Mexican Roasted Corn and Quinoa Stuffed Squash

The truth of this recipe is: I was given (unidentifiable) squash from a friends garden and decided to use them as my Fall decor. Well, so long Fall. We jumped from 60 degrees this morning, to a blistery 35 degrees tonight. And so my mindset has switch to the holidays: time to decorate for Christmas! Aka time to say goodbye to the (unidentifiable) squash decorating the home, and hello to delicious meal.

I am a sucker for Mexican food, so when I found this recipe from Pinch of Yum's blog, I knew it was a must try! And lucky for me, with a few modifications, it is one of the best squash dishes I have ever had. It only took me an hour to prepare and have on the table (win! for a work night!). Plus, it's sweet and savory combination of flavors melting in my mouth had me wanting seconds. Give it a try, you won't regret it.


MEXICAN ROASTED CORN and QUINOA STUFFED SQUASH
yield: 4 servings

ingredients
2 medium winter squash
1/2 cup organic quinoa, uncooked
3-1/2 cups water
2 tsp. olive oil
1 can (15.5 oz) black beans, rinsed and drained
1 small white onion, chopped
1 jalapeño, chopped
1 tsp. garlic, minced
3/4 cup corn
1 tsp. chilli powder
1/2 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. salt
5 oz. queso fresco, crumbled
Sour cream
Cliantro
instructions

1. FOR THE SQUASH: Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut the squash in half and scoop out the seeds. Place face down on a cookie sheet. Pour about 2 cups of water (or enough to cover cookie sheet) around the squash. Place in oven and bake for 35 minutes, or until squash is tender.
2. FOR THE FILLING: Meanwhile, add the quinoa and 1-1/2 cups of water to medium sauce pan. Bring to a rapid boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, until quinoa is tender and white spiral-like threads appear around each grain. Once cooked, add chili powder, cumin, and salt. 
3. In a sauce pan, add olive oil and onion. Sauté until translucent. Add jalapeño and garlic. Cook over low heat for 2 minutes. Add the black beans and stir for another 4-5 minutes over high heat.
4. Place the corn in a dry skillet over high heat and let the corn cook without stirring for 3-4 minutes. Stir once and repeat until the corn is browned and roasty.
5. Once the corn is browned, add quinoa spice mixture and beans. Remove from heat and stir in ¼ cup of queso fresco.
6. ASSEMBLING THE SQUASH: Turn on the oven to broil. Divide the filling evenly among the four cooked squash halves. Top each with a sprinkle of cheddar cheese and bake for 5 minutes or until the cheese is melted. Top each squash piece with crumbled queso fresco, sour cream, and cilantro.
7. Enjoy!

Note: for the (unidentifiable) squash, you can use acorn squash, which is easily found in your local grocery store. Or, my best guess is that the squash used for this recipe was kabocha squash.