Stuffed Delicata Squash

I'm super excited to announce the three winners of this week's Hurraw! Balm giveaway:

Winner #1 sarahlearns said...

oooh, i need a good lip balm! i've been trying out a couple brands lately to find one that keeps my lips moisturized through the cold wisconsin winter!

this week i am concentrating on finalizing my december goals and working on them! (2 of my goals are getting 100 oz every day and getting to the gym 4x this week!)

Winner #2 Melanie said...

I just got a treadmill yesterday, and I am determined to run every day! I haven't exercised in so long, so I am very excited to get back into shape! :)

Winner #3 csu said...

this is so cool! i'm going to go for a swim this weekend again.

Thank you so much to everyone who entered the giveaway and shared their health goals for this week. It was really inspiring to see so many people incorporating different healthy habits into their life, from drinking more water to daily exercise to juicing. How did this week go?  How did your new habits serve the rest of your life?  Did any challenges arise along the way?



This past week my personal health goal was to adopt a gluten-free diet.  A few weeks ago my nutritionist recommended that I consider going wheat and gluten-free because of some severe knee pain that I've been struggling with for the past few years.  I personally think the pain is the result of bad genes and irritation caused by exercise, but I'm always open to making dietary changes. 

My diet was already about 80% gluten-free (the main sources were occasional pieces of Dave's Killer Bread and some tamari sauce), but I found that once I told myself I officially couldn't have it, all of a sudden all I wanted was to sit down and eat a loaf of bread.  The power of the mind, huh?  Let's just say that this first week was a little rough.  I'm still trying out some different (vegan) gluten-free breads from my local natural foods market, but I'm hoping to make my own version soon.



One of the things that made this week a little easier was this stuffed delicata squash.  These adorable little squashes were simply roasted and stuffed with a mix of wild rice, black eyed peas, cranberries, and onions with a little salt and pepper.  I served them over some steamed kale for color and the kale ended up being the perfect (gluten-free!) wrap for the extra stuffing that fell out.  Bon appetite.

Stuffed Delicata Squash
Serves 4

4 medium delicata squash
2 Tablespoons oil for roasting (any oil that can tolerate high heat will work: avocado, almond, canola, grapeseed, or safflower are all great.)
1 cup wild rice + 3 cups vegetable broth
1/2 cup black eyed peas + 2 cups water
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/3 cup dried cranberries
4 large kale leaves (optional)
freshly-ground sea salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Slice squash open lengthwise and scoop out the seeds with a spoon.  Coat with oil.  Place on a sheet pan (with the insides facing up) and roast for about 20 - 30 minutes, until tender.  You can tell when you squash is done when it can easily be pierced through with a fork.  Set aside.

Meanwhile, add the wild rice and broth to a large saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, and simmer, covered, for about 45 minutes (until the rice is tender). 

Add the black eyed peas and water to a large saucepan and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to low, and simmer, covered, for about 15 - 20 minutes (until peas are tender). Drain if needed.

Add olive oil and onion to a pan over medium heat.  Saute the onion for 5 minutes, until translucent.  Add the garlic and sauté for an additional minute.  Add the cranberries, cooked rice, and cooked black eyed peas.  Mix thoroughly.  

Top the squash with the rice mixture and serve over steamed kale, if using.  Top with a little salt, pepper, and extra olive oil if desired.