- 1 squash split, i used a sweet dumpling squash
- 1 tbl olive oil
- 1 onion sliced
- 1 clove of garlic sliced
- 1/2 cup of quinoa
- 1/4 cup white wine
- 3/4 cup stock or water (i used chicken)
- handful of greens
- chili pepper
- herbs: parsley, tarragon, basil, thyme
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 tbl butter
squash is in season right now, i see it everywhere. of course you can always find squash around but for some reason i think fall squash tastes better. it has had the warm summer months to sweeten up and ripen. it’s perfect. the colors the tastes, the smell when you open one up…makes me happy.
there are tons of different squash available. they are have different tastes, whether sweet or savory, they can be added in cooked a million different ways. i love squash mashed or in soups, roasted or even like this, stuffed and simply prepared to bring out the flavors of each ingredient.
this dish is simple, it’s reminds me of fall and all the flavors together, genius (well ok, maybe not genius, i’m not going to toot my own horn like that). the textures are amazing, you get the crunch from the quinoa and the sweet softness of the squash. the herbs give off not only a nice aroma but really make the dish. it tastes like fall and it makes a wonderful entree or side to any meal.
quinoa stuffed squash serves 2
- in a skillet heat up olive oil and add onion and garlic. saute for 5 minutes until onion starts to turn a golden color and garlic starts to soften.
- add quinoa to skillet and toss. cook for about a minute, let the quinoa soak up the oil and dry out. add wine and stock, mix and cover.
- after about 5 minutes add about a tbl of fresh chopped herbs, i used all of the above, save some to the side however.
- cover skillet again and cook for another 10 minutes.
- take off cover and add greens and rest of herbs, mix, cover for 2 minutes.
- at this point, i like to take the cover off and let it cool down for a minute or two.
- cut the squash in half and add 1/2 tbl of butter to each half. spoon quinoa mixture into squash
- to the baking dish i was going to cook this in i added a touch of white wine just to get some moisture going. cover and bake at 400. after a half an hour, take cover off and cook for another 15 minutes.
