Stuffed Winter Squash to Suit the Tastes of Vegetarians & Carni(Omni)vores Alike

Here's what you begin with: Delicata (back) & Acorn (front) Squash.

I believe I have already done my waxing poetic about winter squash in some of my previous posts (Lovin' the Winter Squash & Soup Season), so I'll spare you most of that (can't make any promises) and get right to the recipes.  It's really only one recipe, but I'm including two versions: veggie (using tofu and black beans for protein) and omnivore (using sausage and black beans for protein).  I personally love both -- they are tasty, packed with nutrients, and beautiful on the table (check 'em out in the final product pics at the end).  One final note: if you use delicata squash, the skin will be very tender and tasty, and you should try eating it.  Believe me: it's really good.  You might find the skin of other squashes a little tougher, but you can still eat them if you like.  Enjoy...

Versatile Roasted, Stuffed Winter Squash

Vegetarians: Choose tofu over sausage
Vegans: You're all set with the Veggie option if you skip the goat cheese garnish
(Serves 8)

Ingredients:

oh man, shallots are beautiful!



• 4 winter squash (2 delicata + 2 acorn to keep things interesting?)
• 1/2 cup (uncooked) quinoa -- white, red, or a mixture (makes 1-1/2 cups cooked)
• 6 oz high-quality sausage or organic tofu
• 1 medium red shallot, chopped fine
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 small-med sweet yellow onion, chopped
• 2 cups (uncooked) mushrooms of any variety, chopped)
• 4 large kale fronds (~1/2 bunch), torn/chopped
• 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
• ~3/4 cup organic black beans (or use a whole can of Eden black beans if you like)
• 1 med-large tomato, chopped (optional, but adds great color)
• 4 oz goat cheese, for garnish
• olive oil to sautee your veggies
• salt to taste

Making Your Amazing Stuffed Squash:

1. First things first: get your squash cleaned and roasting.  Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Clean outside skin of squashes well.  Cut each squash in half lengthwise and clean out the centers -- remove seeds, rinse and dry them, and set aside to toast them for your garnish.  Place squash halves skin-side up in baking dishes with ~1/4-1/2 inch of water.  Bake ~40 minutes until soft (a knife will easily slide through the skin).
2. Prepping your main protein (sausage or tofu). For sausage, crumble out of casing into a frying pan over med/med-high heat until browned.  For tofu, cut the tofu into small cubes and either toss with olive oil and salt and bake for ~10-15 minutes at 350 degrees or cook in a frying pan until lightly browned (whichever your preference).  Set aside your main protein for a bit later.
3. Cook your quinoa.  1/2 cup quinoa, 1 cup water, and dash of salt in a small saucepan.  Bring to boil and immediately reduce heat to simmer.  Simmer, covered, until the water is almost all gone (~15+ minutes, depending on your stove), then remove from heat and set aside (still covered) because the quinoa will continue cooking.
4. Meanwhile, sautee garlic, shallot, and onion in ~1 TBSP olive oil until onion is translucent.
5. Add mushrooms to onion mixture and continue cooking.
6. Once mushrooms have reduced, add parsley and kale.  Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until kale is wilted.
7. Add tomato and black beans and combine with veggie mixture.
8. Add sausage or tofu & quinoa and combine over heat to blend flavors. Your stuffing is now ready.
9. By now, your squash is probably ready as well.  Did you remember to toast your squash seeds in the toaster oven (or reg oven) -- salted, drizzled in olive oil, and toasted for ~40 minutes at 250-300 degrees?  Take 'em out now -- you don't want them to burn!
10. Stuff the Squash.  Remove the squash from the oven.  Pour off any remaining water from the baking dishes and flip over squash halves, so they are now skin-sides down.  Add 1/2 cup of your stuffing mixture to each squash half. 
11. Return to oven for ~4-5 minutes.
12. Garnish with toasted seeds & crumbled goat cheese (you can also add the goat cheese before returned stuffed squash to the oven, if you like).

A few pics to whet your appetite.  Veggie and Not-So-Veggie Versions...


Not-So-Veggie (Sausage & Black Bean) Version



Veggie, actually Vegan b/c the goat cheese hasn't been added yet, Version with Tofu & Black Beans

Eat Well.  Live Well.  Be Well.  Enjoy Seasonal Veggies.

Creative Cooking: Making the Most of What You've Got

With all the traveling I've been doing lately, I keep missing farmers' markets (and even grocery store trips), and I've found myself throwing together some interesting meals.  Today I'm sharing with you my Greens-Beans-and-Millet "Burgers", but keep your eyes open for my other interesting, healthy, and totally slapped-together concoctions, including Cherry-Vanilla Coconut "Ice Cream" (coming soon!).

I was driving home late last week, thinking about what I could possibly make for dinner without going shopping, and all I could picture in my fridge was a container of leftover sauteed veggies from the night before.  A couple nights earlier I had hung out with my good friend Sadie who's been on a homemade veggie burger kick of late.  So then it hit me.  I'd use my veggies to make some sort of burger.  It turned out really well.  I ate one that night and froze the rest, and it's been really nice to have homemade veggie burgers these past few days.

(Gluten-Free) Greens-Beans-and-Millet "Burgers" (photos below)

Step 1: The Sauteed Veggies (my leftovers)...

I sauteed the following veggies in olive oil and some Braggs' Liquid Aminos: 3 cloves chopped garlic, 9-10 sliced shitake mushrooms, 1 med. sliced summer squash, and a bunch of swiss chard leaves (and stems -- I like to chop up the stems like celery).

Step 2: Making the Burgers...

• Prepare the following ingredients:
• 1 cup leftover sauteed veggies, coarsely chopped
• 1 cup cooked millet (1/2 cup dry)
• 1 can Eden organic pinto beans, smashed (I used a potato masher) and refried with a dash of olive oil, salt to taste, and the juice from 1/2 lime
• Preheat oven to 350.
• Combine all ingredients in a large bowl.
• Form into burgers/patties.
• Line cookie sheet with parchment paper (optional).
• Bake burgers on cookie sheet for ~30-35 minutes (everything is already cooked.  you just want your burgers to get a little crispy on the outside and hold together.).  Flip burgers after 20 minutes.
• Top with your favorite condiment (I used some hot sauce).  Remember that your burgers will hold the flavor of your sauteed vegetables.
• Enjoy!

So, the next time you find yourself saying, "There's nothing in here that's edible!", take a second look.

Feel like sharing one of your successful (or not-so-successful) desperate dinner creations?

Please inspire us with your story.

Eat Well.  Live Well.  Be Well.  Be Creative.

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Healthy Junk Food?

I have been doing a Spring Greens Cleanse since last week, and the food on this cleanse mostly comprises greens and spring veggies (kale, arugula, fennel, watercress, asparagus) and some lighter grains (quinoa and millet). I love all that stuff, so it’s been really fun and I feel great eating all this seasonal food.

But this morning I cheated (sshhhhhhhh!) and enjoyed a bowl of junk food: some leftover quinoa reheated with stewed apples and cranberries, and topped with cinnamon, cloves, and sunflower seeds. I just started laughing out loud because of how guilty I feel that eating this food was cheating. Now don’t get me wrong. My version of cheating is not always this annoying… I LOVE chocolate (here’s one place to get your lovely raw chocolate) and I’ve been known to indulge in a bison burger with bacon and bleu cheese from time to time as well.

Since this morning, I've been thinking about how subjective the concept of “junk food” is, and that it is certainly relative to what our normal diet is at any given time. Even though when I say “junk food” you may instantly think about pizza, chips, and candy bars, I bet we all have a few healthy favorites that feel like junk food. (If not, I'll begin writing some recipe posts soon, so stay tuned for those!)

What’s your healthy “junk food”?  Can this healthy treat of yours become your “go-to junk food”?

I’m not sure that we can (or should) do it all the time, but if every once in a while we can substitute one of those bacon-bleu burgers for a nice home-cooked meal and one of those candy bars for a homemade whole fruit-based dessert, then I think we’re headed in the right direction.

Final thought:  If you’ve just got to have that junk food you’re craving, then what about this… Consider making your junk food at home. Homemade food is always better for us than whatever we might buy at the gas station or fast food restaurant -- at least you know what’s in there! And, if you have to make it yourself, you’re less likely to give in to that junk food craving every time it rears its ugly head. But if you do give in every once in a while and indulge in that pizza or candy bar, then be sure to take your time and enjoy it without guilt -- otherwise, it's just not worth it.

Eat Well.  Live Well.  Be Well.