– ~1 tsp turmeric
– olive oil
– 2 large carrots, chopped
– 1 medium onion, chopped
– 1 turnip, chopped
– 1 red bell pepper, chopped
– 4 cloves garlic
– 1 tbsp cumin
– 2 tsp coriander
– 1 1/2 tsp indian spice blend
– 1 – 15 oz can no salt added diced tomatoes
– 1 1/2 can-fuls of water
– 2 cups chopped fresh tomatoes (alternatively you can use 28 oz can diced tomatoes total and only 1 cup of the water above)
– 1 cup barley
– 1/2 baked pumpkin, scooped out of the shell
– 1 cup plain yogurt
Directions:
1. Place cleaned chicken in the bottom of your slow cooker. Pour/squeeze juice over it and sprinkle with turmeric.
2. Heat oil in a large pan. Add carrots through bell pepper and cook until softened. About 5 minutes. Add garlic through spice blend and mix for 30 seconds, until fragrant. Add canned & fresh tomatoes, water, and barley. Bring to a boil.
3. Pour boiled mixture over chicken. Add the scooped-out pumpkin.
4. Cook on High for 2 1/2 hours or Low for 5 hours. Mix well – the chicken should shred nicely into the whole mixture.
5. Add yogurt and cook on High for 30 minutes.
This dish is mm mm good! It takes some prep, but I like the slow cooker aspect of it. It’s awesome with thighs as well and the fattier your yogurt (obvi) the better.
And now, since I never posted it before:
ThisWeekInWorkouts
Su – 45 minute elliptical
M – Circuit Strength 1
Tu – 4.63 mi run
W – rest
Th – Circuit Strength 2
F – 45 min Cycle
Sa – rest
Have you ever cooked with fresh pumpkin? If so, what did you make?
What’s the best fall thing you’ve made lately?
Tell me about your workouts!