Pumpkin Recipes

  Tis the season - pumpkin season that is. Thank you, Starbucks, for starting the infamous trend that has become more of a phenomenon among the autumn-obsessed food lovers since 2004: pumpkin spice EVERYTHING. For those of you keen on gourd-inspired recipes, you'll be happy to find 3 different ways below how you can spruce up your meal with pumpkin: Pumpkin and Pork Cheesy Stuffed Shells Recipe serves 4prep time: 40 minutes, including pumpkin roasting active time: 1 hour total time: 1 hour 40 minutes

• 1/2 small pumpkin, about 1 1/2 cups small dice
• 5-6 fresh sage leaves
• grapeseed, or other neutral oil, as needed
• salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1 small onion, diced
• 1/2 lb ground pork
• 1 tablespoon fresh sage, chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• salt and freshly ground pepper
• 16 large pasta shells
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella, divided
• 2 cups marinara sauce

Preheat the oven to 400ºF. Peel and cube the pumpkin (In the photos, I sliced, but cubing will cook faster and eliminate the need for you to cube later). Place on a baking sheet (I lined my baking sheet for easy clean up) and toss with 1 tablespoon of oil. Season generously with salt and pepper. Nestle 5-6 fresh sage leaves into the pumpkin. Bake for 20-25 minutes until slightly golden and very tender. In a frying pan, heat up a touch of oil over medium high heat. Add the onion and cook, until slightly soft. Add the pork, and cook, breaking up, until golden brown and cooked through. Stir in the sage and red pepper flakes. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Remove from the heat and place in a bowl. By now your pumpkin should be nice and tender. Remove from the oven and stir into the pork mixture. Let everything cool slightly so that you can touch it comfortably. Be sure to leave the oven on as you're going to bake the casserole. While the pork-pumpkin mix is cooling, cook the shells according to the package and drain. Typically I never rinse pasta, but in this case, we want to be able to touch the shells, so rinse off in cool pasta. Mix 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella into the pumpkin mix and give it another taste and adjust seasoning accordingly, if needed. Spread out 1 cup of marinara sauce in a square (8 or 9 inch) oven-proof casserole dish and set aside. Stuff each shell with a generous amount of filling, placing the stuffed shells in the sauced dish. Stuff all the shells - you may have leftover filling, which tastes great on it's own, or you can lay it on top of the shells. Top the shells with the remaining 1 cup of sauce and remaining 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella. Bake the dish for 30 minutes or until sauce is bubbly and cheese is golden. Remove and let cool slight before enjoying!   Pumpkin Queso Fundido Total Time: 2 hr 20 min Prep: 20 min Cook: 2 hr Yield:6 to 8 servings Level:Easy 1 2 -to-3-pound sugar pumpkin 8 ounces dried chorizo, diced 1 jalapeno pepper (remove seeds for less heat), chopped 1 4 -ounce can chopped green chiles 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour 1 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth 2 cups shredded mozzarella or Oaxaca cheese 1 cup shredded monterey jack cheese Chopped fresh cilantro, for topping Tortilla chips, for serving ADD CHECKED ITEMS TO GROCERY LIST From our sponsor Try it. Don't like it? Money Back Guarantee. We stand behind the quality of our meat and produce. Freshness Guarantee *If you don't love our produce, bring your receipt back for a full refund. Directions 1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Slice off the top 1 1/2 inches of the pumpkin and discard. Scoop out the seeds and stringy pulp. 2. Heat the chorizo in a medium pot over medium-high heat until the fat begins to render, about 5 minutes. Add the jalapeno, green chiles, cumin and cayenne and cook, stirring, until the jalapeno softens, about 2 minutes. Stir in the flour and cook, stirring, until the flour is slightly toasted, about 2 minutes. Add the chicken broth and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium and stir in the cheeses. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the cheese melts and the mixture is creamy, about 3 more minutes. Place the pumpkin in a small baking dish and fill the pumpkin with the cheese mixture. Add 1 inch of boiling water to the baking dish. Cover loosely with foil and bake until the pumpkin is tender, about 1 hour, 20 minutes. Remove the foil and continue baking until the cheese is golden and bubbly, 20 to 25 more minutes. Let cool 5 to 10 minutes. Sprinkle with cilantro and serve with tortilla chips. Pumpkin spice pancakes ** makes 8 pancakes 1/2 C all-purpose flour 1/4 C whole wheat flour 1/4 tsp baking powder 1/4 tsp cinnamon 1/8 tsp each nutmeg, all-spice & ginger pinch of sea salt 1/4 C pure pumpkin puree 1 tbsp maple syrup 1 C almond milk 1-3 tbsp vegan butter for cooking Heat a non-stick pan to medium / medium-low and pre-heat oven to 200 F. You'll place the pancakes on a baking sheet or plate in the oven to keep them warm while you cook. In a mixing bowl combine the flours, spices, baking powder, and sea salt together with a fork. Add pumpkin puree, maple syrup, and almond milk and whisk together until well combined. Use a 1/4 cup for each pancake. Lightly butter the pan with some vegan butter. I like using a paper towel to spread it evenly around the pan. Scoop batter into the center of the pan. Once it starts to bubble all around and the edges of the pancake are slightly cooked through, that's when you flip it. It's approx. 2 minutes each side. Be sure to adjust your burner temperature as you go as the pan will get really hot half way through. Serve with more vegan butter and real maple syrup!   520 Park Avenue