new favorite

Happy Wednesday!  I just found my new favorite squash and it’s name is KABOCHA!!! 

I was first intrigued by this pre-historic looking creature by Sophia.  She’s made many enticingly delicious recipes with this squash, that when I saw it at the farmer’s market, I had to try it!

At first I was thinking of making a pizza base with it, but then I saw a box of quinoa in the pantry and decided to stuff it with some kind of quinoa mixture.  Boy, this is a keeper for sure!  I would have to say that this is one of my new favorite recipes, the top of the top, the cream of the crop, the  . . . you get the picture. 

I couldn’t really find any reliable nutrition facts on the kabocha, but I could imagine that like most winter squash it is a great source of beta carotene, potassium and vitamin C, along with fiber, especially if you eat the skin.  Cutting into it I thought I would have to break out the chain saw, but after baking in the oven the skin is quite tasty.  The flesh has a pleasantly sweet flavor, like a cross between a sweet potato and butternut squash and the texture is very smooth, not stringy. 

Even if you can’t find Kabocha, you can most certainly use an acorn, butternut or any winter squash you can manage to cut!  Don’t be intimidated by squash, all you need is a sturdy board, sharp knife and a careful hand and you’ll get rewarded by some sweet eats!

Apple Quinoa Stuffed Kabocha

Serves 2-4

• 1 medium kabocha squash
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 8 oz crimini mushrooms
• 2 apple chicken sausage links, chopped (you could also use chickpeas)
• 1 small apple, chopped (I left the skin on) 
• 1 cup quinoa
• 1 cup chicken or veggie broth
• 1 tbsp maple syrup
• 1/3 cup parmesan
• 1 inch knob of cranberry goat cheese (from Trader Joe’s or just the plain kind)
• salt, pepper, garlic powder, thyme and a bit of red pepper flakes for a slightly spicy kick
• 1/2-1 cup shredded fontina or mozzarella cheese

Pre heat oven to 400.  Cut the kabocha in 1/2 to get two nice halves to stuff, scrape out seeds, and place in a baking pan.  I cut one down a little bit more and also spread about 1/4 tbsp of butter in each half :) 

Sauté the next 5 ingredients (up to apple), until nice and golden.  Add the quinoa and let sauté for a minute, add the broth, turn to low, cover and simmer for 12 minutes.

Uncover, turn off heat, and add the maple syrup, parm, goat cheese, and spices.  Stuff kabocha with the mixture (I had a bit left over), bake covered for about 30-40 minutes.  Uncover and top with cheese and bake until nice, golden and bubbly.

Oh so yum in my tum!

Any new favorites on your list??