Stuffed Acorn Squash

The hearty, rich squashes of harvest season are here! I was super excited to make my own stuffed acorn squash after seeing this one. 

Though when I got home last night and actually looked at the recipe, I realized that I just didn't have all the ingredients on hand. Therefore, not only did I make my own stuffed squash, I created my own recipe from ingredients that came in our CSA box this past Wednesday. 

Stuff Acorn Squash for Two 

1 large organic acorn squash

1 medium organic onion

2 portobello mushrooms 

2 small organic tomato

1 organic red pepper 

1 cup organic wheat berries (or brown rice) 

Canola oil 

Salt, pepper, garlic, and any spices you desire 

Parmesan cheese to top 

First, start cooking the wheat berries by rinsing them and putting them in a rice cooker with with 2 1/2 cups water. Let the rice cooker do it's thing for about 25-30 minutes - about the same time as it takes the squash to cook. Then pre-heat the oven to 425*. 

Rinse your acorn squash and then chop it in half. I had Ross help me out with this part - I am considering sterilizing his coping saw for future squash and pumpkin cooking. 

Then take a spoon and scrape out the seeds and pulp just as if you were carving a pumpkin. 

Place the halves face up on a cookie sheet, brush or spray the flesh with oil, and season with salt, pepper, garlic, etc. Bake for 30 minutes or so, until you can easily poke the squash with a fork without resistance. 

In the meantime, finely chop the onion, pepper, mushrooms and tomatoes, and saute until soft. I waited to add the tomatoes until right at the end because they can make it too soggy to get that nice charring effect that I love on peppers and onions. When the wheat berries are done, add them into the mix in the frying pan.

When the squash is ready, spoon your stuffing into the cavity of the quash.

Top with some cheese and broil for 2-3 minutes. 

So delicious! This is a definite repeat recipe - we want to experiment with other ingredients as well, like chicken sausage, apples, and bread (more like a stuffing).  This was a big squash and there was plenty leftover over - when we were full we scraped out the remaining flesh and mixed it with the remaining stuffing in a Pyrex bowl to save for lunch today! 

Today is pretty low-key; we went to church and I sang with my choir, we stopped by Trader Joe's for some groceries, and now I'm working on some stuff for school and Ross is watching football in-between loads of laundry. 

Hope you are having a wonderful Sunday! 

Dessert for Breakfast

Chocolate Banana Buckwheat Bake 

This was inspired by Edible Perspective, but I didn't have all the same ingredients, so I made it up. I would highly recommend visiting Ashley's blog, however, she has so many variations on this baby! 

As we were grocery shopping this week I found buckwheat flour for only $3.29 - which surprised me as some flours from Bob's Red Mill run nearly $7-$10 for the same amount. Buckwheat flour is gluten-free despite "wheat" in the name, so this recipe is perfect for my gf friends! 

source

I also picked up flaxseed meal. I've heard that many people add some to their morning cereal or yogurt, or into breads for added nutrition. The side of the bag of flour says FLAX stands for:

 Fiber: lowers harmful LDL, raises good HDL, and keeps you regular: so don't use too much! 

Lignans: natural antioxidants found in flaxseeds to fight cancer.

Alpha-linolenic Acid: aka omega-3s.  

eXcellent choice for your health! 

And Ross thought he was just getting dessert for breakfast?!?! Mwuahahaha!

For 2 Chocolate Banana Buckwheat Bakes you need: 

1/2 cup Buckwheat flour 

3 Tbsp cooked wheatberries (leave them out to stay gluten free) 

2 Tbsp flax seeds 

2 Tbsp flaxseed meal 

2 Tbsp rice milk (or any type of milk) 

1 egg

1 mashed banana 

2 Tbsp pure maple syrup 

2 Tbsp cocoa powder 

1/2 tsp cinnamon 

1 tsp vanilla 

1/2 tsp baking powder

2 Tbsp chopped nuts (optional) 

Mix all the dry, then add all the wet. I used 2 small lightly greased Pyrex bowls to cook these in the microwave for 1:40 - and you're done!

Before and After shots - I couldn't believe this steaming hot beauty came right out of the microwave! 

The bakes slide right out of the bowls. I flipped them over onto a plate, but you can eat them right out of the bowl = fewer dishes. I would have done that but for pictures.

They were wonderfully fluffy, and a beautiful combination of chocolate and bananas. They go great with milk. 

Topped with almond butter and walnuts, since I decided I didn't feel like chopping walnuts to mix in. I would have served them with banana slices as well, but Ross already had a banana in the morning so I skipped it. 

This is the almond butter that I used - MaraNatha Almond Butter. I saw this at our Food Coop and couldn't believe almond butter was going for $18!!!!!! Insane - right? Well, don't fret, because I didn't buy it there. I saw it ON SALE at Fred Meyer a couple days later for under $5. Whew - and it is SO good. 

I mixed it in with my homemade yogurt + granola + wheatberry + frozen blueberry breakfast bowl yesterday morning - it was amazing! And I stay very satisfied until lunch. 

I bought some almond butter from Trader Joe's before, but all the oil was on top and it was impossible to stir. So tough in fact that I knocked it over and spilled all the oil everywhere, and had even drier almond butter to deal with! This is much better. 

Do you ever play around with recipes, or do you follow them to a "T"? 

Wheatberries

I bought this bag of Winter Rye Berries at the Farmer's Market last Saturday and decided to give them a try.

A Wheatberry is the entire wheat kernel (except for the hull), which includes the bran, germ, and endosperm.

A beautiful, healthy, whole grain! 

The directions say to place 3 cups of water to 1 cup of berries in a pot and bring to a boil, and the reduce to medium low, cover and cook until tender (about 40-50 minutes). 

Well, my stove is somewhat unpredictable, and I get distracted, so I used my rice cooker instead - which worked out wonderfully! I added the water and berries in the same ratio, turned the switch to cook, and left them alone until I heard it pop up. They were perfect! 

Then I put them in a Pyrex bowl with a lid and set them in the fridge. What on earth am I going to do with them? I just cooked them with no real plan in mind. Well, here is some advice from a fun food blogger who seems to have some everyday. Ask Kath. 

I had some for breakfast this morning: I mixed the wheatberries with granola, blueberries and my homemade yogurt. (I added 2 Tbsp maple syrup and 1 Tbsp vanilla to the yogurt right before I poured them into the jars - it is delicious. Definitely going to repeat that yogurt recipe!)

I liked them in my morning yogurt and granola - it gave it a pleasant chewy texture - and who doesn't love the nutrition from a whole grain? 

For lunch I added them to the salads I made us; I figured they were in lieu of croutons. 

Also a winner!!!! I really liked the taste and texture in the salad, though it was a bummer that most of them sank to the bottom of the salad bowl - they were hard to get to until the end. I think Ross is pretty neutral about them, and perhaps is just kind enough to eat them because I am cooking for him. Or it's because he is a boy, or a passive-aggressive Minnesotan, or just not quite the foodie that I am... who knows. 

Wheatberries can be substituted for rice in most recipes - a local alternative to those trying to keep their food miles down! I think I am going to try some in my next bread recipe as well! Apparently you can grind them up and use them in pancakes and muffins as well. 

Question: Have you ever eaten wheatberries? How did you prepare them?