Quinoa Stuffed Squash with Walnuts and Pomegranate (gluten-free & vegan

• Vegan
• Gluten free

• Produce

  • 240 g Aduki beans, cooked
  • 2 Celery sticks
  • 2 Garlic cloves
  • 1 Onion
  • 1/2 tsp Oregano
  • 1 small bunch Parsley, fresh
  • 1 Pomegranate seeds to serve
  • 5 Thyme, sprigs
  • 1 Thyme & oregano
  • 6 Winter squashes, mini

• Pasta & Grains

  • 250 g Quinoa

• Baking & Spices

  • 1 Paprika or cayenne pepper
  • 1 Sea salt
  • 1 Sea salt & pepper

• Oils & Vinegars

  • 1 Olive oil

• Nuts & Seeds

  • 75 g Walnuts, toasted

Found on nirvanacakery.com

Description

Ingredients

• 6 mini winter squashes
• 250g quinoa ( 1½ cups)
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 celery sticks, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• 5 thyme sprigs
• ½tsp oregano
• sea salt & pepper
• 240g cooked aduki beans, optional (1½ cup)
• 75g walnuts, toasted (2/3 cup)
• small bunch fresh parsley, chopped
• pomegranate seeds to serve
• For the squash seeds:
• thyme & oregano
• sea salt
• paprika or cayenne pepper (optional)
• olive oil

Directions

• Preheat the oven to 200°C (400F)
• Wash the squash and cut about ¼ to ⅓ from the top to make a lid. Scoop out all of the seeds and save to use later. Rub the outside and the inside with little olive or coconut oil and season with sea salt. Place onto a baking tray with the lids on and bake for 40-45 minutes until soft when pierced with a fork.
• Separate the seeds from the fleshy part (very fiddly) and rinse in warm water. Pat dry and place onto a baking tray. Toss with little olive or coconut oil, thyme, oregano, sea salt and pepper and roast for about 20-25 minutes until slightly brown and crispy.
• Roast the walnuts for about 10 minutes until fragrant.
• Measure 1½ cup of quinoa, place into a mesh strainer and rinse under running water. Place into medium pot and cover with 2¼ cup water. (1½ times the volume of quinoa) Bring to boil, cover with lid and simmer on a low heat until all of the water has been absorbed. Leave to stand for 10 minutes covered and fluff up with fork.
• In a medium pan heat 2tbsp of olive or coconut oil, add chopped onion and celery and saute for about 5 minutes, add garlic, thyme and oregano and cook for 5 more minutes. Stir in aduki beans if using and season with sea salt and black pepper.
• Stir the mixture into the cooked quinoa, add roughly chopped walnuts, chopped fresh parsley and season to taste.
• Stuff each of the squash with the mixture and place back into the oven for 10 more minutes to warm through before serving.
• Top with pomegranate, fresh parsley, thyme and freshly roasted squash seeds.
• Enjoy!