Acorn Squash Stuffed with Quinoa

With the return of fall weather recently, I've noticed that I'm craving less raw salads and more hearty meals. And the other night was no exception. As the seasons change, have you noticed a change in the foods your body craves?

Acorn Squash - those seeds are tasty too!

Because I've taken the October Unprocessed pledge, I took a look in my kitchen and tried to come up with something to make that would not require me to buy anything or go to a restaurant. I saw an Acorn Squash I bought recently, and decided to turn it into a complete meal. How to do that, you ask? Enter quinoa! I always have quinoa in my kitchen, in fact I have three kinds of it: white, red and black. Each ones tastes subtly different, so depending on what I'm making I'll choose a different type. To go with the squash, I decided to go with the blend, as it seems to go well with savory dishes.

To start, I roasted the squash in my oven. As that was baking, I cooked the quinoa in a pot on the stove. And miraculously, everything was done at about the same time!

A delicious meal! Yum!

Acorn Squash Stuffed with Quinoa (serves 2)
Ingredients:
- 1 Acorn Squash
- 1/2C Quinoa
- 1C Water
- 1/3C Minced Onion
- 1/8C Your choice: Raisins, Currants, Cherries, or Cranberries
- 1/8C Pecans
- 1T Olive Oil
- 1T Balsamic Vinegar
- Salt and Pepper, to taste

Directions:
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Rinse and dry squash, then slice lengthwise down the middle.
- Remove and save the seeds for roasting.
- Put the squash face-down on a foil-lined baking pan. Bake about 30 minutes, or until soft.
- While squash is baking, prepare the quinoa.
- Rinse the quinoa to remove the natural saponins that give it a bitter taste. When water runs clear, put quinoa in a pot with water (ratio is same as for rice - 1:2).
- Bring water to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer quinoa until water has been absorbed, about 10-15 minutes. In the last few minutes, add the onion.
- When water is absorbed, remove quinoa from heat and add the remaining ingredients. Stir to combine, and let sit until the squash is done.
- Spoon the quinoa into the squash, and serve.

Great Grains! Mom's Breakfast Porridge

Okay, I realize this may not be the most appetizing photo...but I promise it tastes divine!

I spent the night at my mom's house recently, and before going to sleep for the night, she asked me what I wanted for breakfast. Oh, the joys of having someone else prepare food for you! :-) She's eaten healthy for as long as I can remember, so I simply told her, "I'll have whatever you're having."

The next morning, I walked into the kitchen to the delicious smell of grains cooking on the stove. I thought it was oatmeal, but it turned out to be something much more delicious. And much healthier too! All sorts of whole grains, cooking in almond milk and spices. I couldn't wait to dig in! She spooned some into a bowl for me, and I added in toppings from the assorted jars she'd placed on the counter: coconut, nuts, cinnamon, chia, flax, and maple syrup.

It was a delicious start to my day, and was very filling! I didn't feel stuffed at all, but it kept me going until lunch time, and I didn't even need my usual mid-morning snack. Thanks Mom for sharing the recipe with me!

Mom's Breakfast Porridge (serves 2)
Ingredients:
3/4C any combination of steel cut oats, quinoa (rinsed), millet, teff, amaranth
2C Water
1/4C Almond Milk (or your milk of choice)
Dash of salt, nutmeg, and cloves
Splash of Vanilla Extract
Ginger (about 1t fresh, or 1/2t dried)

Toppings: (any combination you desire, to add after cooking)
Chia Seeds
Ground Flax Seeds
Shredded Coconut
Cacao Nibs
Gogi Berries
Nuts (such as almonds, walnuts, pecans)
Cinnamon
Fruit (such as berries or banana)
Honey or Maple Syrup to sweeten

Directions:
- Be sure to rinse the quinoa well if you're using it. The grain naturally contains a coating called saponin that makes it taste bitter (and has a laxative effect).
- Put your desired grains into a pot with the milk/water mixture, and heat on the stove.
- Bring to a boil, then lower to a simmer.
- Simmer uncovered for about 15 minutes (keep an eye on it so you don't almost burn it like I did!).
- Let it stand about 5 minutes, this will thicken the mixture.
- Spoon into bowls and mix in your favorite toppings! If it has gotten too thick, add some more milk and stir.

"Everyone Loves It!" Kale Salad

The yummy Kale Salad

I've been seeing a lot of people eating kale salads recently. And in the winter, it's a great way to get all those vitamins from your leafy greens! I've bought some pre-made kale salads from the market before, and while some were tasty, others weren't so good, and either way, they were expensive and didn't last more than one meal! I'd been looking around for a good one to make at home, and then one day my Dad told me about this kale salad that my Stepmom makes. His main selling point was that "everyone loves it!" For a family that includes some people who aren't usually kale lovers, that statement was what made me want to give it a try!

This recipe has a lot of ingredients, but most are probably already in your kitchen. You can also play with it, leaving out things your don't like or don't have, and adding in other things that sound good to you. Be warned, it does take some advance planning to make this, as both the kale and the onions need to "marinate" for a few hours before you mix everything together and you'll need to cook the orzo or quinoa (if you're using them) in advance. But when everything is said and done, you'll have enough salad to serve 4-6 people as a main course, or more if it's a side. We enjoyed eating it the night I made it for dinner, and also very much enjoyed the leftovers a few days later. The great thing about this salad is that the longer it sits, the more the flavors blend together. I hope you love it as much as we all do!

"Everyone loves it!" Kale Salad

Ingredients:

5C Kale (any variety is fine), chopped into thin slices

4T Fresh Lemon Juice

¼ Red Onion, thin/small slices

3T Balsamic Vinegar

1-2 Carrot, sliced into matchsticks

1-2 Celery, sliced into matchsticks

4T Extra Virgin Olive Oil

2t Cumin

2t Turmeric

Pinch Cayenne

1/4C Sunflower Seeds

1/4C Hemp Seeds

1/2C Toasted Almonds (or other nut of choice)
1C Dried Cherries/Currants/Cranberries

1/2C Sun-Dried Tomatoes, sliced into strips

2T Toasted Sesame Seeds

1T Toasted Sesame Oil

2C Cooked Orzo (or Quinoa), cooled to room temperature

1/2C Feta Cheese, crumbled

Salt, Soy Sauce, Honey to taste

Directions:

2-4 Hours Ahead – Slice the kale, massage with lemon juice, let sit in fridge

1 Hour Ahead – Marinate onions in vinegar, discard any leftover liquid

- In large bowl, combine kale, onion (minus the extra vinegar), carrot, celery, olive oil, cumin, turmeric, cayenne. Toss to combine. Be careful of the turmeric getting on your hands, fabrics, or other surfaces, it will stain!

- Add seeds, nuts, fruit, sesame oil, grain. Toss to combine.

- Add feta, gently toss.

- Add salt or soy if desired. If the onion is too strong, add some honey to counter it.
- Serve and enjoy!