Recently, I found myself with an acorn squash and no idea what to do with it. I decided to go searching for recipes to figure out how to cook it… I didn’t know if it was sweet, savory, salty, a main dish or a side. SO I logged onto google and started searching. I was lucky to find all kinds of different recipes and decided on this one because it features cranberries! Deciding to keep on theme for this month I set out to bake my acorn squash and fill it with a sweet and savory blend of fruits, veggies, nuts, and rice.
I was a little nervous to try this out as I had never had this particular combination before….but it was delicious!!! I was so pleasantly surprised at how the flavors blended together and made for an easy albeit hearty vegan main dish!
You can sub the pecans for any nut of your choice, or pumpkin/sunflower seeds to go nut free and still get that satisfying crunch. You can also use dried or fresh cranberries depending on your preferences.
I also added some frisee on the side and topped it with some leftover cranberries and pecans to add a little variety to the plate.
This recipe was adapted from runningonrealfood.com which features a variety of great vegan recipes.
Ingredients
For two servings:
- 1 acorn squash, cut in half from stem to tip, seeds removed
- 1/2 white onion
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1/2 cup chopped celery
- 1/2 tsp each thyme, rosemary and sage
- 1 small sized apple, peeled and chopped
- 1/4 cup dried cranberries
- 1/4 cup chopped pecans
- 1/2 cup cooked brown rice
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- A few splashes of olive oil
Prepping the Squash
- Preheat your oven to 400° Fahrenheit
- Slice your acorn squash in half
- Scoop out the seeds with a spoon
- Sprinkle the cut surface of the squash with salt, pepper, and olive oil
- Place squash face down on a baking tray
- Once the oven is pre-heated, cook for about 40 minutes. The squash will be done when the flesh is easily pierced with a fork.
Prepping the Filling
Begin making the filling when the squash has about 25 minutes left
- Start by cutting up your celery, onions, and apple and putting a half cup of rice on to boil
- Heat up a pan with some olive oil on the stove to begin cooking the veggies. Start by adding in the celery, onions, and garlic.
- Once the celery begins to soften add in the apples.
- Reduce heat once apples begin to soften. At this point you can add in the cranberries and pecans (I choose to save them until the very end and use them to top off the squash)
- Add in your seasoning: Salt, pepper, thyme, rosemary, sage, parsley
- Once the rice is done mix it in with your fruit and veggie mix and set aside until the squash is ready.
- Once the squash is ready fill the halves with the filling mixture and enjoy warm!
