My kitchen counter is once again covered with pumpkins and onions, so it must be getting close to November! Here are two unusual and extraordinary recipes to use up your pumpkins and onions. If you have time, try to make the onions the day before, because as good as they are, they taste even better the next day! And they are great recipes for holiday celebrations, too.

Stuffed Pumpkin
1 small-medium pumpkin
1 1/2 – 2 cup cooked brown rice
3 Tbsp. vegan parmesan, grated (or parmesan cheese)
2-3 cloves of garlic, chopped
1/4 cup sliced scallions
1 Tbsp. fresh (or 1 tsp. dried) thyme
1/3 cup coconut milk (full-fat) or heavy cream
1/4 tsp. grated nutmeg
salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut a cap from the top of the pumpkin by inserting a sharp knife at a 45-degree angle and cutting a circle approximately 4 inches in diameter. Make sure the cap is large enough that you can insert your hand all the way into the pumpkin to clear away the seeds and strings. Season the inside of the pumpkin generously with salt and pepper. Place the pumpkin into either a frying pan with raised sides or a Dutch oven slightly larger than the pumpkin.

Toss together the rice, parmesan cheese, garlic, thyme, and scallions. Season with pepper and pack the mix into the pumpkin until it is almost completely filled. Stir the nutmeg into the (coconut) cream, along with a few shakes of salt and pepper, and pour the mixture into the pumpkin. The ingredients should be very moist. Replace the cap.

Bake the pumpkin for 1 1/2 to 2 hours or until the contents are bubbling and the flesh of the pumpkin is tender enough to pierce easily with the tip of a knife. Remove the cap about 20 minutes before you plan to remove the pumpkin from the oven, so that the top of the stuffing browns a bit. Serve in slices, like a pie. Serves 6-8.

Glazed Braised Onions
1 1/2 lbs peeled yellow onions, whole
2 Tbsp. honey
2 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 Tbsp. tomato paste
1 cup white wine
1-2 cups water
1 dry red chili pepper (optional)
salt

Place onions in a single layer in a large frying pan. Cover the onions with the white wine and water. Mix together the olive oil, salt, sugar, dry red chili pepper, vinegar and tomato paste in a separate bowl, and then add to the onions. Cover and boil for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Continue to boil until the water has boiled off and the onions are beginning to glaze. Stir from time to time to prevent burning or sticking. Discard the red chili before serving.

Bon appetit!