Something light to start a new month with

Ok, my last few blogs have been pretty intense so I thought this time I would just share a recipe.  My daughter is vegetarian  and we have been trying to cut back on our use of meat ourselves so I've been collecting recipes.  This is one I'm planning to use for Thanksgiving.   I'm thinking I'll use dried cranberries instead of the cherries.  I also like to brown my nuts up before adding them in.   We'll still have the traditional Turkey but my dear daughter will have lots so choose from!

Wild-Rice Stuffed Squash

Grace vegetarians at the Thanksgiving table (and beyond) with stuffed baked squash, flecked with crunchy pecans and sweet dried cherries.

Ingredients

• 2 acorn squashes (1 1/2 pounds each), halved lengthwise, seeds removed
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 shallot, minced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon dried rubbed sage
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 1 box (6 ounces) wild-rice blend (seasoning packet discarded)
• 1/2 cup dried cherries
• 1/2 cup pecans, chopped

Directions

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees. On a rimmed baking sheet, arrange squash cut side down; cover sheet tightly with aluminum foil. Roast until tender when pierced with the tip of a paring knife, about 40 minutes.
• Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, heat butter over medium. Add shallot, garlic, and sage; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, 3 to 5 minutes. Add rice and 1 3/4 cups water; bring to a boil, cover, and reduce heat to low. Cook until tender, without stirring, about 25 minutes.
• Remove rice from heat, and stir in cherries and pecans; season stuffing with salt and pepper. Season the inside of each squash half with salt and pepper. Dividing evenly, mound stuffing into halves, and serve.

I have another recipe for a vegetarian side dish that I will share later on.  Hope you will enjoy this one as it sounds so very yummy to me!

Blessings,
Cherlynn
brchbell@yahoo.com