Quinoa and Venison Stuffed Pumpkin

Prepare quinoa per package instructions. Usually 1 cup of dried quinoa equals three to four cups of cooked quinoa. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Cut the top off the pumpkin and remove strings and seeds. Put top aside. Reserve the pumpkin seeds for another use. Prick the cavity with a fork and rub with 1 teaspoon salt. Rub the outside of the pumpkin with the oil.

Place the pumpkin on a rimmed baking sheet and set aside.

Add ground venison, chopped onion, minced garlic and ground cumin to a heated saut pan. Cook until venison is browned. Turn off heat and add cooked quinoa, cherries and butter nut squash. Stir until evenly mixed. Stuff pumpkin with the venison and quinoa mixture and cover with the lid to keep it moist.

Place 1/2 water in the bottom of the rimmed baking sheet and place in the oven. (As it cooks, add more water to the pan as necessary to avoid sticking.)

Bake for 45 minutes to an hour until the pumpkin skin starts to bubble and is tender. Do not over cook as the pumpkin will collapse. To serve, cut pumpkin into wedges, giving each person a slice of pumpkin and the venison and quinoa stuffing. Or you can scoop the sides of the pumpkin while scooping out the venison and quinoa mixture. Make sure to mix in the pumpkin before serving.