Sugar Free Pumpkin Ketchup (nightshade-free)

This recipe shows you how to make an acne friendly, nightshade free and sugar free pumpkin ketchup. It’s easy, delicious and best of all, it can be frozen in batches for future use!

Last week I had an awesome chat with Jill from Heal Your Face With Food and we spoke at length about all things acne, including nightshades after one of Jill’s Instagram followers asked if you had to quit nightshades to be acne-free. Nightshades are a group of fruits (and one tuber!) including Tomatoes, Aubergines, Bell Peppers, Chilli Peppers, Goji Berries and Potatoes. These foods contain substances called alkaloids, which can cause inflammation and stress in the body. You can read more about going nightshade free here but the bottom line is alkaloids can cause inflammation and acne sufferers need to be careful with anything that can trigger inflammation. With this in mind I decided to create a delicious, seasonal recipe for a sugar free pumpkin ketchup!

If you’re already eating a paleo-diet but still suffering from acne and think that nightshades could be the reason for your breakouts, I recommend removing them from your diet for 2-3 weeks and keep an eye out for any changes/improvement in your skin. If by the end of the third week there’s no difference – then nightshades probably aren’t your problem and it’s back to the drawing board!

Sugar Free Pumpkin Ketchup (nightshade-free)

Dips and sauces are the best way to give meals more “oomph”! I used to be a massive shop-bought sauce fan whether it be ketchup, guacamole, sweet chilli, satay or BBQ, in my eyes, there’s nothing beats a tasty sauce or dip to accompany your meal!

Thankfully, there are still loads of delicious sauces you can make at home that contain no nasty ingredients or preservatives! My first sauce recipe was a carrot based ketchup, and it was delicious – you can check out my Carrot No-Mato Ketchup here! However, after doing more recipe research on nightshade free sauces, I’ve found a new favourite, inspired by a No-Mato Ketchup recipe on Nouveau Raw – this sugar free pumpkin ketchup is SO easy to make and tastes amazing – plus with all the pumpkin carving that’ll be happening this weekend you’ll be able to freeze a load for future use! I’ve prefer to make big batches of this, store them in old nut butter jars and keep the spares in the freezer. I love having it with eggs for breakfast or as a tomato-esque sauce alternative!

Ingredients:

400g pumpkin/canned pumpkin puree (boil for 10 minutes prior to blending if using raw pumpkin)
1/4 cup beetroot juice
1/4 cup of Yacon syrup (or Coconut nectar/ 1/8 cup ground Xylitol for low GI version!)
6 Tbsp raw apple cider vinegar
1 tsp smoked sea salt
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp Allspice
1/8 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp psyllium husk
optional 1/2 tsp liquid smoke
Pinch of pepper