If you’re planning on prepping a jack-o’-lantern to flicker away spookily on Halloween, don’t even think about letting any of the scooped-out flesh go to waste. Our quick and easy ideas make use of the entire vegetable and offer a welcome change to pumpkin soup.
Sweet and spicy pumpkin seeds
Irresistibly moreish, these candied seeds are the ideal Halloween night nibble (accompanying cup of witch’s brew optional).
Wash and dry the pumpkin seeds, removing as much flesh as possible. Weigh the seeds, tip into a bowl and add enough nuts (pecans, almonds, walnuts and shelled pistachios all work well) to bring the total weight to 300 grams.
Preheat the oven to 150°C. Stir together one tablespoon brown sugar, one tablespoon of white sugar, one teaspoon of smoked paprika, one teaspoon of flaked salt and a quarter teaspoon of cinnamon. Add a whisked egg white, then the nuts and seeds and mix well.
Spread out on a large baking tray lined with baking paper and roast in the oven for 30 minutes, stirring through a handful of raisins when 10 minutes of cooking time remains. Leave to cool, then break into pieces to serve.
Pumpkin salt popcorn
Munch on pumpkin salt popcorn while watching a scary movie, then use the extra salt to add umami-rich flavour to all manner of dishes. It makes for a fantastic dry rub for meat, fish or roasted vegetables.
Preheat the oven to 150°C. Spread the pumpkin innards – core, stringy flesh and all – out on a large baking tray lined with baking paper and roast for 90 minutes or until the flesh has completely dried out and is starting to brown. Leave to cool, then tip into a blender and blitz with an equal quantity of sea salt.
Prepare your popcorn according to pack instructions. While still warm, drizzle with melted butter and scatter lightly with the pumpkin salt. Mix well and serve accompanied by a horror movie or two.
Pumpkin butter
The most delicious, seasonally appropriate thing to spread on toast, this can be folded through yoghurt, added to an acai bowl or drizzled over pancakes.
Dice and deseed the pumpkin flesh into even-sized cubes of about 2.5 centimetres each. Cook in a steamer or colander set over a pan of simmering water for 10 to 15 minutes until tender when pierced with a knife. Transfer to a blender and blitz until smooth.
Tip the pumpkin puree into a heavy-based saucepan, along with a sprinkling each of ground cinnamon, ginger and allspice, a generous drizzle of maple syrup or honey and a splash of water. Set the pan over a medium heat, bring to the boil then reduce the heat to low and cook for 20 minutes, stirring often (you don’t want the mixture to catch), until deep brown and starting to caramelise. Remove from the heat and add more spices or syrup to taste. Leave to cool completely, then store in the fridge.
Pumpkin, kale, pomegranate and feta salad
Healthy, wholesome, bright, colourful and packed with texture and flavour, this salad is great on its own, served as an accompaniment to roast chicken or spooned over rice, quinoa or couscous.
Toss 400 grams of diced pumpkin flesh with two tablespoons of olive oil and season generously with salt and black pepper. Tip on to a large baking tray lined with baking paper and roast in the oven at 200°C for 30 minutes.
Whisk together two tablespoons of olive oil, one tablespoon of runny honey, one tablespoon of Dijon mustard, two tablespoons of balsamic vinegar and one tablespoon of pomegranate molasses. Tear 150 grams of kale leaves into pieces, removing and discarding the stem. Tip into a bowl and drizzle over half the dressing. Set aside for 10 minutes to allow the kale to soften.
Toss the roasted pumpkin with the kale leaves and half a thinly sliced red onion. Arrange on a serving plate and top with crumbled feta, pomegranate seeds and a handful of sweet spiced nuts and seeds if you happen to have made them from this list. Serve the remaining dressing on the side.
Roasted pumpkin avocado toast with eggs and chilli sauce
This recipe gives everyone’s favourite brunch dish an easy update with pleasing results.
Follow the method above for roasting the pumpkin flesh, adding a sprinkling of chilli flakes at the same time as the olive oil. Once cooked, leave the pumpkin to cool slightly, then mash roughly with a fork.
Spread the pumpkin over freshly toasted sourdough bread, top with sliced avocado, eggs that have been poached (or fried) to your liking, a handful of chopped herbs and a generous drizzle of chilli sauce.
Finally, if you’re still keen on that old faithful pumpkin soup, roast the diced flesh in the oven with cumin seeds and curry powder, then blitz with hot stock and a swirl of cream until smooth and silky for best results.
Red flags
- Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
- Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
- Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
- Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
- Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.
Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League, last 16, first leg
Liverpool v Bayern Munich, midnight (Wednesday), BeIN Sports
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
What sanctions would be reimposed?
Under ‘snapback’, measures imposed on Iran by the UN Security Council in six resolutions would be restored, including:
- An arms embargo
- A ban on uranium enrichment and reprocessing
- A ban on launches and other activities with ballistic missiles capable of delivering nuclear weapons, as well as ballistic missile technology transfer and technical assistance
- A targeted global asset freeze and travel ban on Iranian individuals and entities
- Authorisation for countries to inspect Iran Air Cargo and Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines cargoes for banned goods
Coffee: black death or elixir of life?
It is among the greatest health debates of our time; splashed across newspapers with contradicting headlines - is coffee good for you or not?
Depending on what you read, it is either a cancer-causing, sleep-depriving, stomach ulcer-inducing black death or the secret to long life, cutting the chance of stroke, diabetes and cancer.
The latest research - a study of 8,412 people across the UK who each underwent an MRI heart scan - is intended to put to bed (caffeine allowing) conflicting reports of the pros and cons of consumption.
The study, funded by the British Heart Foundation, contradicted previous findings that it stiffens arteries, putting pressure on the heart and increasing the likelihood of a heart attack or stroke, leading to warnings to cut down.
Numerous studies have recognised the benefits of coffee in cutting oral and esophageal cancer, the risk of a stroke and cirrhosis of the liver.
The benefits are often linked to biologically active compounds including caffeine, flavonoids, lignans, and other polyphenols, which benefit the body. These and othetr coffee compounds regulate genes involved in DNA repair, have anti-inflammatory properties and are associated with lower risk of insulin resistance, which is linked to type-2 diabetes.
But as doctors warn, too much of anything is inadvisable. The British Heart Foundation found the heaviest coffee drinkers in the study were most likely to be men who smoked and drank alcohol regularly.
Excessive amounts of coffee also unsettle the stomach causing or contributing to stomach ulcers. It also stains the teeth over time, hampers absorption of minerals and vitamins like zinc and iron.
It also raises blood pressure, which is largely problematic for people with existing conditions.
So the heaviest drinkers of the black stuff - some in the study had up to 25 cups per day - may want to rein it in.
Rory Reynolds
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How to help
Send “thenational” to the following numbers or call the hotline on: 0502955999
2289 – Dh10
2252 – Dh 50
6025 – Dh20
6027 – Dh 100
6026 – Dh 200
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Zayed Sustainability Prize
'Worse than a prison sentence'
Marie Byrne, a counsellor who volunteers at the UAE government's mental health crisis helpline, said the ordeal the crew had been through would take time to overcome.
“It was worse than a prison sentence, where at least someone can deal with a set amount of time incarcerated," she said.
“They were living in perpetual mystery as to how their futures would pan out, and what that would be.
“Because of coronavirus, the world is very different now to the one they left, that will also have an impact.
“It will not fully register until they are on dry land. Some have not seen their young children grow up while others will have to rebuild relationships.
“It will be a challenge mentally, and to find other work to support their families as they have been out of circulation for so long. Hopefully they will get the care they need when they get home.”
The%20Specs%20
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Dhadak 2
Director: Shazia Iqbal
Starring: Siddhant Chaturvedi, Triptii Dimri
Rating: 1/5
BMW M5 specs
Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor
Power: 727hp
Torque: 1,000Nm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 10.6L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh650,000
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
The specs
Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
Transmission: seven-speed
Power: 620bhp
Torque: 760Nm
Price: Dh898,000
On sale: now
Why are asylum seekers being housed in hotels?
The number of asylum applications in the UK has reached a new record high, driven by those illegally entering the country in small boats crossing the English Channel.
A total of 111,084 people applied for asylum in the UK in the year to June 2025, the highest number for any 12-month period since current records began in 2001.
Asylum seekers and their families can be housed in temporary accommodation while their claim is assessed.
The Home Office provides the accommodation, meaning asylum seekers cannot choose where they live.
When there is not enough housing, the Home Office can move people to hotels or large sites like former military bases.
VERSTAPPEN'S FIRSTS
Youngest F1 driver (17 years 3 days Japan 2014)
Youngest driver to start an F1 race (17 years 166 days – Australia 2015)
Youngest F1 driver to score points (17 years 180 days - Malaysia 2015)
Youngest driver to lead an F1 race (18 years 228 days – Spain 2016)
Youngest driver to set an F1 fastest lap (19 years 44 days – Brazil 2016)
Youngest on F1 podium finish (18 years 228 days – Spain 2016)
Youngest F1 winner (18 years 228 days – Spain 2016)
Youngest multiple F1 race winner (Mexico 2017/18)
Youngest F1 driver to win the same race (Mexico 2017/18)
Results
3pm: Maiden Dh165,000 (Dirt) 1,400m, Winner: Lancienegaboulevard, Adrie de Vries (jockey), Fawzi Nass (trainer).
3.35pm: Maiden Dh165,000 (Turf) 1,600m, Winner: Al Mukhtar Star, Adrie de Vries, Fawzi Nass.
4.10pm: Handicap Dh165,000 (D) 2,000m, Winner: Gundogdu, Xavier Ziani, Salem bin Ghadayer.
4.45pm: Handicap Dh185,000 (T) 1,200m, Winner: Speedy Move, Sean Kirrane, Satish Seemar.
5.20pm: Handicap Dh185,000 (D) 1,600m, Winner: Moqarrar, Dane O’Neill, Erwan Charpy.
5.55pm: Handicap Dh175,000 (T) 1,800m, Winner: Dolman, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar.
Match info
Who: India v Afghanistan
What: One-off Test match, Bengaluru
When: June 14 to 18
TV: OSN Sports Cricket HD, 8am starts
Online: OSN Play (subscribers only)
MATCH INFO
FA Cup fifth round
Chelsea v Manchester United, Monday, 11.30pm (UAE), BeIN Sports
Company%20profile
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Match info:
Leicester City 1
Ghezzal (63')
Liverpool 2
Mane (10'), Firmino (45')
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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In-demand jobs and monthly salaries
- Technology expert in robotics and automation: Dh20,000 to Dh40,000
- Energy engineer: Dh25,000 to Dh30,000
- Production engineer: Dh30,000 to Dh40,000
- Data-driven supply chain management professional: Dh30,000 to Dh50,000
- HR leader: Dh40,000 to Dh60,000
- Engineering leader: Dh30,000 to Dh55,000
- Project manager: Dh55,000 to Dh65,000
- Senior reservoir engineer: Dh40,000 to Dh55,000
- Senior drilling engineer: Dh38,000 to Dh46,000
- Senior process engineer: Dh28,000 to Dh38,000
- Senior maintenance engineer: Dh22,000 to Dh34,000
- Field engineer: Dh6,500 to Dh7,500
- Field supervisor: Dh9,000 to Dh12,000
- Field operator: Dh5,000 to Dh7,000
Dubai Bling season three
Cast: Loujain Adada, Zeina Khoury, Farhana Bodi, Ebraheem Al Samadi, Mona Kattan, and couples Safa & Fahad Siddiqui and DJ Bliss & Danya Mohammed
Rating: 1/5
