My "Iron Chef" Recipes: Winter Squash

If I thought there were a lot of lentils, they are nothing compared to the varieties of winter squash! But I found recipes for them were usually “bake and stuff” – with the real recipe being for the stuffing mix. 

With so many types, I’ll be experimenting for quite a while winter squash. So as I try new recipes and methods of preparation, I’ll post the winners for you to try also. 

Here’s a great web site if you’d like to see some of the many varieties available!

  http://whatscookingamerica.net/squash.htm

Spicy Spaghetti Squash with Black Beans


1 medium spaghetti squash

Filling

2 teaspoons olive or corn oil

1/2 cup red onion, chopped

1 jalapeño chili, seeded, minced

1/2 cup red pepper, chopped

1 cup black beans, rinsed and drained well

1/2 cup sweet corn, frozen or fresh

1 teaspoon chili powder

All of the reserved cooked squash, about 4 cups

1/3 cup cilantro, minced

1 tablespoon lime juice

1 teaspoon sea salt

Roast squash in a 375°F oven for 50 minutes until tender or cut squash in half and place in a microwave dish with 1/2 inch of water, lightly covered with plastic wrap for 20 minutes on high until tender. cool. When cool, scoop flesh from squash halves leaving the shell intact for stuffing.

For the filling, heat oil in a large pan and sauté red onion, jalapeño chili and red pepper for 2 minutes. Add beans, corn and chili powder; sauté 1 minute longer. Add cooked squash, cilantro, lime juice and salt, cook 1 minute until heated through.

Fill squash halves with filling, mounding mixture in the center.

Serves 4



Dinner in a Pumpkin

1 pie pumpkin (cleaned out)

1 onion

1 lb. ground beef

1 4 oz can mushrooms

1 cups cooked rice

1 Tbs. soy sauce

1 8 oz can water chestnuts

1 Tbs. brown sugar

1 can cream of mushroom soup

Brown onion and hamburger. Add soy sauce, brown sugar and soup. Simmer for 10 min. Add rice, water chestnuts and mushrooms. Put mixture inside the cleaned pumpkin and bake 350 for 1 1/2 hours with lid on. When serving-scrape some of the pumpkin so you get some pumpkin with the casserole.


Sunny-Side-Up Stuffed Squash

2 small to medium acorn squash, halved & seeded

11/2 cups cooked brown basmati rice

1/2 cup feta cheese, crumbled

1/8 tsp ground white pepper, or to taste

4 egg yolks

paprika

Preheat oven to 400°F.

Place squash halves, cut side down in a 13"x9" baking dish. Pour water around them about 1/2" deep. Bake squash 30 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool 3–5 minutes.

In a bowl, stir together cooked rice with feta and white pepper until well combined. Invert squash halves, leave in the same baking pan, and fill with rice feta mixture, pressing down to create a relatively smooth, mounded surface.

Use a spoon to hollow out a small circle, about 1/2" deep into the top of the stuffing. Slide an egg yolk into the hollow of each stuffed squash half.

Spray some tin foil with olive oil or canola oil cooking spray. Cover baking pan loosely with the foil and return to oven to bake about 20 minutes or until egg yolks are just firm.

Sprinkle lightly with pimento or paprika and serve one stuffed squash half to each person.

Serves 4