Couscous Stuffed Baby Pumpkins

Ingredients

• 4 oz

  sweet Italian sausage (or firm tofu or seitan, if making vegetarian)

• 1/2 c

  chopped onion

• 1 1/2 lb

  pumpkin, peeled, seeded, and cut into 3/4-inch pieces

• 1/2 c

  chopped Granny Smith apples

• 1/4 c

  white wine

• 1 c

  couscous, cooked

• 1/4 c

  dried cranberries or white raisins

• 1 tbsp

  extra-virgin olive oil

• 1/2 tsp

  thyme

• 1/2 tsp

  oregano

• 1/2 tsp

  salt

• Handful of fresh chopped parsley

  
  

• 1

  packet of True Lemon

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• Fresh ground pepper to taste

  
  

• 4

  small (1-pound) pumpkins, hollowed out

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Crumble the sausage meat, and place it in a large saucepan over medium-low heat. Cook the sausage until it is almost done—about 8 minutes. If using tofu, just combine with the other ingredients in the next step.
3. Remove the sausage from the pan, increase heat to medium, and add the onion and 2 cups of the chopped pumpkin. Saute until the pumpkin begins to soften—5 to 7 minutes.
4. Add the chopped apple and sausage and saute for 3 minutes. Add the wine, cook for 2 minutes, remove from heat, and set aside.
5. Combine the couscous, dried cranberries, olive oil, thyme, oregano, salt, parsley, True Lemon and pepper in a large bowl.
6. Add meat mixture to the bowl and toss to combine.
7. Evenly fill the hollowed-out pumpkins with the stuffing mixture and place the pumpkins in a shallow baking dish.
8. Cover the dish with aluminum foil, and bake for 25 minutes.
9. Remove the foil, and bake for 10 more minutes. Serve immediately.