Squash

Colorado Elm Fall 2008

I love the colors of autumn. This year our Elm tree is particularly spectacular. It inspired me to create a yellow dish – Quinoa stuffed Acorn Squash. Of course the squash, onions and yellow carrots I used are from Monroe Organic Farms.

Here’s what you need:

1 Acorn Squash
Maple Syrup
Olive Oil
1/2 medium onion, chopped
1/4 cup chopped carrots
2 cloves garlic, pressed
1/2 tsp Tumeric
Salt and Pepper
Quinoa Stuffed Acorn Squash
1 cup Quinoa, rinsed
1 and 1/2 cups stock – vegetable or chicken (just don’t use water if you can help it!)
1/4 cup golden raisins

Here’s what you do:

Quinoa Stuffed Acorn Squash

Preheat oven to 450. Split squash from stem to butt and remove seeds (this sounds like a surgery I don’t want to have). Drizzle 1 Tbs of syrup over cut side of squash. Sprinkle salt and pepper over it as well. Place squash on baking pan and cook in oven while you prepare the stuffing. Heat 1Tbs of olive oil over medium heat. Saute onions, carrots and garlic until very soft and slightly browned. Add tumeric and pepper. Add quinoa and stock. Bring to boil and then cover and simmer until liquid is soaked up and evaporated. Add raisins and check flavors. Add salt and pepper if needed.

Take squash out of the oven and spoon stuffing into the squash cavities. Drizzle a little more syrup over the top and put back in the oven for 1/2 hour or until squash is soft and cooked through.