Wild Rice Stuffed Acorn Squash

Hello from the Southwest and Happy New Year! I am currently adventuring in Taos and Denver for the week. What goals did you make at midnight last night, perhaps after a couple glasses of champagne? I hope the New Year brings everyone tasty and healthy recipes, happiness, and new adventures- is that cliché enough for you? But in all seriousness- January 1 is a great time to try to kick a bad habit or form a new one. Trying to eat better? Start with this tasty squash recipe.

Whole Foods has an amazing hot bar and deli section, and I am always inspired by their flavor combos. This recipe is a recreation of a dish I saw there- one that cost over $5 per serving! While I wasn’t willing to shell out the big bucks to feed my family, I think this version is way better and fun to make.

Wild Rice Stuffed Acorn Squash (serves 4)

• 2 small acorn squashes
• 1 c orange juice
• 1 c cooked wild rice (or quinoa if you wanted)
• 1/2 apple, chopped
• 1/2 onion, chopped
• 1/2 c diced fruit and nuts (suggestions: pecans, dates, cranberries)
• Dab of margarine/butter and brown sugar

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and cook enough rice to make 1 cup of cooked rice. Wild rice will give you a nice texture for this dish! Cut your two acorn squashes in half. If they are too tough, microwave them for a minute or two so that you can get a knife through them. Put them facedown in a baking dish on top of foil. Pour one cup of orange juice underneath them.

Chop up your dried fruit, nuts, onion and apple and mix them into the cooked rice. Once the acorn squash are done (depending on size- ours took 30 minutes until you could stick a fork through them), flip them over and rub the insides with a little margarine/butter and brown sugar. Fill them with the fruit, nut, and rice mixture.

Bake again to warm everything together. Drizzle the reduced orange juice mixture from the bottom of the pan over the top. Serve while it’s hot!

Looking forward to getting started on my NYE resolutions,

Marisa

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