If you are starting to think about Thanksgiving, I’d like to offer up these two recipes. I have posted these recipes once before, and made them many times in the past, though not recently to be honest. But they remain lifelong favorites. If you have been looking for a vegan main course, you may be interested to know that not only does the first recipe taste fabulous, but it also makes a very impressive presentation. The onions are just an unusual, beautiful and flavorful side dish. If you have time, I would recommend that you try to make the onions the day before you’re planning to eat them, because as good as they are, they taste even better the next day. And while these are great recipes for holidays and celebrations, you could also prepare them on the weekend, and then have them for dinner on a chilly Sunday evening. Something about this stuffed pumpkin recipe says love, love, love…

Stuffed Pumpkin
1 small-medium pumpkin
1 1/2 – 2 cup cooked brown rice
3 Tbsp. grated vegan parmesan (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 full-fat coconut milk (or heavy cream)
1/4 tsp. grated nutmeg
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350F. 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 clean out 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 that is just slightly larger than the pumpkin.

Mix together the brown rice, vegan 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 for the last 20 minutes of cooking, 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 whole medium yellow onions, peeled
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 white wine and water. Mix together the olive oil, salt, honey, dry red chili pepper, vinegar and tomato paste in a separate bowl, and 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. Plan on 1-2 onions per person, depending on your crowd. Discard the red chili before serving. 

Bon appetit!