Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme

I bought my first acorn squash last week. Just because. It looked interesting. The only acorn squash I'd ever eaten had been dipped in tempura battered and deep fried to a golden crispy yummy goodness. (The Aussie always orders shrimp tempura and the chefs always include veggies. He eats the shrimp, I eat some of the veggies)

So I had an acorn squash sitting on my counter. What to do, what to do. I asked one of my twitter friends, Trish, how she'd cook acorn squash and she gave me a great recipe for maple roasted squash, which turned out lovely. So Sunday I got a second acorn squash. What to do, what to do. Stuffing! I started rummaging in the freezer and came up with the following for what I will call Scarborough Fair Acorn Squash. (You know, parsley, sage, rosemary... you can go put on the Simon & Garfunkel's Greatest Hits CD now. I'll wait.)

Scarborough Fair Acorn Squash (serves 4)

2 acorn squash, split in half lengthwise, seeds scooped out

2 T pine nuts, toasted

1 T olive oil

1 small onion, diced

1 garlic clove, crushed

1 rib celery, sliced

2 c cooked brown rice

2 Jimmy Dean turkey sausage patties, diced or crumbled

1/4 c. Craisins, chopped

1 T balsamic vinegar

1/2 t salt

1 t black pepper

parsley (1 t)

sage (1/2 t ground or 1 fresh leaf minced)

rosemary (1/2 t)

thyme (1/2 t)

Preheat oven to 375. Cook split acorn squash cut side down on baking sheet for 30 minutes. I know this looks a bit wonky. At first I was going to do a standing up acorn squash and then changed my mind. So I cut off more of the top than I should have.

Heat cast iron skillet over medium high heat and toast pine nuts until lightly browned. Remove pine nuts from pan and set aside.

Lower heat to medium and add olive oil to pan. Add in the onion, celery and garlic. Cook until translucent, about 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add in turkey sausage and lightly brown.

Spoon in cooked rice, cranberries, parsley, sage, rosemary, thyme, salt, pepper and balsamic vinegar. Stir to mix ingredients together.

When the squash has finished baking, remove from the oven and turn over so that the hollowed out section is facing up. Spoon in the stuffing mixture.

Put the squash back in the oven for 15-20 minutes until nicely browned on top.

Serve hot and enjoy!

Nutrition Per Serving

Calories: 276.5

Total Fat: 7.5 g

Sat Fat 0.9 g

Cholesterol: 13.75 mg

Sodium: 432.8 mg

Potassium: 512.9 mg

Total Carb: 43.65 g

Dietary Fiber: 4.7 g

Sugars: 5.35 g

Protein: 4.4 g