Mini Stuffed Jack-O-Lanterns or Halloweegan Peppers
 
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
Recipe and photos by River of Wing it Vegan. River blogs "vegan grub, craftiness, and geekery." You can visit her Halloweegan Index for more spooky creations.
Author:
Serves: 2 to 8 servings (depending on the vessel)
Ingredients
Squash:
  • 2 gold acorn squashes (see below for other options)
  • Olive oil
  • Salt
  • Black pepper
Quinoa Stuffing:
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • ½ cup onion, chopped
  • ½ cup mushrooms, chopped
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • 1 cup vegetable broth
  • ½ cup uncooked quinoa
  • 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
  • 1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • Black pepper, to taste
Instructions
For the Squash:
  1. If you're going to bake them in a conventional oven, preheat it to 375ºF.
  2. Slice off the bottom tip of the squashes to create a flat base. Cut off the tops and use a spoon to remove the seeds. Save the tops for later!
  3. Use a pencil to draw the faces on the squashes, and use a small serrated knife to carve out the faces. Luckily, carving a small acorn squash is easier than carving a big pumpkin!
  4. Brush a little olive oil all over the inside of the squashes and lightly sprinkle them with salt and black pepper.
  5. At this point you can choose to bake them in a conventional oven for an hour or until soft, or you can cook them in the microwave like I did. Place the squashes in a microwave safe bowl, add about ½ cup of water and microwave for 5 to 8 minutes or until soft.
For the Stuffing:
  1. Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the onions and saute for about 5 minutes or until soft. Stir in the mushrooms and saute 2 more minutes. Stir in the garlic and saute for just about 30 seconds.
  2. Add the vegetable broth, quinoa, nutritional yeast, parsley, salt, and black pepper, to taste. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for about 15 or until the liquid is absorbed. Keep it covered, remove from the heat, and let the quinoa sit for 5 to 10 minutes. Uncover and fluff with a fork.
  3. Spoon the quinoa stuffing into the acorn squashes and cover them with the reserved squash tops. Reheat the finished dish, if necessary, and serve.
Notes
For Tiny Appetites: You can make those mini pumpkins instead of the bigger acorn squashes. You can stuff 6 to 8 mini pumpkins with this recipe, depending on their size.

Halloweegan Peppers: You can also stuff a carved orange bell pepper. Carve, stuff, and bake in a covered casserole dish at 350 degrees F. for 25 to 30 minutes.
Recipe by Go Dairy Free at https://www.godairyfree.org/news/nutrition-headlines/halloweegan-hits-sweet-and-savory-vegan-recipes-hit-creative-highs