Sweet & Savory Stuffed Acorn Squash Recipe

We've been trying to incorporate new foods into our routine and this week we decided to try acorn squash! Neither of us had eaten it before so we weren't really sure what to expect, but this dish is so yummy. The creamy textured squash mixed with the savory herbs, spices, and veggies is a perfect medley of sweet and savory flavors. We've actually decided that this is going to be the main course for our Thanksgiving meal this year. It's filling...it's cozy...it begs to be eaten in front of a fire place in the fall. It's amazing. You need to try it. (p.s. - Your house will smell amazing while this is cooking!)

The most dangerous part of this dish is cutting the squash. Seriously, acorn squash is the most challenging squash I've ever encountered when it comes to splitting a plant in two. So please, please, please be careful when you cut your squash. No cutting off fingers with this recipe, okay?

What You Need:

- 2 organic acorn squashes
- organic rice (we used an heirloom red rice that is amazing) 
- organic carrots (3) - peeled and chopped
- organic onion (1) - peeled and diced
- organic garlic (5 cloves) - peeled and minced, except for one of them, which can be left whole after being peeled
- organic green bell pepper (1) - seeded and diced
- organic red beets (2 smaller or 1 large) - peeled and diced
- organic non-GMO corn - husk removed and kernels removed from the cob
- organic black beans (1 can)
- organic Parmesan cheese (optional) (1 cup)
- organic coconut oil, unrefined (1-2 tsp)
- organic raw honey (1-2 tsp)
- organic fresh rosemary (2-3 sprigs) - stems removed and leaves chopped
- organic fresh basil leaves (6 leaves) - torn or cut into a chiffonade
- organic ground cumin
- organic ground black pepper
- RealSalt

 Instructions:

- Preheat your oven to 425F.
- Bring 2.5 cups of water to boil on the stove. Salt with RealSalt or your favorite sea salt and add 1 cup of your heirloom red rice and the garlic clove you left whole. Add 1/2 tsp ground cumin and 1 sprig of chopped rosemary. Reduce heat to low, cover, and allow to cook until the rice is tender (about 40 minutes). 
- Wash and carefully cut your acorn squash in half and remove the seeds (if your squash is organic, you can save the seeds for your garden).
- Make shallow cuts about every inch or so, first going one direction, then crossing over in the other direction. (Watch the first minute of this video to see how to open your squash and make these first cuts.)
- Rub a mix of 1/2 tsp each of coconut oil and honey, along with pinches of salt and pepper along the insides of the squash and up along the edges/rims.
- Bake for 40 minutes. Time to make our stuffing!
- Combine the beans, corn, beets, bell pepper, garlic, onion, Parmesan (optional) and carrots with the remaining 1-2 sprigs of chopped rosemary, another 1/2 tsp of cumin, and salt and pepper to taste.
- After 40 minutes your rice should be done. Carefully remove your squash from the oven and remove the whole garlic clove from your rice. Use a spoon to spread the oil/honey mix back up the sides of the squash. Stuff the squash with alternating layers of rice and your veggie mix.
- Return to oven and bake for another 40 minutes.
- Enjoy, enjoy, make it again, enjoy again...send your hubby to the store to buy more acorn squash...enjoy again. ;)

Note: the peel of the acorn squash is edible and Jon likes it, so give it a try to see if you do too! =)

What the rice package looks like: