Miso Glazed Cod (another version)

4 cod fillets, about 1 inch thick (if you are feeling fancy, black cod would be even more decadent)
1/3 cup white miso
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon sesame oil
2 table spoons of Mirin (Japanese cooking wine)
Black sesame seeds for garnish (optional)

Wash and pat dry fish fillets with paper towels.

In a bowl, combine the miso, brown sugar, sesame oil and mirin until sugar is well dissolved.
Spoon glaze on both sides and marinade for 30 mins to an hour.

Broil for 4 minutes until the top is slightly charred. Bake at 375 for an additional 10 minutes.

Top with black sesame seeds if desired.

I served this with green beans and mushroom brown rice and the family declared it a huge hit.

*adapted from Ellie Krieger's Miso Glazed Cod

Rainbow Bell Peppers Stuffed with Quinoa and Ground Beef

These stuffed peppers are a delicious dinner option that I don't make nearly enough. You can pretty much vary the filling here to meet your dietary preferences or the leftovers grain you have on hand.

You can make them vegetarian by omitting the ground meat, and you can add grain of choice, I have tried these with rice or quinoa and both were great. Both pictures below, proportion are similar and you can eat the leftover stuffing without the pepper for lunch the next day.

Ingredients

2 cups of quinoa OR  rice cooked per package direction

1 pound of ground beef (I use lean grass fed beef), you can use another ground meat of choice or keep vegetarian

2 finely shopped shallots

1 bulb of leek, washed and finely chopped

salt to taste

seasoning to taste (I like to use Everything Rub from Fresh Direct which contains garlic, onion, chili powder and paprika)

1 can of diced tomatoes drained (if using)--i used these with rice but not with quinoa

1 tablespoon of oil ( I use grape seed)

4 bell peppers ( for the quinoa recipe I only had 3) with seeds removed and top cut off neatly to keep intact

Directions 

In a large skillet, heat oil. Add shallots and leeks and cook for about 5-7 minutes on medium flame until they begin to soften.

Add ground meat of choice. Cook breaking up with spatula until cooked through, about 10 minutes.

Add rice or quinoa, salt and seasoning. Add tomatoes if using. Allow to come to warm temperature.

In a small or medium pot, add a few inches of water. Bring to boil.

Fill peppers with filling. Top with pepper top. Add very carefully to pot with boiling water. Cover and cook on a small flame about 15-20 minutes until peppers are soft. 

Remove carefully and serve in bowls

Enjoy! 

Stuffed peppers with quinoa, ground beef, shallots and leeks

Stuffed peppers with rice, ground beef and diced tomatoes

Masor Jar Salad--the Perfect Work Lunch

As you guys know, I am a working mom. I work in NYC, one of the most expensive if not the most expensive cities in the US. I also try to eat healthy which means a $10 to $12 salad from one of the local places (Chop't, Just Salad, Sweet Green, etc). Meanwhile, I have a perfectly stocked fridge at home.

About 6 months ago, I started to see these Mason Jar Salads popping up all oven Pinterest. I have it pinned forever like I do many many recipes (hanging head in shame), till finally, I tried it for the first time last week and fell in love!

The combinations are endless but the most important thing is the order of ingredients and packing your items tightly. I can't stress this enough ORDER OF INGREDIENTS IS KEY!
I make 2-3 jars at a time, usually on Sunday night and the salad stayed fresh and tasty with the greens being not at all soggy.

I have been using 1 Pint mason jars which is just about enough but am thinking of picking up some Quart jars to see if I can pack more greens. If you pack the ingredients tight, you would be surpised how much fits into a pint size jar.
Mason Jars are available on Amazon, if you are looking to pick some up, please search through the link on my blog (it's on the right side of my page)

The key to preventing the greens from getting soggy is placing the hearty veggies on the bottom. Note that the veggies on the bottom that touch the dressing get a bit pickled which tasted delicious, particularly for red onions, carrots and radishes.

Layer 1: Dressing (to go on the bottom)
You can choose any combination you like.
So far I have done:

• Extra virgin olive oil, Balsamic Vinegar, Dijon, Chopped Shallots
• Extra virgin olive oil, Apple Cider Vinegar and Honey
• Extra virgin olive oil, Fig BalsamicVinegar and Berry Preserves

About 2 tablespoons of dressing is more then enough for my taste.

Layer 2:Hearty Vegetables
I have used thinly sliced red onions, radish, thinly slice carrots, cherry tomatoes with success.

Layer 3: Less Hearty Vegetables
Less hearty vegetables such as zucchini, corn, beans, edamame, beets, roasted butternut squash, avocado (if using avocado, squirt with lemon to prevent browning)

Layer 4: Grains or Pasta
Any grains you like-- quinoa, wheatberries, faro, rice.

Layer 5: Protein and/or Cheese
Protein and/or cheese would go here. So far I have used grilled chicken and goat cheese. Both with great result.

Layer 6: Greens and seeds
So far I have used arugula and kale as the top layers. I also brought pistachios but in a separate ziploc baggie which I broke out when I mixed my salad.

That's it, you are done. Close the jar tight. Refrigerate and bring to work!

To eat, I throw the salad into a large bowl that I keep at work and mix well.

Mason Jar Salad Ready to Transport

Mason Jar Salad in a bowl at my work desk.
With Kale, Red Onion, Carrots, Radishes, Quinoa, Tomatoes, Avocado,
Pan cooked zucchini, Grilled Chicken

Another option: carrots, green apple, freekeh, avocado w a squeeze of lemon, chicken, shaved parm.
Dressed in evoo/apple cider vinegar and honey.

Another Mason Jar Salad (with Arugula, Red Onion, Carrots, Radishes,Avocado, Beets,
Wheatberries, Roasted Butternut Squash and Pistachios)

Breakfast Chia Pudding with Almond Milk and Berries

I have been seeing chia pudding cups popping up all over place these days: in local coffee shops and on pinterest alike. I have used chia seed in Overnight Oatmeal  and my kids sprinkle it over their cereal in the morning. 

They are a great source of fiber and omega 3s! What's not to love?

Figured why not try this pudding. The results were delicious, surprisingly filling and both of  my girls and hubby thought this tasted good enough to eat! Score!!!!

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cup almond milk or almond coconut milk

1/4 cup chia seeds

1 tsp of maple syrup (or honey)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract or a sprinkle of vanilla powder.

Add all ingredients to either a bowl or a glass jar.

I prepared these in a glass jar for easy mixing and transporting to work. 

If using a bowl, mix really well. If using a glass jar, cover and shake to  mix.

 Uncover and leave on the counter for about a half hour.  Add berries, this allows the pudding to thicken. Mix well.

Cover and refrigerate overnight. Top with a few more  fresh berries if desired.


Enjoy! Let me know how this came out in the comments!

Balsamic Glazed Turkey Meatloaf with Zucchini

In addition to helping me get more organized with my recipes, an unexpected benefit of the blog has been challenging me to try new recipes! This tasty turkey meatloaf was a big hit the first time I made in January of this year and I has become a frequent flyer in my cooking rotation. In fact, it has been requested by my older daughter several times.

There is a bit of prep but it makes about 8 generous servings and the leftovers freeze extremely well!

Ingredients:
2 pounds of lean ground turkey
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil 
1 large or 2 medium zucchinis diced into small pieces
1 cup panko (I used whole wheat panko)
1/4 cup plus 2 tbsps aged balsamic vinegar 
5 smashed garlic cloves
1-2 chopped shallots (optional)
Cooking spray (I used coconut from Trader Joe's)
Salt to taste
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes 
1 large egg lightly beaten
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/2 cup of fresh chopped parsley or  2 tablespoons of dry
3/4 cup ketchup divided into 1/2 cup and 1/4 cup (I used Annie's brand)

Preheat over to 425 degrees.

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet. Saute garlic for a minute till it becomes aromatic, add shallots if using, cook another minute. Add chopped zucchini and continue to cook for another 5 minutes. Add salt and 1/4 teaspoon of  red pepper flakes.

Set aside to cool (though I never have enough time for this step).

In the meantime, in a large bowl, whisk egg, add parsley. 

Add turkey, panko, cheese, 1/2 cup ketchup, 2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar and cooled zucchini mixture. Mix until combined, best done by hand. Don't over mix.

Spray a 9 x 5 inches loaf pan with cooking spray. Press turkey mixture into it. 

In a small bowl, prepare your graze by combining  1/4 cup ketchup, 1/4  cup balsamic, 1/4 teaspoon of  red pepper flakes. Brush glaze over entire loaf.

Bake for about 1 hour. Internal temperature for well done is 165 F. Allow to rest for about 10 minutes before slicing. I served this with a side of sauteed kale. 

For freezing, I wrapped individual slices in foil and froze. Defrost in fridge, use oven to reheat. 

Recipe adapted from Bobby Flays Vegetable Meatloaf 

Baked Bison Quinoa Meatballs

Really into making baked meatballs lately. What's not too like?  A hit with the whole family, make excellent leftovers, great over a salad,  and even freeze well. And so,  the meatball obsession continues. For other meatball recipes, you can view my blog here Baked Beef Ricotta Meatballs or here Bison Meatballs with Mushroom Sauce.

Presenting a new version of bison and quinoa meatballs here! I made these with bison but you can substitute beef with similar results. Quinoa lends these a tasty juicy flavor. 

Ingredients:
1 1/2 pounds of ground bison
1 1/2 cup of cooked quinoa (cook per package directions)
2 eggs, beated
2 gloves of garlic, minced
3/4 cups of grated parmigiano
Salt to taste
1/2 fresh chopped parsley or 2 teaspoon dry parsley
Cooking Spray
1 1/2 cup of marinara sauce of choice

Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 400 F. I used my Breville Convection oven which I rave about almost every post but if you don't have one, get one. No really regular oven is fine.
2. Line a large baking dish with foil. Spray foil with cooking spray ( I use Coconut Spray from Trader Joe's).
3. In a large bowl, using your hands, mix all the ingredients except the marinara. Combine well. Using ice cream scooper or hands, for 2 1/2 inch meatballs.
4. Arrange meatballs on a baking dish, bake about 12 minutes, flip over and make another 12 minutes.
Top with marinara and bake another 5 minutes, till sauce is hot.

Notes: I always set aside a few meatballs to be sauce free--my younger daughter does not like tomato sauce. If you plan to freeze, I recommend skipping the sauce step.

*Adapted from Food and Wine Magazine

Pan Seared Lemon Sole with Seared Lemons

I am always looking for tasty and healthy fish recipes. This one is delicious and fits the bill. *adapted from Real Simple Magazine

Ingredients:

1/4 cup whole wheat flour
3-4 fillet of lemon sole (or another flaky white fish like flounder)
1 lemon w ends removed, cut into thin slices
4 tablespoons of butter
Salt to taste

Wash and dry fish. Salt on both sides.

Add flour to a large plate, dredge fish fillets in flour, shake off excess.

On a large skillet, melt 1/2 the butter. Add lemon slices and cook about 90 seconds per side till light brown.

Remove lemons. Melt remaining butter. Add fish to skillet. Cook about 2 minutes per side till fish is white and cooked through. 

Remove fish from plate, add the lemons for about 20 seconds to warm them up.

Add fish to plate and top with lemon slices.

I served this with roasted sweet potatoes and sauteed kale.

Zucchini "Spaghetti" with Sausage

This zucchini "spaghetti" is so fun and tasty that you will hardly miss the carbs. I bought a GEFU Spirelli Spiral Cutter  a while ago and has been just itching to use it. This was the perfect dish to test it on. It created amazing spirally spaghetti out of the zucchini! I am in love.

Ingredients (this makes 2 servings)
2-3 zucchinis
1/2 cup of tomato paste
2 links of sausage or chorizo (I used one of each b/c I had them left over in my freezer)
1 shallot diced
2 tablespoons of grape oil (divided)
2-3 Table spoons of shaved parmesan
Salt to taste

Wash and dry your zucchini. I did not peel it though you could. Using your spiral slicer, create "spaghetti." Set aside.

Dice shallots. If you are using sausage, remove casting. If you are using chorizo, cut into small pieces.

Preheat pan with 1 tablespoon of oil. Add shallots, saute till they become translucent, about 5 minutes at medium flame. Add chorizo or sausage. Cook about 7 minutes. Add tomato paste, reduce flame and continue to cook another 5 minutes.

In the meantime, heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a second pan. Add your zucchini spirals and cook about 4 minutes.  Plate zucchini if you have liquid on th bottom, try to not get it onto the plate. Top with sausage/tomato and shaved parmesan ( I use a veggie peeler to shave it).

Enjoy!

Cauliflower Roasted with White Truffle Oil

It doesn't get more simple and delicious in my book. This roasted cauliflower tastes decadent. So good that you will keep eating till it's gone. Absolute best straight out of the oven!

Ingredients:
1 head of cauliflower cut into florets about 1/3 inch each, washed and well dried
3 tablespoons of oil of your choice. I used white truffle this time, have used grape in the past (all good)
Salt to taste

Preheat oven to 425. I use my amazing Breville Smart Oven to roast all my veggies (amazon link in side bar). Regular oven is fine too.

Toss your washed and dry cauliflower florets in oil. Add salt. Roast till nice and golden brown, about 1/2 hour. Mix occasionally to get it to brown evenly.

Serve straight out of the oven if possible or reheat on a hot skillet.

Enjoy!!!!

Carrot Coconut Ginger Soup

I will be honest, I am not a huge fan of carrots. Made this soup yesterday as part of a cooking challenge. Our mystery ingredient was carrots, so I had no choice.

This soup was surprisingly good-- very coconut-y taste. I found it on Pinterest and adapted it from www.eatingalive.com. Will definitely be adding this to soup repertoire. 

INGREDIENTS:

1 TBSP coconut oil

2 large onions diced

4 minced cloves of garlic

1 knob of ginger minced

1/2 teaspoon chili powder

10 large carrots cut into circles

3 cups of chicken stock (homemade preferred) 

4 cups of water

3 bay leaves

Salt to taste

1 can of lite coconut milk

Juice of 1 lime

1/4 cup cilantro for garnish (optional)

In a large pan, saute onion in coconut oil till soft on medium heat (about 5 minutes). Add garlic, ginger and chilli powder. Sautee another 2 minutes. Add carrots, stock, water, bay leaves and salt. Increase heat to high, bring to boil. Reduce flame to low, cover and cook till carrots are soft, about 20 minutes.

Puree soup using emersion blender. When smooth, add coconut milk. Heat up but don't boil. Taste for salt and spice, may want to add.  Garnish with cilantro if using.

I served mine with Wonton Crisps. Made these by cutting up Nasoya Egg Roll wrappers into strips, spraying with cooking spray and baking at 375 till golden.

Arugula Salad with Shrimp, Magno, Avocado, Cilantro, Red Onion and Toasted Coconut

What I really love is a one meal salad. Tasty, filling and healthy all at the same time.

This is a truly tasty salad, especially if you are a lover of Asian flavors. 

All the amounts are an estimate but below makes enough for 2 as a full meal. If you have extra shrimp, you can always reserve for another use, perhaps some stir fried rice.

FOR SALAD

1/2 pound of shrimp shelled, deveined, butterflied and patted dry
                       I used patagonian shrimp which is pinker in color but regular shrimp will do
3 cups of arugula washed and spun dried
2 cups of mango diced
1/2 to 1 whole avocado diced
1/2 cup fresh cilantro stems removed
1 tablespoon sesame oil (to cook the shrimp in, any other oil is ok)
Salt to taste--a tiny bit b/c ponzu is salty

FOR DRESSING
1 tablespoon sesame oil
2 tablespoons of ponzu sauce (ponzu is a combo of soy sauce and lemon juice)
juice of 1/2 lemon


Preheat skillet w sesame oil. Cook shrimp till pink and cooked through, about 2- 3 minutes per side. Remove from heat, allow to cool. Serve whole over salad or chop up and toss with the rest of the salad.

Combine all the other salad ingredients. Add cooled shrimp.

Wisk together sesame oil, ponzu and lemon juice. Dress the salad. 

If you wish to use coconut--totally optional, preheat a small skillet and add shredded coconut flakes. Toast about a minute or two, careful not to burn.

Sprinkle on top of salad.

Serve immediately.

Roasted Parsnips (Great Alternative to Potatoes)

Really experimenting with roasting all kinds of veggies lately. Parsnips are a great alternative to potatoes.  Onces again, roasting veggies just makes them taste so good!

4 parsnips
2 tablespoons oil (I used grape)
Salt/Pepper to taste

Preheat oven or toaster oven to 425.

Peel and cup parsnip into rounds. Try to keep the thickness even. Toss in a large bowl with oil, salt and pepper. I don't use pepper only because my kids don't like it. But if you and yours do, go right ahead.

Roast for about 30 minutes, flipping half way through. Check on occasion, smaller pieces will likely be ready earlier and will need to removed earlier.

I served these a side with meatballs the other night and used leftovers as a soup topping.

Farro Salad with Cherries, Pine Nuts, Pecans and Roasted Red Onions

Love farro and really don't make it enough. Decided to make this salad for my potluck at work. I am on a renewed health kick since the new year and figured if I make something healthy, I won't ruin my being good with something that's not even worth the calories.

This salad is pretty flexible in terms of what you put in it, so you can get creative.

Ingredients for potluck (this makes a lot so feel free to cut in half or more)
2 cups farro
6 cups water (plus more for soaking)
1/4 cup pine nuts
1/4 cup pecans
1/2 cup dried cherries
2 tablespoons white balsamic for soaking cherries (plus 2 more for dressing)
1 diced red onion (shallot or white onion is fine also)
1 tablespoon oil (I used grape)
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil (plus 2 more for dressing)
Salt to taste

Dressing
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon orange juice (optional)
1 clove crushed garlic

Preparation for Salad:

1) Soak farro in cold water for about 25 minutes. Rinse and drain.

2) Add 6 cups of water to 2 cups of farro. Bring to boil. Cook on low flame for about 1/2 hour. 

3) Drain and toss with 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil. Set aside to cool.

4) Dice your red onion, toss in 1 tablespoon of grape oil or another oil that tolerates high heat. Roast for about 1o minutes at 425. Turn over half way through. Once cook, set aside. You can easily not cook the onion but I figured since this will be served the next day, I would rather cook it through. Once onions are cooled, add to farro.

5) While your onions are roasting, fix up your dried cherries. If they  are large, feel free to cut them in half. Soak them  in 2 tablespoons of white balsamic and 2 tablespoons hot water. Let them sit while onions are cooking. Drain. Add to farro.

6) Toast nuts on a dry skillet about 5 minutes. Watch carefully not to burn. I toasted pine nuts and pecans separately due to different size. Let cool and add to farro.

7) Add salt to taste.

Dressing:
Mix olive oil, white balsamic, orange juice and crushed garlic. If you are eating salad immediately, you can add to salad. If you are serving later, set aside and combine right before eating.

You can garnish with grapes like I did or add a green such as arugula or mustard greens. I did not only because I need this to keep overnight.

Kale Chips

If you think you hate kale, you have not tried homemade kale chips. Does not get simpler or yummier not to mention it's a healthy super food blah blah blah. Even my 7 year old who is Miss Picky Pants adores these. In fact, my kids actually question the health benefits of these because they taste "just like potato chips"! Score!

Ingredients (all 3 of them)

Kale washed and spun dried with rough veiny areas disguarded
         (these come out great both with regular kale as well as luciano kale)
Oil of your choice (I use grape or truffle) 1-2 tbsp depending on amount of kale. 
Salt to taste


Mix all the ingredients in a bowl.
Preheat oven to about 300 degrees.
Roast till crunchy and a bit brown but not too brown, about 15 minutes. Be careful not too burn as they go from yummy to yucky fairly fast. I usually remove ones that are done and continue roasting longer for the others.
Drain on paper towels if a bit oily

Enjoy alone as a healthy snack or as a topping when you want some crunch.

I have recently tried these with a sprinkle of nutritional yeast (which tastes like cheese) and it was great that way as well.

Eggplant Spinach Lasagna (Noodle Free)

Is it strange that I don't like meat lasagna? I think I am probably the only one. I do love a vegetarian version that I made a month ago, recipe here : Lemon Basil Lasagna Roll Ups. Inspired by this, I decided to go for the noodless version featured here. After all the holiday eating this carb free just might be the way to go.

Eggplant Spinach Noodlefree Lasagna

INGREDIENTS:

2-3 small to medium eggplants

2 cups of fresh spinach (I used baby spinach)

1 15 ounce container of ricotta (I used part skim)

Fresh basil (about 1/2 cup)

1 small can of tomato paste (12 ounces)

1 cup shredded cheese (mozzarella or pizza cheese)

Salt to taste

Dry oregano (optional)

1) Wash and dry eggplant. Slice eggplant the long way. Sprinkle with salt and leave for a while. The longer the better 20 to 30 minutes is great. Do not rinse.

2) Preheat oven to 425. Roast eggplant for about 10 minutes per side. 

3) Mix ricotta with chopped basil. Reserve about 1/3 for garnish.

4) Spread about 1/3 of the tomato paste in a square dish. Top with eggplant and 1/2 the ricotta mixture. Top with spinach.  Add more ricotta. Add another layer of eggplant. Top with remaining tomato paste. Bake at 375 uncovered about 15 minutes. 

5) Cover with foil. Cook another 15 minutes. 

6) Top with shredded cheese. Cook about 3-5 minutes till cheese melts. Garnish with remaining basil and cook a few more minutes.

Enjoy!

Winter Salad--Kale with Roasted Root Vegetables, Pine nuts and Aged Parmesan

Winter Salad

If you have been following my little blog even a little, you know by now that I am all about using leftovers in a creative way so that they feel brand new and enjoyable.

Case in point here in this tasty salad. Made some roasted root vegetables last night. Recipe here:
Roasted Root Vegetables. We ate them with shrimp last night. Tonight they were reborn in a winter salad.

You will need 

For the Salad

1. 2 cups of roasted vegetables. Since mine were leftovers, I reheated them in a pan and added a little maple syrup.
2. 4 cups washed and spun dried kale with rough center pieces removed
3. Handful of pine nuts
4. About 4 table spoons of aged parmesan shaved
5. about a tbs of maple syrup if you are reheating veggies

For the Dressing:

4 tbs ponzu sauce (soy sauce/lemon juice)

2 tbs extra virgin olive oil

3 tbsp of lemon juice

1/4 shallot finely chopped.

Assemble your dressing in a bowl. Wash and spin dry kale and mix in 3/4 of the dressing. Leave kale to sit in the dressing. Since kale is so rough, I found it gets softer by sitting in the dressing for a bit.

Toast pine nuts in pan. Heat or roast veggies if you are starting from scratch.

Toss veggies into the kale, add remaining dressing. Divide into plates. Top with pine nuts and cheese. 

Enjoy! 

Roasted Root Vegetables

Roasted Root Vegetables with Thyme

Roasted root vegetables make a lovely side dish. I made these last night and we ate them as a side to Shrimp Mark Bittman's Way. These would be great with a roast chicken or even for breakfast with some lovely sunny side up eggs.

You can really improvise here as was what veggies you include but the key is to cut them into uniform pieces so that they cook at the same time.

I used:

2 turnips
2 pasnips
2 sweet potatoes
a few sprigs of thyme
3 tbsp of grape oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Peel and cut all your veggies. Toss in a large bowl with oil salt, pepper and thyme. Roast tossing every 15 minutes or so for about 45 minutes total. Put under broiler on high for a few minutes at the end.

Veggies tossed with salt and herbs ready for roasting

Dinner is served: Shrimp "Mark Bittman's Way" and Roasted Root Vegetables

Cinnamon and Brown Sugar Apple Chips

Does not get much easier or yummier then this.

All you need is 

Apple(s)

Brown Sugar

Cinnamon

Wash and dry an apple--I prefer a tart apple like granny smith.

Peel your apple. Using a mandoline, slice very thin. 

Preheat oven to 250F. 

Spray cookie sheet with cooking spray, spread thin, careful not to crowd.

Sprinkle with brown sugar and cinnamon. Bake about 30 minutes till crispy.

Enjoy. My kids can't get enough of these.

Apple chips with Cinnamon and Brown Sugar

Stuffed Acorn Squash with Quinoa, Pinenuts and Dried Cherries

Ingredients

2 acorn squash

1 cup quinoa, rinsed

1/2 cup dried cherries cut in half

Pine nuts (toasted)

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

1 table spoons olive oil (1 for squash, 1 for dressing)

1/2 red onion diced
Salt and pepper to taste
Feta cheese (optional), I did not use it.
1 teaspoon butter (optional)

• Direction
• Wash and pat dry squash. Piece some 3-4 holes per squash with a sharp knife. On a paper towel, microwave squash 2 minutes, turn over and microwave 2 more minutes. At this point, the squashes should be soft enough to cut in half. Not this step is not mandatory if you are strong enough to cut the squash in half w/o it. Unfortunately,  I am not. Anyway, cut squash in half, scoop out and throw out the seeds.
• Heat oven to 425 degrees. Brush squash with a bit of oil on both sides. Season with salt and pepper, roast face down for about 15-20 minutes till tender and caramelized. Towards the very end, add a little butter into the "cavity".
• In the meantime, rinse quinoa. Bring 2 cups water to a boil in a small pot. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, until tender and water is absorbed, about 15 minutes. Heat a pan, add cooking spray, toast quinoa about 7 minutes, turning frequently. Remove from pan, set aside to cool.
• In the same pan, toast pine nuts, careful not to burn. 

Mix oil and red wine vinegar well. Toss quinoa w cherries, pine nuts and red onions. Add parsley and feta if you are using it.  Season w salt. Add quinoa to opening of the squash.  If you have extra quinoa, feel free to serve on the side.

This was an excellent vegetarian dinner, even meat loving husband now accepts quinoa as an adequate meat substitute.

•  

Adapted from http://www.wholeliving.com/150863/stuffed-acorn-squash-quinoa-and-pistachios and my very talented friend Marina Levin at http://make-meals.blogspot.com/