Not sure what to do with your pumpkins?

Try this healthy recipe everyone will love!

For those of us with food allergies or intolerances, such as gluten intolerance or Celiac disease, the holidays can be hard.

Honestly, I like having the holidays at my house for two reasons:

1. I love to host and,
2. I can make sure I can eat the food!

I have been gluten free for a number of years now (as well as garlic and onion free…sad!) after completing the FODMAP diet. If I deviate from what I’m supposed to eat/not eat, my stomach is paying for it.

But what are you supposed to do if you can’t host the holidays at your house? The answer is bring a dish you can actually eat, like this delicious gluten free quinoa stuffed pumpkin!

Don’t spend extra money on gluten free stuffing!

Quinoa is naturally gluten free and contains a large amount of fiber and protein! It’s very versatile and is easy to cook and find. It’s similar to rice but doesn’t take 40 minutes to cook like brown rice, is not as dense in texture, and is more flavorful and nutritious than white rice. You can find it in the rice aisle. Just make sure you rinse it before cooking it, otherwise you’ll get a bitter flavor…I learned this the hard way 🙁

Why Pumpkin?

Ummm, why not?!  What else are you going to do with all those leftover pumpkins from Halloween? Plus, pumpkin is rich in fiber, water and vitamin A. Vitamin A helps with vision, immune function and plays a critical role in the maintenance of the heart, lungs and kidneys. And let’s be honest, real pumpkin is so much better tasting than all those fake pumpkin foods you can buy this time of the year 🙂

Recipe: Gluten Free Quinoa Stuffed Pumpkin

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup uncooked uncooked quinoa
• 2 1/2 cups water
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 3/4 cup chopped onion
• 1 cup sliced mushrooms
• 1 cup chopped apple (including peel)
• 1/4 cup dried cranberries
• 2 cups diced celery
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 tablespoon poultry seasoning
• 1/2 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 1/4 cup slivered almonds, toasted
• 1 pie pumpkin, halved

Directions

1. Rinse quinoa two to three times — until water runs clear. You can also buy pre-rinsed quinoa.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray each half of the pumpkin with olive oil spray and give a quick dash of salt and pepper. Put in preheated oven for about 20 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, in a 1 1/2-quart saucepan, bring quinoa and water to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, cover and cook until all water is absorbed, stirring frequently. Do not burn. Cook quinoa for about 15 minutes.
4. In a skillet over medium heat, heat olive oil. Add onion, mushrooms, apple, cranberries and celery. Stir and heat through until tender. Add the salt, pepper and poultry seasoning. Continue to stir and cook slowly until fragrant, about 10 minutes total.
5. In a large bowl, combine the cooked quinoa, fruit-vegetable mixture and chicken broth. Stuff baked pumpkin halves with quinoa and a sprinkling of slivered almonds. Put back in the oven for about 5-10 minutes to toast almonds and finish off the pumpkin.
6. Cut stuffed pumpkin into thick slices for easy serving.

Nutritional analysis per serving (makes 12 servings)