Cranberry Apple Acorn Squash (Repost)

Here's an easy vegetarian side dish that will fill your kitchen with the aroma of apple pie spices, and grace your table with a pastiche of beautiful fall colors. 

My Paleo Marin Rating: 5 Persimmons

Ingredients:

1 large acorn squash (2 - 4 servings)
3/4 cup apple juice

Filling:
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1 apple, chopped into bite-sized pieces (I used a Fuji)
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
2 tablespoons grass fed butter, melted (or coconut oil or grape seed oil)

Fine sea salt

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

1. Wash and dry the acorn squash. Set the squash on a cutting board with the stem side on the bottom. Cut the squash in half vertically. Clean out the insides with a spoon.* 

2. Pour the apple juice in the bottom of the roasting pan. Place the squash halves cut side down in the juice, and place in preheated oven.

3. While the squash is roasting, mix together the ingredients for the filling in a bowl. 

4. Remove the pan from the oven after 30 minutes, and turn the squash halves over. Add a pinch of salt to each half. Spoon in the filling equally on each side, sprinkle with salt again, and return to the oven.

5. After another 30 minutes (1 hour total), check the squash. My squash took another 15 minutes until the color was golden and the flesh pulled apart with a fork. To serve, cut into portions for a side dish, or serve one half per person. Be sure to stir the filling with the flesh of the squash to blend the delicious flavors together.

#paleo #veggies #sidedish #Thanksgiving #squash #acorn #glutenfree #vegetarian #vegan #healthyeating

*To eat the seeds: discard the stringy parts, and bake the seeds at 200 degrees F until they are slightly browned, about 3/4 hour; sprinkle with salt.

Recipe adapted from Elana’s Pantry website.

My Paleo Marin Rating 1-5 Persimmons

I try out these recipes so you don't have to (and modify them for Paleo where possible). The rating will reflect my opinion of the final result in terms of taste, ease of preparation, nutrition, and sometimes, cost.