Black Rice Stuffed Pumpkins

Black Rice Stuffed PumpkinsStuffed pumpkins are a very seasonally appropriate and healthy side dish. The best part is that the filling can be made the night before or morning of serving and the pumpkins can be hollowed out, placed in a pan, covered tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerated. Then the mixture just needs to be spooned into the pumpkins and it all bakes for 40 minutes. This makes it ideal for serving guests because it does not require much attention at this point, so you don’t get tied down to the kitchen and have more time to visit. The pumpkins themselves have a sweet, dense flesh that goes nicely with heavy whole grains and legumes. The outer skin is inedible and acts like a bowl, keeping everything together. This is a very grounding dish, with enough fiber, healthy fats and protein to slow down digestion and leave one with a comfortably satiated feeling. As the weather gets colder we can maintain balance by choosing heavier foods and something like this offers a lot of nutrients.

PumpkinsThere are usually a couple types of mini pumpkins at markets this time of year. These ones, with shallow ribbing are usually called pie pumpkins and are about the size of a man’s closed fist. Another type, usually called decorative pumpkins have much deeper ribbing and are shorter and wider, they are not as ideal because their flesh is more bland but they work if need be. Black riceIt may be a little early for Halloween references but I couldn’t resist. Black rice offers a nice colour contrast to the pumpkin and will be more acceptable once October hits. This whole grain is also known as forbidden rice because in Ancient China it was reserved for royalty and if anyone else took some for themselves their punishment was death. Back then its mystique centered around the beliefs that black rice was an aphrodisiac and could lengthen the lives of those who consumed it, an enticing food for emperors looking to reign as long as possible. Now, we know it to be incredibly nutrient dense. Its potent antioxidant levels could be the scientific explanation for its perceived life lengthening ability, since antioxidants work to counteract and reverse damage done by oxidants and toxins from our food and environment, keeping our bodies young and robust. Black rice has a mild, nutty flavour like brown rice but it is quantifiably higher in protein, iron and fiber. It can be found in health food stores in the packaged grains section and often in bulk bins.mixed vegetablesOne of my tricks when I use rice as the base of a stuffing is to first sautée an onion then add in the rice to that pot with vegetable broth instead of water. By the time it finishes cooking it is already seasoned. Then I add in a can of legumes, chickpeas in this case, to complete the amino acid spectrum. Amino acids are the building blocks of protein. Animal foods are considered “complete proteins” because they contain all the amino acids humans need but plants do not so they are called “incomplete proteins”. Matching up plant foods with different amino acid ensures that they are all obtainable- grains and legumes are one such pairing. Then I finish it off with some flavourful vegetables like sun dried tomatoes, artichoke hearts, olives and chives, and maybe some sharp cheese like feta along with a simple vinaigrette or just straight balsamic vinegar.Black Rice Stuffed Pumpkins
Black Rice Stuffed PumpkinsBlack Rice Stuffed Pumpkins
Covering the pumpkins for part of their baking time with a large piece of aluminum foil keeps the tops from burning.Black Rice Stuffed PumpkinsBlack Rice Stuffed Pumpkins

Black Rice Stuffed Pumpkins
 
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
Serves: 8
INGREDIENTS:
  • 8 small pie pumpkins
  • 1 cup black rice
  • 2 cups vegetable broth
  • 1 small onion, chopped finely
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 can chickpeas, rinsed thoroughly
  • ½ cup sun dried tomatoes, chopped finely
  • ½ cup artichoke hearts, chopped finely
  • ½ cup kalamata olives, pitted and chopped finely
  • ¼ cup chives, sliced thinly
  • 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
  • Optional: 1 cup feta, crumbled
DIRECTIONS:
  1. Heat up the oil in a large pot on the stove over medium heat. Add in the onion and sautée until it softens and starts to brown, 5-7 minutes. Add in the rice and broth and turn the heat to high. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to low, place a lid on and leave to simmer for 30-35 minutes, until all the liquid is absorbed.
  2. Preheat oven to 400°. Cut off the tops of the pumpkins, ½ inch from the top and scoop out all the seeds and stringy pieces (a serrated grapefruit spoon works well). Set the pumpkins in a large baking dish.
  3. Once the rice is done stir in the chickpeas, sun dried tomatoes, artichokes, olives, chives, feta and vinegar. Spoon the mixture into the hollowed out pumpkins, packing it down tightly, put their stems back on and cover with a large sheet of aluminum foil. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes, remove the foil and bake for another 20 minutes.

Black Rice Stuffed PumpkinsBlack Rice Stuffed PumpkinsPumpkin

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