Butternut Squash with Quinoa and Dried Fruit Stuffing

Angela of Oh She Glows posted this tempting-looking Baked Acorn Squash with Quinoa, Cranberry, and Apricot Stuffing. As I’d just baked a giant butternut squash, and had quinoa ready to go, I gave it a go.

Obviously, I tweaked it to what’s available in Argentina, but thought I stayed pretty close to the original recipe, overall. So what happened?

SERVINGS: 4

INGREDIENTS
1 cup quinoa

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

3/4 cups diced onion

salt

1/4 cup diced carrots

1/4 cup diced celery

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1 teapoon dried sage

1/3 cup golden raisins
1/4 cup dried peaches, chopped the size of raisins

1/3 cup sesame seeds

1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

pinch of ground cinnamon

freshly ground black pepper

roasted butternut squash

PREPARATION

1. Simmer the quinoa in 2 cups of water until fluffy, 15 to 20 minutes.

3. While the quinoa cooks, melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the onions and 1/2 teaspoon of salt and cook until softened, stirring frequently, about 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in the carrots, celery, ginger, and sage.

4. Cover the pan and simmer until the vegetables are tender, 5 to 7 minutes (add a tablespoon of water, if necessary, to prevent scorching.)

5. In a large bowl, toss together the quinoa and vegetables. Stir in the dried fruit, sesame seeds, nutmeg, and cinnamon, season with salt and pepper. Top squash with mixture, and heat in oven until hot.

Well, it was edible, but definitely not on my list of top 100 recipes. I mixed the leftovers with a tablespoon of arugula pesto, which helped considerably. It was very short on vegetables for my taste, but it also just didn’t come together. I won’t be making it again.