More Squash love - Recipe for Stuffed Baked Acorn Squash

V and I had friends staying with us this weekend and since they had already been driving for a while to get to our place, I decided to put together a nice dinner for them when they arrived so that we wouldn't have to go out. When it is cold and rainy outside, I just need an excuse to turn on the oven.

The acorn squashes I got from the market were called "White Acorn Squash" and were actually yellow in color as opposed to the green-golden ones I usually get. Somehow I found them to be quite bland and would go back to the regular ones. I had made Acorn Squash bread earlier this season with the green - gold ones and the aroma was more "squash-like".



I cooked the squash exactly the way I did for the bread, and stuffed it with a nutty rice filling and baked it in the oven. Here's the recipe.

Ingredients:
2 acorn squash
Cooked brown rice - 1 cup
1 large carrot, peeled and diced
1 large onion, peeled and diced
1 large bell pepper, diced
2-3 celery stalks, diced
2-3 cloves garlic minced
2-3 stalks of green onion chopped
salt and pepper to taste
1 pinch cinnamon
1 tsp cumin seeds
2-3 tbsp olive oil or butter
1/2 cup roasted pecans or walnuts

Method:

To prepare acorn squash:

1. Wash and microwave the acorn squash whole for 1 min
2. Cut into 2 halves and remove the seeds. Slice off the end a bit to make them stand.
3. Lay cut side down in a microwavable dish with 1/4" of water
4. Microwave on high for 8 - 10 mins, the pulp should be soft now.

To prepare filling:

1. Heat the oil / butter in a wok.


2. Roast the nuts if needed and set aside


3. Then add the cumin seeds and cinnamon


4. Add the onion, bell pepper and garlic


5. When the onion is translucent and cooked, add the carrots and celery. Sprinkle some water, close and let cook


6. Add brown rice, salt and pepper and mix and heat through


7. Switch off the heat and mix in the green onion & roasted nuts

Finishing touches:
Scoop the nutty rice mixture in to the acorn squash shells
Set in a baking pan and pop into a oven pre-heated to 350C for 10 mins just before serving

I served this with a side of "Spinach - Roasted beet salad" and entire meal was very filling. V and K's husband ate the acorn squash skin too and thought it was just fine, but K and I were very lady-like and peeled off the skin with our fork and knife before eating. We finished the evening with some Scottish cookies, a hot cup of chai and a great movie!

This recipe goes to Sunshine Mom's blog for the Food in Color - Yellow event and the Festival of Rice event.