Stuffed Acorn Squash

Gluten-free | Vegan

Well, well, well. It’s official, acorn squash is my new favorite. To set the stage, let it be known that I’m half Puerto-Rican and because of growing up with sweet plantains (maduros)… I have a taste for sweet, caramelized, gooey goodness. How is that relevant, you ask? When I roast acorn squash, there is a caramelized exterior that forms with a smooth texture on the insides which brings me back to forking maduros in my mouth by the boatload… did I just share too much? The texture is also a little like a mashed potato, yum! So there you have it, by my standards, this is the marriage between a sweet plantain + a potato that had a baby and called it “Acorn Squash”. If you’re not drooling yet, get your tongue checked.

I stuffed these babies with: wild rice, dried cranberries, walnuts, drizzled some tahini sauce and grated some fresh parmesan too. This dish is super hearty and dare I say, decadent. Hope you enjoy!

Ingredients:

serves 2

• 1 medium acorn squash
• 1/2 cup of uncooked wild rice
• 2 handfuls of dried cranberries
• 1 handful of chopped walnuts
• 6 tsp of tahini sauce
• dash sea salt
• dash pepper
• *optional for non-vegans: dash of grated parmesan cheese

Directions:

1. Pre-heat the oven at 400f degrees while you chop the acorn squash in half, lengthwise and remove the seeds from the centers.
2. On a baking sheet, drizzle olive oil and lightly season squash with salt and pepper, place the two halves down on the flat inside, side (not as pictured, that comes after). Roast for approx. 30 minutes (I left mine in for 40 because I love it caramelized on top!)
3. While the squash is roasting, cook your rice according to the package directions (should be 1/2 cup wild rice and 1 1/2 cups water, boil, then simmer covered for 30 mins). If you prefer to do white or brown rice, go for it!
4. When squash is finished, flip over and set aside. When the rice is finished cooking, mix in the cranberries, and spoon mixture into the centers of the squash.
5. Drizzle the tahini (3 tsp for each half) over the rice mixture and place in the oven for approx. 10 minutes.
6. Roughly chop the walnuts and sprinkle over, as well as cheese if you’re using it. Serve.