coconut quinoa stuffed kuri squash {gf}

today i want to share with you a "new" to me squash - the kuri squash!

sometimes i feel totally silly - up until about a year ago i learned that many of the winter squashes it perceived to be fall decorations are actually edible...and really delicious.

each time i stop by picnic rock i am sure to ask ginny and lauchie what they have new for me to try out - it just so happened ginny picked up the kuri squash for me to try and it just so happened i bought one the week before to decorate the front door for fall - huh who new, pretty and edible.

well now we both know - well that is of course if you didn't know this before

sorry, i'm rambling - lets move on to the recipe, that's far more interesting!



the first thing that surprised me about the kuri squash was how easy it was to cut open - it was much softer than i expected.

which also means it was quick cooking, which is awesome when you are running short on time because you got sucked into pinterest doing laundry or cleaning the house.

the quinoa is simmered in coconut milk with a combination of warm, soul hugging spices: curry powder, coriander & cardamom. diced dried apricots, sunflower seeds & arugula are tossed with the cooked quinoa and stuffed into roasted halves of kuri squash.

once stuffed you can certainly serve straight away or if you plan on making for thanksgiving or next family gathering they can be stuffed and refrigerated then simply reheated in a 350* oven for about 20-30 minutes prior to serving .

 

don't you just love make ahead dishes!

a beautiful centerpiece for your next big celebration

if serving for a main course i would recommend 1/2 stuffed squash per person- if you are serving as a side the squash can easily quartered or the halved halved after they have been stuffed - just be sure to use a serrated knife to make it a bit easier on yourself.

the sweetness of the coconut & dried apricot, the warmth of the spices, texture from the sunflower seeds and a bit f freshness from the arugula make this an all around pretty fantastic meal - in my opinion at least.

 

tell me, have you ever heard of a kuri squash up until now?

 

when cooking for the holidays what is your plan of attack- do you prep all week, wing it the day of or allow someone else to do the cooking?

Coconut Quinoa Stuffed Kuri Squash

serves 4 as a main & 8 as a side

 

you will need:

1 large kuri squash- cut in halve and seeded

1 can coconut milk

1 cup quinoa - rinsed well

1 tsp curry powder

1/2 tsp coriander

1/4 tsp cardamom

handful of arugula

1/4 cup sunflower seeds

1/4 cup whole dried apricots

1/4 tsp salt

 

assembly:

in a 425* oven roast squash cut side down on a rimmed baking sheet for 20 minutes

 

while squash is roasting bring coconut milk to a boil, add rinsed quinoa & spices (curry, coriander & cardamom) cover and reduce heat to a simmer for 10 minutes - turn off burner and allow to sit covered for an additional 10 minutes (do not lift the cover!)

 

dice the apricots and place in a medium bowl with sunflower seeds and hand torn arugula - removing any large stems from the arugula.

 

remove squash from oven and allow to cool to he point you can handle them comfortably.

 

measure out 2 cups cooked quinoa - reserving the remaining cup for another use.

mix the cooked quinoa with the apricots, sunflower seeds & arugula.

 

stuff each half of the squash with quinoa - cut each half in half and serve!

if serving as a side cut each half again so each original kuri half yields 4 servings

 ( you are cutting each half into quarters)

 

serve immediately.

 

can be made up to 2 days in advance - store in fridge and simply reheat in a 350* for 20-30 minutes or until heated through.

 

enjoy!

 

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