Quinoa and Mushroom Stuffed Squash

By Erinswan

Ingredients

• 3 acorn, or acorn-like squash, cut in half
• 1 c quinoa
• 2 c vegetable broth
• 1/2 c raw pecans, chopped
• 1/2 c raw pepitas
• Olive oil
• 1 shallot, coarsely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 1/2 c cremini mushrooms, chopped
• 1 t. fresh thyme leaves
• 1 t. fresh rosemary, minced
• 1/3 c kalamata olives, chopped
• Salt and fresh ground black pepper

Details

Servings 1
Adapted from woodstockmarketpdx.com

Preparation

Step 1

When cooking, I like to think of each step in the process as an opportunity to add flavor to the final product. In this creation, I used various techniques to add flavor to each element. I cooked the quinoa in vegetable broth instead of water. I toasted the pecans and pepitas to give them a more robust flavor and crunchy texture. I sautéed the mushrooms and shallots with garlic and fresh herbs, and I roasted the squash in the oven after seasoning it with olive oil, salt and pepper. The combination of all of these thoughtfully executed steps made for a really delicious, high protein vegetarian fall meal. Enjoy!

Directions

Preheat oven to 400°F.

Cut squash in half and rub the flesh of the squash with oil and season with salt and pepper. Place the four halves in a baking dish flesh side up and bake at 400°F for 45 minutes or until a knife pierces the flesh with ease. While squash is baking, prepare the filling.

Put two teaspoons of olive oil in a skillet and heat over medium heat.

Add the pecans and pepitas and toast them, stirring almost constantly, until the pepitas start popping and getting browned. Do not burn the pecans and pepitas, watch them closely! This should take about 3-5 minutes. When done, put them aside in a mixing bowl.

Add about one tablespoon of olive oil to the skillet and heat over a medium heat. Add the shallot, garlic, mushrooms, thyme, rosemary and season with a little bit of salt and pepper. Sauté for about 5 minutes or just until shallots are translucent and the mushrooms begin to soften and shrink.

Mix together in a bowl: quinoa, pecans and pepitas, mushroom/shallot mixture and kalamata olives. Add salt and pepper to your taste preference.

When the squash is done, stuff with the quinoa mixture. You may have some extra filling, but it is delicious on its own. Pop them back in the oven and cook for another 10 minutes so the quinoa on top can get a little toasty.

Note: I say acorn-like squash because I didn’t use an acorn squash. I used a variety from Sun Gold Farm called “Cream of the Crop.” They, and many other vendors, had lots of small winter squash varieties. I don’t doubt that you could truly use any other winter squash and have just as yummy results. I also think that making a straight-up quinoa salad by peeling, cubing and roasting winter squash and adding it to the filling would be a great alternative.

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