Vegetarians can carve up creative pumpkin dishes on Thanksgiving

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Vegetarians can carve up creative pumpkin dishes on Thanksgiving

Vegetarian main dishes can make your holiday special – without the bird.

DEBBIE CAFAZZO; The News Tribune

Published: November 16th, 2005 02:30 AM

Thanksgiving is the holiday vegetarians learn to hate.

Not that we're not grateful or anything.

It's just that a day built around consuming Big Bird leaves us out in

the cold. And for many of us, fake turkey just doesn't say "festive."

This year, it's time for vegetarians to declare their independence.

Instead of searching for faux fowl to fill the main event spot on the

holiday table, try thinking about some other fall traditions – such as

pumpkin.

Here are two recipes to get the creative cooking juices flowing.

Baked Stuffed Pumpkin

Yield: 6 servings

1 medium sugar pumpkin

6 Granny apples – peeled, cored and chopped

1 cup chopped walnuts

1 (16-ounce) can whole berry cranberry sauce

1 (20-ounce) can pineapple chunks, drained

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup golden raisins

1/2 cup dark rum (optional)

2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger root

1 tablespoon freshly grated nutmeg

1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Position rack in the center of the oven.

Cut out top of pumpkin and set aside. Scoop out seeds with a metal spoon.

In a large bowl, stir together the apples, walnuts, cranberry sauce,

pineapple, brown sugar, raisins and rum. Season with ginger, nutmeg and

cinnamon, and mix well.

Spoon the mixture into the cleaned pumpkin, and replace top.

Set pumpkin directly on a baking stone or a thick baking sheet. Bake for 1 hour, or until pumpkin begins to soften.

Remove from heat and stir, scraping sides gently so that some pieces of pumpkin fall into the apple mixture.

Thanksgiving Stuffed Pumpkin

Yield: 12 servings

1/2 cup sliced almonds

1 tablespoon butter

1 onion, finely chopped

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1 (10.75-ounce) can condensed cream of mushroom soup

2 (14-ounce) bags frozen chopped broccoli, thawed and drained

Salt and pepper to taste

1 large sugar pumpkin, top removed, seeded

3 cups shredded cheddar cheese

1 (16-ounce) package herb seasoned stuffing mix

1/2 cup melted butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place the almonds in a skillet over medium

heat, and cook 5 minutes, stirring constantly, until they are lightly

toasted.

Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a skillet over medium heat, and sauté the onion until tender.

In a bowl, mix the onion, eggs, mayonnaise, cream of mushroom soup, and broccoli. Season with salt and pepper.

Scoop 1/3 of the mixture into pumpkin.

Layer with 1 cup cheese and 1/3 of the stuffing mix, and drizzle with

1/3 of the melted butter. Sprinkle with 1/3 of the toasted almonds.

Repeat layers.

Place pumpkin on baking sheet. Bake pumpkin for 1 hour, or until filling is hot and bubbly.

Cover pumpkin with aluminum foil if it begins to brown.

Source: allrecipes.com

http://www.thenewstribune.com/soundlife/story/5336042p-4832464c.html