A friend of mine just became a vegetarian and asked me to find some recipes for her. While looking through the March 2010 issue of Food & Wine, I saw this recipe and thought what a great idea. It has quinoa, raisins, honey, mint, parsley, arugula and apple. I was pleasantly surprised at how delicious it was and will make it again. And it's good for you.
1 delicata squash
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup quinoa
1 tablespoon raisins
1 tablespoon sherry vinegar (I used red wine vinegar)
1 teaspoon honey
1/2 granny smith, cut into small pieces
1/2 shallot, minced
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tablespoon chopped mint
1 tablespoon parsley
2 oz (60 g) arugula
1. Preheat oven to 350 F (175 C). Cut the squash lengthwise and remove the seeds. Brush the inside of the squash with olive oil, salt and pepper. Place the squash cut side down and bake for about 45 min or until tender.
2. In a sauce pan, bring 2 cups (500 ml ) water to a boil. Add the quinoa, cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Stir in the raisins and simmer covered until the water is absorbed, about 5 minutes. Transfer the quinoa to a large bowl.
3. In a small bowl, whisk the vinegar, honey and olive oil, season with salt & pepper. Add the dressing to the quinoa along with the apple, shallot, garlic, mint and parsely and toss well. Add the arugula and toss gently.
4. Set the squash halves on a plate and fill with the quinoa and serve.
This serves two
