A recipe for vibrant pumpkin jam with orange and lemon for weight loss

Ingredients and preparation

Pumpkin jam is made with lemon for the winter, providing not only pleasure but also health benefits during the cold season. Vitamins, micro- and macronutrients, and fiber are all preserved by the gentle cooking method of this healthy vegetable. The fruit adds flavor and often changes color (if using blackcurrant, chokeberry, or cherry), while spices enhance the aroma and impart a unique note of winter preservation.

Pumpkin jam is most often made with orange or other citrus fruits, also because they are always readily available when the pumpkin is ripe. Making pumpkin jam when it's at its peak nutritional value not only provides a delicious winter treat but can even improve your health. The second ingredient in this treat usually includes:

• lemon,
• orange,
• mandarin,
• dried apricots,
• walnuts,
• raisin,
• cherry,
• currant,
• chokeberry.

Moreover, the berries are taken freshly frozen, defrosted just before cooking, and dried fruits are soaked in water a couple of hours before cooking.

You can use any pumpkin, but it’s better to choose a sweet, brightly colored one. Peel the skin, remove the seeds and fibers, and then cut the pulp into pieces of the desired size. These can be squares of 1 cm or slightly larger, strips, or petals. For jam or puree, the pulp can be grated on a coarse grater, or chopped using a meat grinder or blender.

Citrus fruits must be washed (preferably with soap) and rinsed with boiling water. Further preparation depends on the recipe. For some jams, they are juiced; for others, they are zested and even peeled; for others, they are simply cut into desired pieces or minced with the zest. The zest imparts a more distinct flavor and bitterness to the jam. Even after being boiled, it retains some toughness even after grinding.

Video: "The Benefits of Pumpkin for Your Figure"

This video will show you how easy and delicious it is to lose weight on a pumpkin diet.

A step-by-step recipe for weight loss

Pumpkin jam made with orange and lemon is very low in calories, as pumpkin is considered a dietary vegetable and is readily included in all kinds of weight-loss diets. And the citrus doesn't add any weight to the dish. Honey or a sweetener can be used instead of sugar, making the jam even healthier and more diet-friendly.

Of the spices that not only enhance the taste and aroma but also help the body digest the dessert, we also use some well-known ones that are familiar to every housewife:

• cinnamon,
• ginger,
• nutmeg,
• cardamom,
• star anise,
• cloves,
• vanilla.

With orange

Winter will seem warmer and brighter if you indulge in some orange-flavored amber jam. To make it, you'll need the following ingredients:

• 2 kg pumpkin pulp, cut into approximately equal pieces;
• 50 g of oranges, peeled and free of white rind, cut into pumpkin-sized pieces;
• 600 – 700 g sugar;
• ¼ spoon of citric acid;
• a little cinnamon if you like its aroma (nutmeg, cardamom, vanilla);
• ½ cup of water if there is not enough juice.

It is very easy to cook.

1. Prepared pumpkin pieces should be covered with sugar and left for 1–2 hours to allow the juices to form.
2. Bring the mixture to a boil (if there is not enough juice, add water), stirring gently, and cook for 15 minutes.
3. Add all the remaining ingredients, stirring, and cook for another 15 minutes.
4. When all the pieces become transparent and soft, pour the hot mixture into sterilized jars, roll up the lids, cover, wait until completely cool, and put away for storage.

With lemon

This dessert option is perfect for those who enjoy a sweet and sour dessert with a piquant bitterness. To the same 2 kg of chopped vegetable pulp, add 3 lemons, cut into small pieces with the peel, 750 g of sugar, and spices.

The cooking procedure is as follows.

1. A syrup is cooked from a small amount of water and sugar.
2. Throw pumpkin pieces into it and leave until it cools.
3. Boil the pumpkin for 15 minutes.
4. Add lemon and spices. Boil for 15–20 minutes until done.
5. Pour hot into containers, seal with lids, wrap, and let cool completely. Store.

Another option is more like jam.

1. All ingredients are combined at the same time, pumpkin and lemons are passed through a meat grinder.
2. Cook over low heat until fully cooked, about 40 minutes.
3. They preserve it.

With honey

For 2 kg of pumpkin pulp, take 3 large oranges, 1 lemon, ¼ teaspoon of citric acid, 400 – 500 g of honey.

1. Cook pumpkin jam with orange and lemon until fully cooked, without adding sugar. Puree the vegetable pulp and citrus fruits until smooth. You can blend the finished jam, but you'll need to boil it again.
2. Rub honey into the slightly cooled jam (to 50–55 degrees). Mix thoroughly.
3. Place into sterilized jars, close tightly and store in the refrigerator.

With tangerines

Tangerines are softer, so they are juiced or peeled and ground using a blender.

For 2 kg of pumpkin pulp, it is enough to take 0.5 kg of tangerines, 800-1000 g of sugar, ½ teaspoon of citric acid, spices to taste.

Preparation should be divided into 2 sessions.

1. The chopped pumpkin is soaked in juice, sugar, and spices are added, and left for 1–2 hours.
2. The infused mixture is brought to a boil, then left for 10 hours.
3. The jam is cooked a second time over low heat until it is ready – when the pieces become soft, translucent, and fragrant, they are placed in jars and preserved.