Stuffed Pumpkin For Your Thanksgiving Table

Darci Baker and her husband, Kalei, started the 6 week challenge on September 1. Here's the really important part: they have, between the two of them, SEVEN CHILDREN. And they, like any good and caring parents, are forcing their kids to join them. Haha! Of course this only means at home because during the day they all go to school and eat school lunch which we all know is full of meat and oil and salt and sugar.

At our potluck, Darci brought the most wonderful stuffed pumpkin! It was one of the hits of the evening and oh so beautiful.

This pumpkin was stuffed with stuffing! All nutritarian. And it had it's pumpkin lid on it! Very very nice. The presentation was quite becoming. This is a definite MUST on your Thanksgiving table this year. Encourage your guests to scrape the inside of the pumpkin when they grab their stuffing! It is the perfect accompaniment!

Baking a Pumpkin

1.    Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

2.    Cut the top off of your pumpkin.

3.     Fill pan with about 1/2 inch water.

4.     Bake pumpkin 40 minutes in the preheated oven, or until tender.

5.     While squash is baking, make the stuffing.  (see stuffing recipe)

6.     Remove pumpkin from oven and stuff with stuffing

7.     Return the stuffed pumpkin to the oven for another 25 minutes to heat through.

Stuffing from Scratch

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups veggie broth

3 onions, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

10-15 medium-sized mushrooms, chopped

6 cups diced whole-grain bread

3 tablespoons of no-salt seasoning

2 tablespoons of fresh basil, chopped

2 tablespoons of water chestnuts, chopped

1 tablespoon paprika

1/4 cup egg substitute

pepper to taste

1.    In a skillet over medium-high heat, heat 1/2 cup of the veggie broth. Add the onions, garlic and mushrooms and cook for 10 minutes until onions have softened.

2.    In a bowl, combine the cooked onions, with the remaining ingredients. Mix well.

3.     Place mixture inside the cavity of the squash.

Change it up if you dare and add other ingredients to your stuffing, perhaps some dried cranberries or cherries, leave out the egg substitute, try some rye bread.

What is going to be on your Thanksgiving table this nutritarian season?