Rach-
Well, we made it though back-to-work week. There were some low points: mostly involving stumbling out of bed and WAKING BABIES at 7am (sleeping babies were not made to be woken), but there were some high points: mostly involving adult conversation and a lunch hour ALONE. Meals at our house this week were also surprisingly well-organized. Planning has never been a strength of mine, so here's hoping that I can continue to keep on top of things. I know from experience, that it's when I have no plan that we start eating omelets and grilled cheese for dinner.
I have to 'fess up - acorn stuffed squash was not a work-day meal. While not difficult, the roasting does take a bit of time. The beauty of this dish is that the squash was so tender that I could spoon large chunks from my 'squash bowl' directly into Coby's greedy little paws.
Stuffed Acorn Squash
Slice 2 squash lengthwise. Scoop out the seeds and place flesh-side down on an oiled cookie sheet. Roast for 45 min to an hour (until soft).
Prepare the filling: You can be creative here.
I sauteed:
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 finely chopped onion
- 1 cup finely chopped mushrooms
To this I added:
- 1 cup cooked rice, (cooked in chicken broth - I just put in a T of Epicure chicken broth, it has no msg or sodium, veggie broth would be a good vegetarian option)
- 1/3 cup dried cranberries
- 1/3 cup pumpkin seeds (chopped pecans would be a good alternative)
- 1/4 cup water (or more if the mixture looks dry)
Season the filling:
- salt and pepper (My chicken stock is sodium-free so I have to use an extra bit of salt, be careful if yours isn't)
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder (I know, I already added garlic cloves, Joan has passed on to me this irrational love of garlic powder)
- 1/3 tsp sage (or poultry seasoning)
I removed the filling from the heat and added some crumbled goat cheese.
I then filled the squash halves and baked the lot for about 20 min, again at 350.
And if you have a picky eater you could just fill his with rice and goats cheese. So boring, but who can understand the ways of the picky? Not I, I just enable.
This is linked to: Vegetarian Fridays