RECIPE: Acorn Squash with Thanksgiving-style Quinoa Stuffing

I know that Halloween has yet to pass and that Thanksgiving is still a month away (although by the look of every Santa-heavy department store, you'd swear it was late December). However, my love of sage- and thyme-flavored dishes lasts year-round, and recently I had a craving for Thanksgiving stuffing. As most vegetarians know, there's no possible way to eat stuffing that's not homemade around the holidays. Even if it wasn't crammed into a turkey cavity, getting meat juices all over it, the store-bought stuff contains chicken (or even beef) broth. So, if you want real stuffing, you have to make it yourself!

This version can be served as a main vegetarian dish at any holiday event, thanks to its quinoa-rich stuffing. Quinoa is a complete protein, with many amino acids that are rarely found in plant-based proteins, so eat up!

Acorn Squash with Thanksgiving-Style Quinoa Stuffing
Serves 4, or 2 with leftover stuffing for lunch tomorrow

Ingredients
1 or 2 acorn squash (each squash yields 2 servings)
1 c. quinoa (I prefer red)
2 1/2 c. vegetable broth
2 bay leaves
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 T. butter (sub in olive oil to make vegan)
2 t. thyme
1 t. sage
1/2 t. sea salt
1/2. roasted almonds, walnuts, or pecans, coarsely chopped
1/2 c. frozen yellow corn, thawed (optional)
2 T. parmesan cheese (optional)

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Slice squash in half and remove seeds and stringy parts. Rub with olive oil and arrange, cut side up, in a baking dish. Bake for 30 minutes or cover and microwave 7.5 minutes (baking yields a nicer texture, but microwaving is great to save time).
2. Heat butter on medium heat in a pan. Add onion and garlic and saute until onion becomes translucent. Add thyme, sage, salt, and almonds, and saute 1-2 minutes. Add corn, if desired, and cook until heated through.
3. Scoop a generous amount of the stuffing into the squash, sprinkle with parmesan cheese if desired, and bake for 5-10 minutes until golden. Remove carefully from pan and enjoy!

Fall Recipe Festival!

For those of you who know me personally, you know that the last few months have been a delicious whirlwind of new jobs, new schedules, new friends, and very few days home to play on the internet! To be clear, that's an explanation and NOT a justification for my shameful slacking in the blogosphere. To atone for my misdeeds, I'll be posting the best of my fall recipes over the new few weeks. Since I have a passion for pumpkins, squash, and anything that can be stuffed, you'll see a lot of stuffed such-and-such recipes that can be adapted to other vegetables or filling that can be eaten alone.

I'm also going to share the recipe for the Best Vegetarian Chili EVER. Yes, "EVER" must be written in all capital letter when you share this recipe.

So, enjoy, and stay warm!