Vegan pumpkin stew

One of the dishes that I loved the most growing up was something called Shrimp in the Pumpkin (literal translation). It was basically a pumpkin and shrimp stew cooked inside a carved pumpkin. It is a relatively easy to make dish that tastes and looks amazing. A perfect option for the Thanksgiving or Christmas dinners, or any fall occasions if may say :) Since I am not eating animals any longer I tried tweaking the recipe a little bit to include plan-based proteins and it tasted delicious!

Ingredients

• 1 medium size pumpkin

• 1 block of extra firm (organic, non-GMO) tofu cut in cubes

• about 15 - 20 medium size cremini mushrooms cut int wedges

• 6 roma tomatoes, ripen, chopped

• 5 garlic cloves chopped

• 1 big onion chopped

• 1/3 cup of vegan cream-cheese

• 1 cup of white wine

• 1 stalk of lemon grass, chopped

• salt and black pepper to taste

• 1 lime

• 1/3 cup of rice vinegar

• parley and green onion

Instructions

Roast the pumpkin for 30 min at 190C/350F. When it is done wait for it to cool and cut the top to create a lid. Remove the seeds. Carve the pumpkin just enough to remove the soft parts and leaving the walls intact. Using a blender, blend the pumpkin until smooth, reserve. In a large frying pan add the onions and garlic with a drizzle of oil or water and sauté for 5 minutes and add the tofu and mushrooms. Let if fry for a bit until crispy, then add the rice vinegar, wine, lemon grass, salt and pepper. Cover and let it cook for 10 minutes at medium heat. Add the tomatoes, cover and cook until the tomatoes are completely blended with the sauce. Add the blended pumpkin and stir well. Let it simmer for another 10 min. Remove from heat, squeeze lime juice into the sauce and transfer it back to the carved pumpkin. Serve warm over rice.