Stuffed Acorn Squash

The second of our contest recipes and if we are being completely honest here, this scared the crap out of us. Husband even admitted to trying to talk me out of making it without me knowing. The good news: we made it. The better news: AWESOME!!! I was actually hoping not to like it as much as I did because the calorie count is a little higher than we like but if you think of it as a main dish and a side it could be a good meal. Plus it is SUPER filling! Husband didn't even finish his because it was so much (not because he didn't like it) but I couldn't stop eating it. This was definitely a good one for our anniversary dinner. It does take a really long time to cook so I would say due to the high calorie count and the lengthy process this would have to be a special occasion meal but we will definitely make it again! We cheated a little bit and cooked the quinoa in the rice cooker. We've wanted to make quinoa for a while now but been too afraid to actually do it so this was a great push. We still used the vegetable broth just put in the rice cooker as well. Definitely 5 out of 5 stars from both of us. Go on, try something new!

Source: Sarah Swindell, Santa Rosa, CA

Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 2 acorn squash
• 1 TBS olive oil
• salt and pepper
• 1 tsp thyme
• 1 cup quinoa
• 2 cups veggie broth or 2 cups water and a bouillon cube
• 6 oz goat chèvre
• 1/2 cup pine nuts toasted
• 4-6 tomatoes roasted
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1/2 tsp thyme
• 1/4 tsp marjoram
• 1/4 cup parsley chopped
• fresh grated parmesan for garnish

Directions

1. Cut the acorn squash in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds. Sprinkle each half with salt and pepper and thyme.
2. Put the olive oil on a sheet or roasting pan and smear each half of the squash- cut side down- into the oil making sure it is well coated.
3. Cut the tomatoes in half through the middle and sprinkle the cut sides with salt and pepper. Place them cut side down in the oil on the same pan as the squash. Roast at 400º the squash for 30-50 minutes (You want a knife to pierce through easily) and the tomatoes for 30-40 minutes flipping them over after 15 minutes.
4. While squash and tomatoes cook rinse quinoa.Then pour straight from the strainer into a pot with the heat on medium. Add broth. The ratio is 2:1. If you don't have veggie broth you can use 2 cups water and add a bouillon cube or some veggie broth powder as well. Bring it to a boil, then turn heat to simmer and cover for 15 minutes. At 15 minutes open the pot and fluff with a fork. Cover again and let it sit off the heat for another 5 minutes.
5. Scoop the flesh from the inside of the squash into a bowl and set aside.
6. Take your chèvre and put it into a small bowl. Using a fork work the chèvre into a paste. Add the roasted tomatoes (minus the skin), two cloves of garlic, pressed, the dry spices and the scooped out squash.
7. Toast the pine nuts in a dry pan on medium heat until they are fragrant and golden, then add them to the chèvre mixture. Liberally salt and pepper.
8. Incorporate the chèvre mixture into the quinoa. Mix gently. Add your chopped parsley and mix again
9. Using a tablespoon scoop generously into your acorn squash. You want the filling to mound over the top.
10. Bake at 375º for 30-45 minutes. Sprinkle with fresh parmesan before serving.

Amount Per Serving

Calories: 568

Fat: 25.2g

Cholesterol: 24.6mg

Sodium: 856.9mg

Sugar: 12.5g

Carbohydrate: 74.4g

Fiber: 9.7g

Protein: 20g