Jack-Be-Little Pumpkins Stuffed with Spiced Tomato-Lentil Sauce

The vendors at the farmers' market where I loaded up on adorable Jack-be-Little pumpkins were amazed when I told them my plans: decorate from Halloween to Thanksgiving, then eat the nectarine-sized pumpkins. "You can eat these?" they asked. Can and should. They have an earthy, savory goodness appreciated by those who love mushrooms and artichokes. If that's not you or you don't have any tiny pumpkins, use an acorn squash or half a pie pumpkin. See notes below for making the switch.

Such a bargain, too! You'll get six weeks of decoration followed by a fine-dining appetizer or side dish for about $1.50 per person.

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No-Fuss Pizza Sauce

No-Fuss Pizza Sauce makes organic pizza sauce easy and affordable. Mix it right in the can: no dishes or cooking needed. Use local garlic and oregano i f you can. As with all scratch-made recipes, go as organic or local as you like, ingredient by ingredient.

Use this sauce on pizza, pizza toast (see notes), or as a sauce on Curried Chickpeas with Sweet Potatoes (recipe coming next week).

Active time: 3 minutes. Total time: 3 minutes. Makes enough for 3 large pizzas.

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Sautéed Cherry Tomatoes

Although it's hard to imagine growing tired of eating cherry tomatoes right off the vine, here's a super-quick way to give them more gravitas: moving from salad to side dish or sauce. The heat intensifies the flavor of the cherry tomatoes, so a quick sauté brightens even tomatoes that are out of season or from a long way away. Of course, go for utterly ripe, local, and organic if you can.

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Heat-Wave Gazpacho

When the sun pounds down on your roof and just walking outside makes you dizzy with heat, whirl up a batch of Heat-Wave Gazpacho. This cold soup is a meal in a bowl, with a refreshing vinegar zing. Serve it as a first course for dinner, pack it in a thermos for lunch, dip into it as an afternoon snack—even have it for breakfast!

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Tomato Sauce with Collards and Onions

This is one of my go-to recipes all winter. The collards add body to the sauce and the sauce hides the collards from picky eaters who won't eat their greens. To cut the strong taste of the collards,boil them first in the pot you will use to make the pasta. You can skip the pre-boiling step if you use kale or swiss chard instead ... then this recipe takes less time that it takes to boil the pasta. Serve it on high-protein pasta with a little grated cheddar cheese and some carrot sticks for a complete meal.

Active time with collards: 20 minutes. Total time: 30 minutes. Makes 6 servings, 3/4 cups each.

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large onion, peeled and chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon dried, powdered cayenne or chipotle pepper (optional)
1 cup chopped collards
1 can crushed tomatoes (28 ounces)
1/2 teaspoon dried, powdered oregano (optional)

Method

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