Take me Away, Morocco!

When I was 10, I wanted to learn everything there was about China. I'm not sure if it was because I was in love with local Chinese restaurant King Wah, or if it was my obsession with Bai Ling's character in Red Corner. Either way, I swore that one day I'd visit the Great Wall of China, learn the language, and enjoy true Chinese food.

Over the years, I found that Italian was my primary culinary skill. Granted, I come from a long line of strong Italian women who can cook their way into Heaven if God was hungry enough. Particularly, my great grandmother Julia (r.i.p) was famous for whipping something up in a flash, and measuring with her famous phrase "just this much". Even when I blistered my hands on her pizzelle maker, there was never a time that I did not enjoy watching her cook.

Now, with Mikey and Chara at my heels and Billy always busy with something navy related, coming up with new recipes can get difficult. I'm Italian, but I'm tired of pasta. (I know, that's Italian blasphemy, and I'll say a few "Hail Rigatoni"s later.) I'm vegan, but I don't want to eat plain boring salad for the rest of my life. Something about exotic flavors seem to get my attention, so I searched out some recipes for seasonal flavors.

In my research, I found that pumkpin, squash, pomegranate, etc were some of the favorite flavors of the fall. I had already made a pumpkin dish, so I had to get a bit more creative. Instead of incessant googling, I went to the store and looked for fresh and seasonal deals. I came across the acorn squash.

Once I had a main ingredient to work with, it made my quest to beat the bland recipe easier. I stumbled across a seasonal moroccan twist on the stuffed pepper. It was a quinoa stuffed acorn squash. Take me away Morocco, I found it!! :-)

If you've never chopped an acorn squash, let me tell you that it is indeed the oyster of all vegetables. Plainly put-- it is a B**** to cut. They needed to be baked, so sadly, I had no option. I sat there with the sharpest knife I could find, and hacked into it as best I could. Thankfully, after about 5 minutes of straining on each one, they came apart. This of course either proves my theory, or simply is a display of my weak mommy muscles. Regardless, once they were split, much like a pumpkin, they have seeds and a stringy inside that needs to be scooped out. Once I had finished that tedious task, I was thrilled to see the bright golden color!

These went skin up onto a baking sheet, and into the oven for 30 minutes at 350 degrees.

Next was the stuffing. To save time, I mixed it up while the squash was baking.


Heat 2 Tbsp olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add 2 cloves garlic, 2 stalks celery AND 2 carrots (cut into 1/2-1 inch pieces), and cook five minutes. Then, add in the kidney beans and raisins and continue to cook and stir until the veggies are tender. ** The recipe online called of 2 Tbsp of brown sugar, but neglected to specify where it should be added. So, I chose to add it in with the vegetables to make a bit of a molasses coating on the veggies. It was fanstastic!**

For the quinoa-- Boil two cups water, one cup quinoa, and 1 veggie bouillon cube together. Once it boils, reduce the heat to low and cook for 15 to 20 minutes until quinoa is cooked. (This time varies based on stove power.) Season cooked quinoa with 1 1/2 Tbsp cumin, then salt and pepper to taste. Then stir in the veggies and beans. ** Again, the recipe called for 1 Tbsp of vegan margarine. I mixed it in with the quinoa to make it more creamy.**

By this time, the squash is baked enough and is ready to be stuffed. Take approximately one cup of the stuffing and add it to the golden center of the squash. Top with a bit of vegan cheddar, and put it back in the oven for about 5 minutes (or until the cheese melts). Then, you are ready to enjoy!

The taste was so incredible! I'd never enjoyed the unique flavor of an acorn squash before, but I was so grateful to do so today! The skin is a bit like an eggplant-- a tad bit chewy, but it's loaded with flavor and nutrients. The inside is soft like squash, but a bit heartier like pumpkin. Combine those two flavors, toss in the sweet and spicy quinoa veggie bean mixture, and top it off with the cheddar cheese.... and, Heaven can wait, because I've died and gone to Morocco!

Enjoy!
~Savor and Smile~