Quinoa Stuffed Acorn Squash

Ingredients:

• 3 acorn squash (I used one and put the leftover stuffing away for later)
• ½ cup quinoa (I used ½ white and ½ red quinoa)
• ½ cup diced onion
• 1½ cups diced mushrooms
• 1 cup diced celery
• 1 medium apple, diced (leave skin on)
• ½ cup finely chopped cabbage
• ½ teaspoon sea salt
• freshly ground black pepper

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Halve the squash laterally through the center (rather than through the stem), and scoop out the seeds.
2. Place the squash in an 8×8-inch baking dish with the cut side down, and fill the baking dish with ¼ inch of water.
3. Loosely cover with foil and bake until the squash and edible skin are totally soft, about 35 minutes. Set aside.
4. Combine the quinoa and 1 cup of water in a small pot and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, Remove the pot from the heat and let it cool, then fluff the quinoa with a fork.
5. Preheat a large skillet over medium heat for about 1 minute. Add the onions and sauté for about 7 minutes, stirring often, or until the onions turn nice and brown, which brings out the sweetness and gives the dish a nice deep flavor. Add water 1 to 2 tablespoons at a time, to keep the onions from sticking to the pan.
6. Add the mushrooms, celery, apple, cabbage, salt, and pepper to taste, and cook for 5 more minutes, stirring occasionally.
7. Add the vegetable mixture to the quinoa and stir together.
8. Fill each of the cooked squash halves with the quinoa mixture, packing them firmly to fit as much of the mixture into each half as possible.

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