Archives for January 2013

Acorn Squash Stuffed with Chili

January 9, 2013 by Zucchini Runner in Food, Main Dish | Comments Off on Acorn Squash Stuffed with Chili

I whipped up this recipe tonight when I realized I didn’t have a can of great northern beans in the pantry like I thought! My dinner plans took a swift turn into chili-land when I decided dark red kidney beans went best with acorn squash. (I mean really, my other choices were black beans and garbanzo. No. Brainer. Although now that I think of it… the black beans could have worked too! Hmmmm… another day.) Anyway, this was quick to put together and the chili is a smaller, similar take on my “famous” Vegetarian/Vegan Chili.

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This dish can serve 2-4 depending if you serve it with sides or not.

2 small acorn squash, cut in half and seeds removed

1 – 15 oz. can dark red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
3/4 c. onion, chopped
1 large garlic clove, pressed
1/4 c. red bell pepper, chopped
1/4 c. yellow bell pepper, chopped
1 fresh tomato on the vine, chopped and seeds removed
1 – 6 oz. can tomato paste
12 oz. water (use the tomato paste can to measure to get out the extra!)
1 tsp olive oil
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/8 tsp chili powder
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
sea salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 375°F

Fill a 12″x9″ baking pan with water until it’s a 1/4″ deep. Place the prepared acorn squash face down in the water and bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes; or until a fork easily pokes through the outer skin.

While the squash is cooking you can prepare the chili. I did mine all in one medium saucepan, on medium heat. Heat the olive oil in the saucepan until it gets that awesome olive oil smell. Add the onions and garlic and stir well, being careful not to burn the garlic. Add the remaining ingredients and stir to combine. Once it comes to a boil (you may have to turn up the heat, depending on your pan to get it to boil), reduce heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes.

By this time your squash should be ready. Remove from the oven and allow it to cool for about 5-10 minutes before handling, or use a spatula to transfer to a plate or bowl. Fill the center of the acorn squash with chili, serve and enjoy! I’m actually eating it right now as I type up this post! It turned out well! I like that the acorn squash balances out the spice of the chili. I’m not a spicy food lover, but I can take a little kick. 😉

Lentil Balls with Spaghetti Squash

January 3, 2013 by Zucchini Runner in Food, Main Dish | 4 Comments

I’ve made this recipe a couple of times now; each time I make improvements and modify it slightly! Every time it is delish so have fun with the spices, you can’t really go wrong. It is also very filling and PLENTY for 3 adults. As a bonus, its a whole meal so you can focus on just one dish prep. If you are serving 4-6 you could make a nice salad to accompany this and each person could still get 3-4 lentil balls. We’ve also successfully had this as leftovers for lunch.

1 small spaghetti squash
2 large slices of onion, chopped and kept in separate piles
4 cloves garlic, pressed
1 tbsp dried parsley
1 cup dry lentils, rinsed and sorted
3.5-4 cups water
1/4 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp dried oregano
2 tbsp almond meal
Pinch salt
Pinch pepper
1 jar of spaghetti sauce (store bought or homemade ~ 20 oz)

Preheat oven to 375°

Cut spaghetti squash in half and scrape out seeds. Fill a baking pan with 1/4 inch water, place spaghetti squash cut side down over water. Bake in oven uncovered at 375° for 30-40 minutes or until a fork easily pokes through the outer skin.

In a medium saucepan, combine water, lentils, parsley, 1 ring chopped onion and pressed garlic. On your stove top cook over medium-high heat for approximately 20 minutes stirring occasionally, leaving the lid partially vented to allow evaporation of water.

Remove lentils from heat and let sit uncovered for an additional 5 minutes or until water is gone. Add cumin, oregano, almond meal, salt and pepper; stir. You want a porridge-like consistency.  With an immersion blender or potato masher, puree or smash the lentils. Set aside.

Once the squash is done, remove from oven and scrape out squash insides using a fork. You will need to hold the squash with an oven mit as it will be HOT HOT HOT. At this time, you can season the squash with a bit of salt and pepper if you’d like.

Use the same baking pan for the lentil balls and sauce. (I’m all about reducing the amount of dirty dishes!) Add your spaghetti sauce and other ring of chopped onions to the pan and stir. Scoop the lentil mixture straight out of the saucepan onto the spaghetti sauce, forming lentil balls. I use one of those mini ice cream scoopers/cookie scoop which holds about 2-3 tbsp. (See slideshow below for step-by-step pics.)

Bake uncovered in the oven at 400° for 15 minutes or until a crust starts to form on the balls and the sauce is bubbling in the pan.

Use a spatula to carefully remove lentil balls with a layer of sauce and place atop the prepared spaghetti squash.

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