October Comfort Food, Part 2

Tis the Season o' Squash, so at the local organic stand this week I bought yet another butternut squash and then also an acorn squash... honestly not knowing what I would do with it. But I am committed to eating whatever is in season ~ I see this as part of thankfully receiving God's provision (in other words, I don't want to be like the ungrateful Israelites on the exodus, when God provided manna and they whined about it...)

I had only eaten acorn squash as a nice little side dish during the holidays. And it was pretty darn good. But I knew this little squash had more in her than that. And one little surfing jaunt on the internet proved me correct. The texture, taste, aroma and yes, I'll say it again, the lovely combination of savory and sweet, of this dish had me at hello. Enjoy!

MOROCCAN-STYLE STUFFED ACORN SQUASH

Serves 4

Ingredients

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1 tablespoon butter, melted

2 large acorn squash, halved and seeded

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 cloves garlic, chopped

2 stalks celery, chopped

2 carrots, chopped

1 cup garbanzo beans, drained

1/2 cup raisins

1 1/2 tablespoons ground cumin

salt and pepper to taste

1 (14 ounce) can chicken broth

1 cup uncooked couscous (my gluten-free needs prompted me to use quinoa)

Crumbled feta for garnish

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

Arrange squash halves cut side down on a baking sheet. Bake 40 minutes, or until tender.

Dissolve the sugar in the melted butter. Brush squash with the butter mixture, and keep squash warm while preparing the stuffing.

Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Stir in the garlic, celery, and carrots, and cook 5 minutes. Mix in the garbanzo beans and raisins. Season with cumin, salt, and pepper, and continue to cook and stir until vegetables are tender.

Pour the chicken broth into the skillet, and mix in the couscous. Cover skillet, and turn off heat. Allow couscous to absorb liquid for 5 minutes. Stuff squash halves with the skillet mixture to serve. Top with crumbled feta. Chew slowly and savor (instead of inhaling it, as I did...)