Gorgeous Gourds

Pumpkins and squash and gourds oh my! It's that time of year when the grocery store is a feast for your eyes with tons of colorful squash varieties. I can never resist, and always find myself buying at least a couple different kinds. I use them in soups, pastas, and stir-fries, but my favorite preparation is stuffing them because the result is both delicious and gorgeously presented. I have tried many different stuffing variations, and the one that I like best is a quinoa stuffing with Mexican-inspired flavors. You can also do this with different types of squash. I like the nuttiness of acorn squash, but the sweetness of butternut squash plays nicely with this recipe too!

Here is the recipe:

Ingredients:

2 squash of your choosing

1 tbsp olive oil

1 16oz can of black beans

1/2 cup of quinoa (1.5 cup cooked) 

1 small onion

1 handful of frozen corn

1/2 cup veggies of your choosing (I used nopales and red bell peppers)

1 cup grated cheddar cheese

few sliced almonds

3-4 tbsp taco seasoning (to taste)

salt (to taste)

1. Cut the squash in half, and hollow out the middles. Drizzle the open faces with olive oil, place on a baking sheet, and bake at 375 degrees F for 40-45min (till you can stick a fork in the squash and it easily comes out)

2. In the mean time, wash the quinoa, and cook with 2x water. First bring the water and quinoa to a boil, and then let simmer on low until fully cooked. 

3. Chop your vegetables, and saute them with the beans. If using nopales, make sure you clean the cactus leaves well (as described here)! I started the nopales first in a little bit of oil so they had time to release the sticky juice that comes out of them. I then added the onions, and once browned, the rest of the veggies and beans. I cooked the entire mixture for about 5 minutes and then added the quinoa and taco seasoning.

4.  Stuff the mixture in the squash, and cover with cheese. Sprinkle some almond slices on top. Bake at 375 degrees F for another 15 minutes (until the cheese has fully melted) and then broil for 2-3 minutes to brown the tops. Enjoy!