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:
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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:
- Preheat oven to broil.
- Roast poblano chile 15 to 20 minutes, or until skin is blackened, turning occasionally. Cool until easy to handle.
- Remove charred skin, discard seeds and stem, and cut into small dice.
- 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