🎃🍂 Pumpkin season is ON — sweet, creamy, and super versatile! From soups to desserts, pumpkin is one of autumn’s true delights. From flesh to seeds, nothing goes to waste — the Grandma Sita way!
👩🍳 Cooking Challenge – A Grandchild in My Kitchen is Grandma Sita’s joyful initiative that brings generations together to reinvent traditional family dishes with a plant-based twist — blending heritage, creativity, and care for the planet in every recipe. Join us!
🌱🍲 Plant-Based Recipe Highlight — Carbonada Criolla 🇦🇷
A delicious Argentinian veggie stew made with pumpkin, corn, sweet potato, green beans, and carrots. Traditionally enjoyed in autumn and winter, this comforting plant-based version is hearty, nourishing, and full of seasonal flavours.
➡️ Carbonada Criolla 🇦🇷 is a traditional Argentinian stew enjoyed during the colder months, especially in autumn and winter. Often prepared in clay pots over an open fire — particularly in rural areas — this comforting dish combines sweet and savoury flavours from seasonal vegetables. Traditionally, it also includes dried fruit, giving it a unique, slightly sweet touch. Every family has its own version, often passed down through generations — a cozy taste of Argentina’s home cooking.
METHOD
1. Wash, prep and chop all the vegetables.
2. Sauté the onion and garlic in oil until golden.
3. Add the sweet potatoes, potatoes, pumpkin, carrots, and beans. Lower the heat.
4. Add the broth, apricots, and corn. Cover and simmer gently for about one hour.
5. Taste and season. Add more broth if needed.
6. Serve hot and enjoy the cozy goodness!
👵💚 Grandma Sita´s zero-waste tips:
✔️ Grab your largest pot — this hearty soup is perfect for batch cooking and can be prepared several days in advance.
✔️ Always let the soup cool completely before transferring it to the fridge.
✔️ Homemade soup makes the perfect make-ahead meal — it keeps well in the fridge for 3–4 days or can be frozen for up to several months.
📦 Pumpkin Storage Tips:
✔️ Whole → Keep in a cool, ventilated, dark spot — lasts for weeks.
✔️ Cut → Store in an airtight container in the fridge for 2–3 days.
✔️ Frozen → Cube or purée for ready-to-use portions in stews or breads.
💪 Health Bonus:
Pumpkin is rich in fibre, vitamin A (great for eyes and skin), vitamin C, and antioxidants — boosting immunity and energy through the colder months.
📗 Fun Fact:
Did you know pumpkins are technically fruits? Botanically, pumpkin is… a giant berry! Part of the gourd family, just like melon and cucumber. Beyond the classic orange, pumpkins come in green, blue, white, and even stripy varieties 🌈.
♻️🌎 Nearly half of the world’s fruits and vegetables go to waste each year. Let’s not add to that statistic — make nutritious, plant-based soups that keep both ourselves and the planet healthy. Autumn is the perfect time to rethink food waste — every slice counts. Make soup, not waste!
INGREDIENTS
½ small pumpkin or squash, peeled and cubed
2 ears of corn (fresh or frozen), cut into pieces
2 carrots, peeled and cubed
2 sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
2 tablespoons olive veggie oil
6 baby potatoes, peeled and cubed
A handful of green beans, chopped
2 onions, chopped
2–3 garlic cloves, minced
A handful of dried apricots (optional)
⅓ cup olive or vegetable oil
2 cups vegetable broth
2 bay leaves (optional)
Rosemary and oregano (fresh or dried)
Salt and pepper to taste
METHOD
1. Wash, prep and chop all the vegetables.
2. Sauté the onion and garlic in oil until golden.
3. Add the sweet potatoes, potatoes, pumpkin, carrots, and beans. Lower the heat.
4. Add the broth, apricots, and corn. Cover and simmer gently for about one hour.
5. Taste and season. Add more broth if needed.
6. Serve hot and enjoy the cozy goodness!
👵💚 Grandma Sita´s zero-waste tips:
✔️ Grab your largest pot — this hearty soup is perfect for batch cooking and can be prepared several days in advance.
✔️ Always let the soup cool completely before transferring it to the fridge.
✔️ Homemade soup makes the perfect make-ahead meal — it keeps well in the fridge for 3–4 days or can be frozen for up to several months.
📦 Pumpkin Storage Tips:
✔️ Whole → Keep in a cool, ventilated, dark spot — lasts for weeks.
✔️ Cut → Store in an airtight container in the fridge for 2–3 days.
✔️ Frozen → Cube or purée for ready-to-use portions in stews or breads.
💪 Health Bonus:
Pumpkin is rich in fibre, vitamin A (great for eyes and skin), vitamin C, and antioxidants — boosting immunity and energy through the colder months.
📗 Fun Fact:
Did you know pumpkins are technically fruits? Botanically, pumpkin is… a giant berry! Part of the gourd family, just like melon and cucumber. Beyond the classic orange, pumpkins come in green, blue, white, and even stripy varieties 🌈.
♻️🌎 Nearly half of the world’s fruits and vegetables go to waste each year. Let’s not add to that statistic — make nutritious, plant-based soups that keep both ourselves and the planet healthy. Autumn is the perfect time to rethink food waste — every slice counts. Make soup, not waste!
