Last night, after picking up a deliciously splendid lookin’ pumpkin from Whole Foods Market…I opted to break out the ol’ knife and make me a stuffed pumpkin…it brought back memories of the days in my childhood…carving pumpkins for Halloween and scoopin’ out the guewyyyy slimy insides.  My little sis and I loved carving pumpkins…I miss those days…

So, going back to my childhood, I set out to create a stuffed pumpkin…not a jack-o-lantern, hehe…although I felt as though I was back in the old days sitting around our big, old brown table in our cozy, comfy kitchen with my mother, father and baby sister…

Still seems as though those days were yesterday…

I cut off the cap and got to work…I purchased a beautiful assortment of pecans and dates from Eli Zabars here in Manhattan so I though this was the perfect opportunity to toss them into my pumpkin creation…along with a bit of the ol’ Greek yogurt and some other simple ingredients made this pumpkin dish incredibly tender, tasty and delicious…the pumpkin flesh has such an amazing taste especially when served with the stuffing I created inside…perfect for a cool Autumn evening…a Thanksgiving affair or simply a dinner alone in your tiny Manhattan apartment with Frank Sinatra singin’ Christmas carolls…

And that is exactly what I did.

It was the perfect evening.

Me, Manhattan and my stuffed pumpkin.

Enjoy!

Gluten-Free Pecan n’ Date Stuffed Pumpkin

Ingredients

• 1 pumpkin, approximately 3 lbs.
• Sea salt and freshly ground white pepper
• 1 loaf gluten-free bread, cut into 1/2 inch chunks
• 2 Tbsp. nutritional yeast
• 1/3 cup pecans, very finely chopped
• 6 large dates, coarsely chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 medium sweet onion, coarsley chopped
• 1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped
• 1 tsp. all-spice
• 1 tsp. chili powder
• 1/2 cup Greek plain yogurt
• 1 tsp. black sesame seeds

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.  Hollow the pumpkin by cutting a cap on the top, removing the insides and setting aside.  Season with sea salt and pepper, place onto the baking sheet.
3. In a large mixing bowl, combine bread, yeast, pecans, dates, garlic, onion, basil, all-spice and chili powder; mix well to combine.  Transfer mixture into the pumpkin.
4. Place pumpkin into the oven for 2 hours or until insides are bubbling and pumpkin is tender.
5. Remove from oven, set aside to cool for 3-5 minutes.
6. In a separate smaller bowl, combine Greek yogurt with sea salt and pepper.
7. To serve, portion pumpkin mixture and pumpkin flesh onto plates. Top with a dollop of the Greek yogurt and a sprinkle of black sesame seeds.
8. Enjoy!