An decadent entree, that will wow vegetarian guests. This Acorn squash is stuffed with quinoa, goat cheese, dried figs and arugula!
1 medium to large acorn squash
1 ½ teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 cups vegetable broth
1 cup quinoa
1 ½ teaspoons sherry vinegar
1 teaspoon black pepper
5 dried figs, chopped
2 ½ ounces goat cheese, crumbled
¼ cup red onion, minced
1 cup arugula, chopped
Preheat oven to 350˚F.
Place walnut halves on a cookie sheet and roast for about 5 minutes or until aromatic. Chop and set aside. Increase the oven temperature to 400 degrees.
Clean the squash, cut into quarters and scrape out any stringy insides.
Use 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and 1 teaspoon of salt to rub the squash pieces. Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until the squash is fork tender.
Rinse the quinoa well to remove the bitter coating. Bring the broth to a boil. Add the quinoa, cover and turn the heat to low. Cook for 20 minutes and let cool for 10 minutes.
Combine the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil, the remaining ½ teaspoon salt, the vinegar and the black pepper.
In a large bowl combine the figs, goat cheese, walnuts, onion, arugula and cooked quinoa. Pour the dressing over the top and mix into the quinoa.
Fill each squash cavity with quinoa stuffing and serve.