Hello! Welcome to Dontmissmyplate.

Thank you for visiting my website! I'm Maxine, a food blogger, home cook, travel enthusiast, and lover of food and culture. I’m passionate about fusion cuisine, a style of cooking that blends ingredients and techniques from different countries, regions, and traditions.

My approach is influenced by both Southern African and American cooking, shaped by my life experiences and reflected in the diversity of my recipes. I also focus on farm-to-table cooking, using fresh, seasonal ingredients sourced locally whenever possible. I believe food tastes best when it’s in season and close to its origin.

Travel plays a big role in how I cook and create. I love sharing my food adventures, from what I’ve eaten to where to eat, while discovering new flavors, cultures, and techniques that continue to inspire me.

I hope this space feels helpful and inspiring. Whether you're in the mood for something familiar or ready to try something new, you’ll find plenty to explore here. Happy cooking!

Kale-Stuffed Shells in a Pumpkin Peanut Sauce

Kale-Stuffed Shells in a Pumpkin Peanut Sauce

Stuffed pasta shells are an the easy recipe for a quick supper that is sure to please. You can probably make the shell-stuffing a family exercise as well! I reached back to a familiar ingredient trio I grew up on I like to bring to life in modern classics like this one. That is, peanut butter, pumpkin and kale! The recipe, of course, includes other ingredients including spinach, ricotta, parmesan, and pesto, which bring everything together nicely.

The beauty is you can adjust it to suit what you have available in your kitchen, what's in season, and your preferences.

The most important thing is to make sure both the filling AND the sauce the shells are nestled in are equally intense in flavour. Keep tasting as you go. It will make the finished product so much better.

Speaking of which, I had some left over jerk mushroom and lentil mixture I used to stuff some mini turnovers, about 1/4 cup. I add that to the peanut pumpkin sauce. If you want to add another dimension of flavor, you could start off with diced bacon when you sauté the onions, or, add some ground beef to the sauce to make a sort of Bolognese.

Ingredients

Sauce:

1/2 a box of jumbo shells

2/3 cups pumpkin puree

1/4 cup peanut butter

1 tablespoon palm oil

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup vegetable broth

2 tablespoons cooking wine

2 tablespoons Worchester sauce

1 tablespoon black pepper

1/2 yellow onion, chopped

1 tablespoon garlic

1 teaspoon fenugreek powder

1 teaspoon fresh sage, chopped

1 teaspoon coriander

1 teaspoon paprika

3 tablespoons pumpkin spice pepper sauce (I used Camella’s Kitchen’s)

1 teaspoon chili flakes

1/2 cup tomatoes, diced

1/4 cup tomato paste

Filling:

1 cup chopped kale and spinach

1 cup ricotta cheese

1 teaspoon olive oil

1/3 cup grated parmesan

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon black pepper

2 tablespoons pesto

Instructions

Cook the pasta as directed on the box until al dente, set aside. If you overcook they will break down so keep that mind.

Sauté the onion, spices, sage, and garlic in the olive and palm oil for about 3 minutes until fragrant on medium-low heat - don’t burn!

Add the tomato paste and diced tomatoes and cook for 2-3 minutes. Add the pumpkin puree, broth, cooking wine, and Worchester sauce. Stir until evenly mixed and thickened, then add the peanut butter, paprika and chili flakes. Simmer for about 5 minutes, set aside.

Fill your baking tray about halfway with the sauce, set aside.

In a small bowl, stir the parmesan, salt, olive oil,  pepper, pesto, spinach and kale until evenly mixed.

Stuff the shells with about 1 heaped teaspoon, then carefully lay the shells on top of the pumpkin peanut sauce.. Bake in the oven at 350F for about 25 minutes.

Remove the baking dish to cool for about 5 minutes before serving.

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