Just stuff it!

Love Autumn recipes! Food that reflects the season can be so relaxing and delicious, and easy to make! This recipe utilizes the beauty of the acorn squash, and packed with protein from the quinoa, it's flavor will linger with you like a cool Autumn breeze...

Quinoa Stuffed Acorn Squash
cooking spray
2 acorn squash (about 1 pound each)
2 tablespoons honey
½ cup uncooked quinoa
1/3 cup whole natural almonds
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
½ teaspoon ground cumin
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/3 cup dried apricots, chopped
¼ teaspoon chopped fresh parsley leaves
2 tablespoon chopped fresh mint leaves
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray.

Cut the squash in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds. Brush the cut side of each squash half with ½ teaspoon honey then place squash, cut side down, onto the baking sheet and bake for 40 minutes or until tender.

Meanwhile, put the quinoa and 1 cup of water into a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, cover and cook until all the water is absorbed, 10 to 15 minutes.

In a dry medium sized skillet, toast the nuts over a medium high heat, stirring frequently, 3 to 5 minutes. Allow them to cool then chop them.

Heat the oil in the same skillet over a medium-high heat. Add the onions and cook until they are softened and beginning to brown, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds more. Stir in the cumin, cinnamon, and ginger. Remove the skillet from the heat and stir in the lemon juice.

Add the onion mixture to the cooked quinoa, stirring until well combined. Stir in the almonds, apricots, parsley and mint then season with salt and pepper to taste.

To serve, place a squash half on a serving plate then fill each piece of squash with one-quarter of the quinoa mixture. Drizzle each stuffed squash with 1 teaspoon of honey and serve.

Serves 4

Per Serving:
Calories 380; Total Fat 14g; (Sat Fat 1.6g, Mono Fat 9g, Poly Fat 3g) ; Protein 8g; Carb 60g; Fiber 7g; Cholesterol 0mg; Sodium 10mg