Quinoa Stuffed Acorn Squash

Rough morning today because I woke up grumpy and crabby for no apparent reason.  How does this happen to me?!  Even in the midst of having an infinity number of reasons  to be thankful, my heart was not focusing on them.  I really wanted to curl up and go back to bed, but I was determined to finish preparing dinner in the morning so that I could move on to some work that had been piling up on me later in the afternoon.  After I threw the acorn squash in the oven and quickly put together this quinoa pilaf, I made a cup of hot tea and spent a few quiet moments with God.  The sweet autumn smell of roasted acorn squash began to fill the house and my heart began to soften and slowly fill up with gratitude once again.

This quinoa stuffed acorn squash has an abundance of flavors and textures.  Crunchy hazelnuts and pumpkin seeds, earthy oregano and swiss chard, and sweet dried cherries are all mixed together with quinoa and piled in a golden roasted squash.  And guess what?  I have the best tip ever for cutting raw squash.  Microwave the whole squash for 30 seconds to 1 minute, depending on the size of the squash and strength of the microwave.  The squash will soften ever so slightly and it will now be much easier to cut in half.  No more struggling trying to get that knife through a rock hard squash ever again.  The best squash tip ever, right?  You are welcome.

This makes double the amount of quinoa pilaf needed to fill one squash so you can either use it for another squash or it is also excellent on its own. Even though I made this ahead of time in the morning, the hazelnuts and pumpkin seeds lose a bit of their crunch after a few hours, so I think it is best served immediately after it is prepared.  Stuffed squash can be a festive side dish (hello Thanksgiving!) or it can be a nice lighter vegetarian main course.  Hope you enjoy!

Quinoa Stuffed Acorn Squash

Ingredients

• 1 acorn squash
• 2 teaspoons olive oil, plus more for brushing on squash and oiling pan
• 1/2 cup quinoa, uncooked (I used half red, half white quinoa)
• 1 cup finely chopped yellow onion, about 1 medium
• 3 cups lightly packed chopped swiss chard
• 1 tablespoon fresh oregano
• 1/4 cup toasted hazelnuts, chopped
• 1/2 cup roasted pumpkin seeds
• 1/4 cup dried tart cherries, chopped
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
• additional chopped hazelnuts and oregano for garnish
• additional salt and pepper for seasoning squash

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350. Lightly oil a large baking sheet with olive oil. Cut acorn squash in half lengthwise and remove seeds. Brush olive oil on both cut sides of the squash and season with salt and pepper. Place halves face down on the baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes. Turn halves cut side up and bake for another 10-15 minutes, until squash is tender.
2. In a medium pot, boil 3-4 cups of water over high heat. Rinse the quinoa in a fine mesh strainer. When the water is boiling, slowly add the quinoa and boil uncovered for 11-14 minutes. After 10 minutes, start checking the quinoa for doneness. The quinoa is done when the “dot” in the middle of the quinoa starts to disappear and when some of the white filaments start to come off the seeds. Drain the quinoa over a fine mesh strainer.
3. In a saute pan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onions and sauté until onions start to become translucent, about 4-5 minutes. Add the oregano and swiss chard and continue to cook for another minute. Add the cooked quinoa, hazelnuts, pumpkin seeds, cherries, salt, and pepper and continue to cook until the mixture is warmed through. Season to taste with additional salt and pepper.
4. Spoon quinoa mixture into the acorn squash and garnish with some additional oregano and chopped hazelnuts.

Notes

adapted from The Spicy RD