Don't squash your creativity with this dish
Don't judge. Acorn squash might sound bland, but when you dress it up, this little gourd is quite the looker.
And in these days when everyone is trying to pump up their immunity, it's a tasty source of Vitamin C that can be a vessel for even more of that disease fighting vitamin.
When I was playing with making this recipe, I tried a couple of different approaches. I could't decide if it was a side dish or a main dish.
I think I finally settled on main dish, but I guess it depends on how much you can eat. I have omnivore friends who would eat this with a piece of flesh or vegetarian friends who would have it with a salad. I had it with a side of brown rice and it filled me up just fine.
Acorn squash, which is high in iron and other minerals, has a sweet flesh that goes as well with brown sugar as it does with a savory filling. Personally, I like the contrast between sweet and savory. If that's you too, read on. If not, we'll do a sweet recipe later because I know lots of people want that too.
This particular recipe calls for a stuffing built around lentils and kale.
Lentils are full of protein...12g in a half cup. (Tell that to the omnivores who worry you have no protein in your diet!) They also have almost no fat -- another plus.
Kale is one of my favorite veggies. My friend Lori once gave me a cool shirt that says "Eat More Kale," in honor of my love for a vegetable that she hates. But who could hate a food that is one of the most nutrient dense foods on the planet? These leaves are loaded with Vitamins A, K, C, B6, Calcium, Potassium and Magnesium. It has hight amounts of lutein and zeaxanthin, which help protect your eyesight and some studies have shown it can actually lower cholesterol.
But enough about the ingredients, let's get on with the recipe.
And in these days when everyone is trying to pump up their immunity, it's a tasty source of Vitamin C that can be a vessel for even more of that disease fighting vitamin.
When I was playing with making this recipe, I tried a couple of different approaches. I could't decide if it was a side dish or a main dish.
Acorn squash, which is high in iron and other minerals, has a sweet flesh that goes as well with brown sugar as it does with a savory filling. Personally, I like the contrast between sweet and savory. If that's you too, read on. If not, we'll do a sweet recipe later because I know lots of people want that too.
This particular recipe calls for a stuffing built around lentils and kale.
Lentils are full of protein...12g in a half cup. (Tell that to the omnivores who worry you have no protein in your diet!) They also have almost no fat -- another plus.
Kale is one of my favorite veggies. My friend Lori once gave me a cool shirt that says "Eat More Kale," in honor of my love for a vegetable that she hates. But who could hate a food that is one of the most nutrient dense foods on the planet? These leaves are loaded with Vitamins A, K, C, B6, Calcium, Potassium and Magnesium. It has hight amounts of lutein and zeaxanthin, which help protect your eyesight and some studies have shown it can actually lower cholesterol.
But enough about the ingredients, let's get on with the recipe.
Acorn Squash Immunity Boat
Serves 2
- 1 acorn squash, cut in half stem to tip, seeds removed
- 1/2 teaspoon of oil
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1/2 cup of lentils, rinsed and picked through
- 2 cups of water
- 1 bay leaf
- 1/2 teaspoon of oil
- 1 carrot, chopped fine
- 3 cups of kale, shredded by hand
- 2 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1/2 cup of bell pepper, chopped fine
- 1/2 cup of onion, chopped fine
- Parmesan cheese, grated, to taste
(*Note, mix together whatever veggies you have in the house: spinach, water chestnuts, mini corn, scallions, peas, beans, etc.)
- Preheat oven to 450º F.
- Splash the oil over the halves of squash and season with salt and pepper. (Note: if you have a favorite spice mix, like Adobo, you could use that.) When the oven is heated, pop those squash halves -- inside up --into the oven for about 40 minutes. Cook until the flesh is soft enough to pierce with a fork.
- Meanwhile, cook the lentils in the water with the bay leaf. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Cook for 20-25 minutes, until all the water is absorbed.
- Sauté the carrots in oil on medium-high heat until they start to get soft. Add the garlic, bell pepper, onion. After a minute add the kale and stir it all together for a few minutes.
- When lentils are done, mix them in and season the whole thing to your taste.
- Fill the seed well of the squash with the lentil-kale mixture.
- Sprinkle with grated parmesan.
