Combine low-carb pumpkins & even lower-carb Lo-Dough for some incredible Autumn treats! 

When pumpkins and squashes are at their seasonal best, we should be using them wherever possible. Chock full of vitamins and minerals, they are a great food for dieters and food lovers of all stripes to incorporate into their diet. By combining with Lo-Dough, rather than products full of refined white flour, you can keep the calories and carbs low whiles simultaneously pushing the fibre levels right up!

Making a pumpkin puree is a good place to start. You might want this for both sweet and savoury uses, so here is a great method to make both batches in one sitting.

Making your low-carb pumpkin puree

First, cut your pumpkin in half and remove the seeds (these can be dried in a low oven and make a great snack!). You will want to cut it into fairly large chunks about and 1-2 inches thick - you don't need to peel at this stage. Put these chunks on a roasting tray, spray with a little oil and roast at 180°C for approx. 30-40 minutes. This should cook the pumpkin through, concentrating its flavour and give you a few toasty edges (even more flavour!). Remove the pumpkin chunks from their tough skins now and portion the remaining pumpkin flesh into two piles. 

For the sweet puree, you can blitz your pumpkin with any liquid of choice, from water, through milk, coconut milk, cream and add sweetener to taste (we recommend starting with around 50g of 1:1 sweetener and checking it's to your tastes). 

For the savoury puree, we recommend blitzing with creme fraiche (half or full fat), salt and pepper and any additional herbs or seasonings you might desire. Chilli and pumpkin work great together, as do garlic and ginger - use all three and you could be taking it in an Asian-inspired direction! 

Incredible Low-carb and low-calorie recipes

These purees can then be incorporated into all manner of Autumnal Lo-Dough recipes. From low-carb pizza, to low-calorie soups and all manner of desserts, this vegetable is incredibly versatile. If you have loads of sweet puree left, then it's gotta be our low-carb pumpkin pie! 

Happy halloween everyone!