Hi Friends!
I’m spending alllll morning studying for a HUGE midterm this afternoon….but here’s a tasty little recipe I whipped up for dinner last week. It involves squash. And cranberries. And sweet potatoes. And apple cider. Pretty much all things Fall.
At the grocery store last week I picked up my first delicata squash. Ever had one? I hadn’t. But I certainly will again. I really liked the mild flavor of it.
So here’s how dinner went down. I started by googling. My original idea was to just roast the squash and make something else for the main meal. Then I decided I needed some quinoa in my life so I thought I might stuff the squash. Then I remembered the apple cider in the fridge and thought that might be pretty good on the squash. Here’s a few of the recipes I used for inspiration:
Apple Cider Beer Glaze
Apple Glazed Carrots
Cider-Glazed Roots w/ Cinnamon Walnuts
Annnnd, as usual, here’s my own spin:
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Quinoa Stuffed Squash with Cranberry Cider Glaze
Serves: 2
1 delicata squash
1/2 a large sweet potato, diced
1 small apple, diced
8 baby carrots, sliced
1 c quinoa, cooked
1 c apple cider
1/2 c beer
1/4 c apple cider vinegar
2 tsp brown sugar
1 c fresh/frozen cranberries
1/2 c chopped walnuts
1/2 Tbsp butter
sprinkle of cinnamon
Directions:
1. Cut the squash in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds. Drizzle with olive oil and place face down on a foil lined baking sheet.
2. Place the diced apples, sweet potatoes and carrots on the other half of the baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil.
3. Bake at 425 degrees for 20 minutes, stirring the vegetables occasionally.
4. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan combine the cider, beer, vinegar, sugar and cranberries. Bring to a boil and let the mixture simmer until reduced by almost half.
5. Place the walnuts in a medium hot skillet and toast for 2-4 minutes. Remove from pan, add butter to melt and return the walnuts to the pan. Toss to coat, sprinkle with cinnamon and set aside.
6. Remove the vegetables from the oven and place in a large bowl. Add the quinoa, walnuts and half the glaze. Stir to combine.
7. Flip the squash halves over, fill with the quinoa mixture and return to the oven for 10 more minutes.
8. Serve with the rest of glaze on the side.
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I loved everything about this dish. The glaze gave it great flavor and the vegetables were cooked perfectly.
The only downside of this meal? Hubby hates squash.
Oh well, can’t win them all 🙂
Enjoy!
–Lindsay–
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Alicia at AliGirl Cooks says
This looks delish! I’m always trying to find new squash recipes. Luckily, Sean loves them.
Lindsay says
lucky you!! this was a winner in my book.
Lindsay @ biking before bed says
Hubby hating squash looks like an upside to me. I’m sure the leftovers will be magnificent.
Lindsay says
haha very true 🙂
[email protected] says
I’ve never seen a delicata squash! But if it’s half as tasty as these pictures look then I’ve got to try it! 🙂
Lindsay says
i really liked it! very mild flavor
Kaitlyn@TheTieDyeFiles says
More for you…sounds like a win to me! I have yet to stuff a squash this year. I know what my project next week will be!
Lindsay says
get on it girl!!! 🙂 so good
Rachel @ The Avid Appetite says
I’ve never made/heard of that kind of squash before! This whole dish looks so perfectly fall 🙂
Lindsay says
i’d only heard of it but couldn’t resist trying it out when i saw it at the store.
Kimberly says
Way to hit all the fall faves in one dish! I am going to try delicata squash tonight too. Going to try to make baked fries out of them. We’ll see how it goes.
Great recipe!
Lindsay says
ooh definitely let me know how those turn out! i’ve heard good things.
Matt @ The Athlete's Plate says
This looks great!
Jessica @ Stylish Stealthy and Healthy says
I love the idea of stuffed squash, such a nice change from stuffed peppers!
I will definitely have to give this a try.
Lindsay says
let me know what you think!! enjoy 🙂
Sarah K. @ The Pajama Chef says
love the glaze idea. makes a simple dinner a little fancy! 🙂
Lindsay says
yes! glazes are so fun!
Meg says
Linds, Delicata is my favorite squash. It is so ggod just done in the microwave! I will try this recipe tho…love all the flavors!
Lindsay says
let me know what you think!
Kimberly says
The delicata fries were awesome! I had some serious misgivings when I started, but they were really good. I will be posting about them in the next week or so. 🙂
Lindsay says
awesome!!! glad they turned out well 🙂
Jenn @ Peas and Crayons says
hehe we totally crave the same things all the freaking time! this looks GOOD! better than good… face stuffing good! =)
Lindsay says
love it! love you!
Jenn @ Peas and Crayons says
hmmm… i think your blog ate my last comment? spam folder alert!