Pink Pumpkins Honor Breast Cancer Awareness Month

Pink Pumpkins are the star of October’s recipe in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Melissa’s has joined with the Pink Pumpkin Patch Foundation and a portion of every Melissa’s Pink Pumpkin sold will go to breast cancer research.

A hybrid variety with a light pink rind and vibrant orange flesh, these pumpkins offer a unique pink color on the outside for your seasonal décor, with a sweet, beautiful orange flesh on the inside for all your favorite recipes.

Now that the weather is turning cooler, something warm and spicy seemed like the perfect way to go for this month’s recipe. Pumpkin and curry are a wonderful pairing and this recipe, as usual, lends itself to numerous variations depending on what’s available and your personal preferences. I decided to use Brussels sprouts and jalapenos for something green, bell peppers for something red, and Pinkglow™ Pineapple to up the pink factor and add a touch of sweetness. Pearl onions and garbanzo beans nicely round out this dish.

Some of the veggies are roasted for maximum caramelization, while others are sautéed and simmered to bring all the ingredients deliciously together. Adjust the curry paste and jalapeno to the amount of heat you like, and definitely add other veggies and/or some firm tofu for extra textures, flavors, and protein. The final result is sure to please your palate while paying homage to a very worthy cause.

Thai Pink Pumpkin Curry

Ingredients
3 cups pink pumpkin, peeled and cubed
2 cups Brussels sprouts, quartered
Vegetable oil
Salt & pepper
1 1/2 tablespoon ginger, minced
1 tablespoon garlic, minced
1 jalapeno pepper, diced
1 ½ cups pearl onions, peeled
1 cup red bell pepper, cubed
1 package steamed garbanzo beans
2 cups Pinkglow™ pineapple, cubed
1 tablespoon tamari sauce
1 tablespoon Thai yellow curry paste
1 1/2 cans coconut milk
6 Thai basil leaves, julienned
2 tablespoons pepitas (pumpkin seeds), toasted
Cooked Jasmine Rice

*If Pink Pumpkins are not available, you can make an orange pumpkin curry by substituting it with a traditional pumpkin. Feel free to print this page out and ask your produce manager for Pink Pumpkin availability!

Place pumpkin and Brussels sprouts on a baking sheet, drizzle with oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and roast at 350 degrees for approximately 20 minutes, stirring the mixture at 10 minutes. Set aside.

In a large skillet, sauté the ginger, garlic, jalapeno, pearl onions, garbanzo beans, and red pepper in vegetable oil for 3 minutes. Add in the Pinkglow™ pineapple and sauté for another 2 minutes.

Add the tamari, sugar, and coconut milk and combine until the sugar dissolves.

Add in the curry paste and stir until completely combined.

Add in the roasted pumpkin and Brussels sprouts and simmer the curry over low heat for 10 minutes.

Add the julienned Thai basil leaves and cook another minute. Garnish with toasted pepitas.

Serve the curry over hot jasmine rice.