Here’s a fall recipe that’s deliciously filling and very healthy: Acorn Squash with Sage and Cranberry Stuffing. Toss together 1 cup of cook grain (rice, quinoa, barley, etc.), ¼ cup of dried cranberries, ½ cup sliced green onions (white and light green parts only), ½ Tbsp. white balsamic vinegar of your choice, ½ Tbsp. olive oil of your choice, ¾ tsp. sage, ¼ tsp. salt, and ¼ tsp. pepper.
Cut a 1½ pound acorn squash in half and clean out the centers. Put half of the grain mixture into each half and pat it into place. Make a ring of aluminum foil for each squash half to sit inside of and place the rings and two squash pieces into a slow cooker. Place ice cubes around the base of each foil ring. Cover and let the squash cook on low for 7½ hours. Lift out carefully and top with ¼ cup toasted nuts before serving.
Ingredients
- 1 cup precooked brown rice, quinoa, or other grain without strong flavor. Leftovers work perfectly!
- ¼ cup sweetened, dried cranberries
- ½ cup thinly sliced green onions, root end removed, white and light green parts only
- ½ Tbsp Cranberry Pear or Pomegranate-Quince Balsamic Vinegar
- ½ Tbsp Mushroom and Sage, Lemon, Walnut, or a Single Varietal Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 2 tsp finely chopped fresh sage or ¾ tsp dried
- ¼ tsp kosher salt
- ¼ tsp Freshly ground black pepper, more for some additional kick
- 1 (1 1/2 pound) acorn squash
- 10 oz, about 2 cups, ice cubes
- ¼ cup chopped, toasted hazelnuts or raw pecans
Directions
- Break apart the cooked rice or other grain. Combine the grain, cranberries, White Balsamic Vinegar of Choice, green onions, Extra Virgin Olive Oil of Choice, sage, salt, and black pepper in a medium bowl. Toss to coat well.
- Cut the acorn squash in half, top to bottom, and scoop out and discard the seeds and membranes. Divide the rice mixture evenly between the squash halves. Pat down the mixture, gently, to keep it inside the scooped out half.
- Tear off a 12” piece of aluminum foil. Tear it in half. Scrunch each piece into a long, skinny piece and form it into a ring. Repeat for the second foil ring. Place the foil rings in the bottom of a slow cooker, next to each other. Place each acorn squash half on a ring, stuffing side up. Carefully place the ice cubes around the bottom of the rings in the slow cooker.
- Cover and cook on low until the squash is very tender, about 7 ½ hours. Carefully remove from the slow cooker and top each half with the nuts. Serve.