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Celebrate the bounty of autumn with this festive dish!

Spicy Fall Stew Baked in a Pumpkin

Serves:  6

Per Serving:  220 calories, 31g carbohydrates, 6g protein, 9g fat, 6g fiber

Ingredients:

1 medium onion, diced (about 1 cup)

2 tablespoons of olive oil

1 red bell pepper, cut into 1-inch dice

2 cloves of garlic minced (about 2 tsp)

1 3-4 pound pumpkin (sugar pie, red kuri, or kabocha)

½ lb tomatillos, husked and quartered (about 1½ cups)

1 tsp chili powder

1 tsp ground cumin

¾ tsp salt (or to taste)

1 15oz can of hominy, rinsed and drained

2 oz of grated sharp Cheddar cheese (½ cup packed)

Cooking Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Heat 1 Tbs. oil in pot over medium heat. Add onion, bell pepper, and garlic. Sauté 7 minutes, or until softened. Stir in chili powder, cumin, and oregano, and cook 3 minutes more, or until spices darken.
  2. Add tomatillos, hominy, ½ cup water, and salt. Cover, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer, partially covered, 10 to 12 minutes, or until tomatillos are softened. Uncover, and cook 5 minutes more to thicken stew, if necessary.
  3. Meanwhile, cut top of pumpkin around stem to make lid. Scoop out pumpkin seeds and strings. Rub inside of pumpkin with remaining 1 Tbs. oil, and sprinkle generously with salt. Sprinkle cheese in bottom of pumpkin.
  4. Fill pumpkin with stew, then top with pumpkin lid. Place on parchment-covered baking sheet and bake 1½ to 2 hours, or until pumpkin flesh is fork-tender. Remove from oven; let stand 5 minutes.
  5. Scoop stew, including pumpkin, into bowls and serve hot, topped with Poblano-Cucumber Salsa.

Poblano-Cucumber Salsa

Per Serving:  (¼ cup) 50 calories, 5g carbohydrates, 1g protein, 3.5g fat, 2g fiber

Ingredients:

½ cucumber, peeled, seeded, and cut into small dice

1 poblano chile

¼ cup cilantro, chopped

2 Tbs. lime juice

1 jalapeño chile, stemmed, seeded, and minced

1 clove garlic, minced (1 tsp.)

½ tsp. salt

1 ripe avocado, diced

Cooking Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to broil.
  2. Roast poblano chile 15 to 20 minutes, or until skin is blackened, turning occasionally. Cool until easy to handle.
  3. Remove charred skin, discard seeds and stem, and cut into small dice.
  4. Combine poblano, cucumber, cilantro, lime juice, garlic, jalapeño, and salt in small bowl. Gently fold in avocado. Season with salt and pepper.

Recipe from: Vegetarian Times, 10/2013