Again, we are swimming in squash. From our last farm share, I picked out a cute little acorn squash. Why are diminutive foods so much more enticing? Perhaps I had this picked out as a side dish. For a full meal, you might use a regular size acorn squash.
These were a perfect complement to crockpot rotisserie chicken. I tweaked a recipe from All Recipes. The house smelled very good, like harvest time.
Ingredients
- 1 acorn squash, halved
- 2/3 cup quinoa
- 1 1/3 cups water
- 1 1/2 teaspoons butter
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 leek, cut into quarters and sliced
- 1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
- 2 stalks celery, chopped
- 1 Granny Smith apple, diced (peel left on)
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons fresh ginger, minced
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar (if you are not a fan of vinegar, you could skip this or else substitute apple juice or broth)
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/2 cup shredded Romano cheese
Recipe
Heat oven to 425 degrees. Bake squash until tender. I used a small squash, so it took very little time. You may leave the seeds in until it is cooked and it is easier to remove all of the thready stuff.
Cook quinoa to the product’s specification. For most quinoa in the U.S., there is no need to rinse to rid it of bitterness. Stir in the butter and salt and pepper. I used red quinoa, which was a lovely color combination with orange squash.
In a heavy pan, heat the olive oil and cook the onion, pepper and celery until the onion turns translucent. Add the diced apple, and cook until everything is almost tender. Be careful not to overcook, as it can be mushy. Next, add the garlic and ginger, the vinegar, cinnamon, and nutmeg. I also added fenugreek, since I am nursing and trying to keep up my milk supply. Mix in the cooked quinoa and heat through until the liquid cooks off and the spices get into everything.
Scoop out about an inch of baked acorn squash, chop if necessary, and mix that into the quinoa. Fill the squash halves with quinoa, slightly mounding it. You can top this with the cheese, or you might try nuts or dried cranberries. Pop them under the broiler long enough to melt the cheese and warm up the squash. Enjoy!
Wild Ginger 