Baked Pumpkin, Beans, Tomato, Cashew Cream

Serves 4 people

Ingredients:

• 1/4 Japanese pumpkin cut into 8ths

• 200gm black turtle beans

• Almonds

• Pepitas

• Alfalfa

• Smoked paprika

• Passata (or your favourite homemade or off-the-shelf tomato sauce)

• Extra virgin olive oil

• Cherry tomatoes

Cashew Cream:

• 200gm cashews, soaked for at least 24 hrs and strained to dry

• 1 lemon, zested

• Juice of 1 lemon

• Coconut milk, to desired consistency

• Himalayan pink salt to taste 

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There's always method to the madness

1. Pre-heat oven to 230ºC. Cut each quarter of the pumpkin into 8 wedges, place in a bowl, season with salt and coat with coconut oil. Grab a large baking tray and evenly spread out pumpkin and roast till it starts to turn black around the edges. (Approx 25-35 mins depending on the awesomeness of your oven)
2. Take some pre-soaked black turtles bean and place them in a pot, then cover with cold salted water. Bring up to a simmer and turn down below simmer until tender. Then strain and cool down with cold water.
3. In the same oven whack in the pepitas and almonds on the same tray and set a timer for 5 mins, until golden brown or when they smell darn good (like popcorn)
4. Take the soaked cashews, lemon zest, lemon juice and place in a food processor. Then pour in the coconut milk to just below the top of the cashews and blitz. Add salt and adjust seasoning to taste. Add more coconut milk until you get a nice thick flowing sauce. Add extra virgin olive oil at the end. If you like it more lemony, just add some more till you get the desired taste.
5. To finish place the tomato sauce, cherry tomatoes, in the bottom of a casserole dish or large skillet (30cm diameter+) arrange the roasted pumpkin randomly scattered on the sauce. Scatter the beans and sprinkle some smoked paprika over it all. Add some chopped garlic over the top and roast away for a good 10 - 12 mins. 
6. To finally finish, randomly sprinkle the crushed almonds and pepitas over the dish as well as the alfalfa sprouts (or chopped rocket), and then place dollops of the cashew cream around. Finish with olive oil.

A little tip: This dish will go well with a nice dish made of fresh broccoli, lemon, rocket and avocado, dressed with lemon juice and olive oil and seasoned with Himalayan pink salt.