Quinoa & Vegetable Stuffed Pumpkins

Bring Fall to the table with these beautiful Stuffed Pumpkins. When we created these, the little sugar pumpkins were not in season so we used acorn squash which was equally delicious but is definitely a heartier portion. Don't forget to tell your guests to scrape the inside of the pumpkin or squash in with the other ingredients to fully enjoy the dish.

Serves 6-8 depending on size of pumpkin or squash

Ingredients:

6-8 small sugar pumpkins (or small acorn squash)
2 tbsp coconut oil + extra for rubbing inside pumpkins or squash
2 cups quinoa, cooked according to package instructions
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 cup fennel, finely chopped
2 cups shitake mushrooms, finely chopped
4 carrots, peeled and finely chopped
2 red bell peppers, finely chopped
2 cups fresh tomatoes, finely chopped
2 tbsp ginger, peeled and minced or grated
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 red chile pepper, chopped (remove seeds if you want to reduce spiciness)
3 tbsp fresh thyme, stems removed and roughly chopped just before adding to dish
3 tbsp coconut aminos
3/4 cup vegetable stock
juice of 1 lemon
2 tbsp cumin
salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

Prepare Squash/Pumpkins:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees
Carefully cut "lids" off the pumpkins or squash and remove seeds
Rub inside with coconut oil and salt and roast pumpkin/squash and the lids on a parchment lined cookie sheet for 1 hour or until you can easily pierce the base of the pumpkin with a knife
Set cooked pumpkins aside

Prepare Filling:

Heat a large cast iron pan or Dutch oven on medium heat
Add coconut oil to the pan
When almost sizzling, add onion and turn heat down to medium-low
Cook onions until they are translucent
Add cumin, carrots and fennel and sauté for 2 minutes
Add garlic and ginger and cook for about a minute
Add tomatoes, mushrooms, red pepper and chile pepper and sauté for 2-3 minutes (remember, all these ingredients will bake again in the oven so they don't have to be completely cooked through at this stage)
Add coconut aminos and vegetable stock; stir into the filling and let the liquid evaporate (2-4 minutes)
Season with salt and pepper to taste and stir in fresh thyme and lemon juice
Stir in the cooked quinoa and adjust seasoning as needed

Stuff Pumpkins & Bake:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Spoon the filling into each pumpkin and top with pumpkin lids
If filling is hot, bake for 30 minutes. If filling has been made ahead and refrigerated, bake for 45 minutes until filling is warmed through
Serve immediately or at room temperature