Quinoa Stuffed Acorn Squash

I made this scrumptious dish last week for movie night with my brother and Doodlebug. It was a pretty big hit and I was a proud little lady because this is one of few dishes that I have made sans recipe! I really love how this meal exudes autumn, which by the way is my absolute favorite season for food.  Okay, so its not the hardest recipe in the world, but this stuffed acorn squash is delicious and mine and I want to share it.  It is super easy to make, vegan, gluten and soy free!

What you need

• 3 acorn squash (cut in half)
• 1 1/4 cups of quinoa (uncooked)
• 1/2 cup wild rice (uncooked)
• 4 1/2 cups of vegetable broth
• 2 Tb olive oil
• 1 small yellow onion (diced)
• 2 cloves of garlic (minced)
• 1 red pepper (diced)
• 1 large carrot (diced)
• 1 cup of kale (sliced into strips)
• 1/4 cup of almond slivers
• 1 can of garbanzo beans (drained and rinsed)
• 1 Tbsp cumin
• 2 tsp coriander
• 1/2 tsp cardamom powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/4 cup dried cranberries
• handful of pumpkin seeds

What to do

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Place quinoa in a pot with 3 cups of vegetable broth, cook until broth is evaporated and quinoa is tender.
3. Place wild rice in a separate pot with 1 1/2 cups of veg broth, cook until broth is evaporated. The rice might still be a little hard and chewy but that is fine.
4. While the quinoa and rice are cooking place the squash cut side down on a baking sheet (foiled and oiled) and place in oven for 20 minutes.
5. Heat up oil on  a large frying pan or wok and add the garlic and onions, saute until onions are transparent.
6. Add the red peppers, carrots, and kale – saute for 5 minutes.
7. Add the quinoa , rice, chickpeas, cranberries and all of the spices. Add water and turn down heat a notch and mix everything together. Keep mixing until water evaporates.
8. Once squash is removed from the oven, scoop out a little bit of  “meat” from the inside of each half and mix that into the quinoa jumble.
9. Adjust spices if need be and then scoop the quinoa mix into each of the squash halves. Don’t be stingy, get as much in there as you can.
10. Wrap the squash halves in tin foil and place back on the baking sheet and back in the oven for 20 more minutes.
11. After 20 minutes, make sure that the squash is tender. If so remove, let cool, sprinkle with pumpkin seeds and enjoy!

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