butternut squash redux

Dear Kristin,

Your bacon and squash galette looks wonderful. I've just recently started using butternut squash - I was always an acorn girl up until now. I'm learning that squash is the "Sybil" of the vegetable world - able to take on multiple personalities with the addition of just a few basic ingredients. I know you and your mate are trying to curtail the amount of animal protein in your diets - so I'm offering a side dish that you can make without any animal-related products whatsoever.

We were looking for a side dish to serve with lemon chicken and the thought of just another potato or rice dish was just not very exciting. I've been wanting to do something with quinoa for quite some time, and thought that it would do nicely as a starchy side dish. A friend recently served Wegman's recipe for squash & grain bake and I've also had quinoa with squash and craisins, and these dishes were my inspiration.

I've never made quinoa before, and when I brought it home & opened it up your dad gave me one of those "oh here we go" skeptical looks and retreated to his man-cave to await what he was sure was going to be a bland substitute for rice. Well, I've made a believer out of him with this recipe. I cooked the quinoa in a mixture of water and chicken stock to boost the flavor a bit (to make it vegetarian friendly you could use vegetable stock). I also added some red onions (because we love onions), and instead of using craisins, which tend to get lost easily, I used frozen cranberries instead. The cranberries were an inspired addition - they really add a nice tangy "pop" that makes this side dish stand out.

Just a warning - this dish makes a lot! Since it is just a side dish, I think I will cut it down to half the next time.

Red Quinoa with Squash and Cranberries

1 cup red quinoa
1 cup lower sodium chicken stock (or vegetable stock)
1 1/4 cup water
3 cups butternut squash, large dice
2 cups fresh or frozen cranberries, halved
1 medium red onion, large dice
1 clove garlic (or more to taste)
2 Tblsp. good quality maple syrup
Kosher salt
Extra virgin olive oil

Cook quinoa:

Place quinoa in large fine sieve and rinse with cold water. Drain and place in saucepan with chicken stock and water. Bring to a boil. Cover, lower heat and simmer for 17 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand for 10 minutes.

Prepare vegetables:

Place squash, cranberries, onion and garlic on large baking sheet lined with non-stick foil. Drizzle with olive oil and maple syrup. Sprinkle with kosher salt. Toss mixture to coat. Spread mixture evenly in pan and roast in 400 F. oven for 20 to 30 minutes, until squash is tender.

Fluff quinoa with a fork and place in a large pre-warmed serving bowl. Add roasted vegetables and toss. Add salt to taste. Drizzle lightly with olive oil. Serve hot.

comfy's note: I imagine this would work as well with acorn squash. Stuffing a presoftened acorn squash shell with the quinoa mixture would make a nice presentation.