Stuffed Acorn Squash…and family

Hello all,

It has been a while since I’ve posted any new recipes or thoughts on this blog and there definitely is a reason for that… 2 weeks ago today my grandmother unexpectedly suffered a massive stroke while sitting at home. To make a long story short, she was rushed to the hospital where she was treated for about a week and on Tuesday November 6, she passed away. It was a difficult time for our family and between juggling children, pregnancy, work, and the emotions that come at a time like this….I neglected to sit down in front of my computer and post thoughts about food. But now as the weeks have meshed together and the funeral has passed, life slowly starts going back to normal…only a new normal where my grandmother’s presence is now a memory and only our stories and pictures will keep her alive in our hearts. It is the natural progression of life..the passing of a generation…but difficult nonetheless.

The one positive aspect of my grandmother’s passing was that, as grief often does, it brought our family together during this difficult time. For the days following my grandmother’s funeral, her home became a gathering place filled with food and love and support for all of us…especially her sister who was her life companion.

Everyone brought food. Arroz con pollo, lechon, congri, bread, desserts…the list goes on and on! There were lots of options but nothing healthy. After spending a week eating salads in a hospital and trying to maintain my lifestyle (with some exceptions of course) all I wanted was a healthy home cooked meal. I went home one night and Orlando had made a delicious Stuffed Acorn Squash. He always makes larger quantities so naturally I had leftovers the next day. I thought, why don’t I take my squash to my grandma’s house and let everyone try it. It was only a small portion…definitely not enough for anyone to serve it as their meal, but I figured I could give everyone a taste and hopefully plant a seed that healthy food can be delicious.

The results were overwhelming. Everyone LOVED the squash. And at that very moment I knew that we had successfully planted a seed. We were able to introduce something new to people we love and create awareness about our lifestyle. Of course I can’t say that some of my family members will all of a sudden start eating healthy…but they may be open to trying some healthy recipes from time to time…and most importantly they’ll be open to the idea that they can ENJOY food that is good for them and medicinal. After all, life is to enjoy.

So on to Orlando’s recipe:

Acorn squash stuffed with ground turkey and vegetables

 

 

  • 5 small acorn squash
  • 1/2 large onion
  • 2 carrots chopped
  • 2 leeks sliced
  • 1/2 red and 1/2 green pepper chopped
  • 4 ounces of mushrooms chopped
  • 3 garlic cloves sliced
  • 2 turkey sausages chopped in small pieces (about a half pound) I like the apple turkey sausage for this recipe. Easy to find
  • 1 lb ground turkey (93/7 lean)
  • 2 Macintosh apples cored and roughly chopped
  • 2 eggs
  • 3/4 cup of breadcrumbs (make your own with about 3 slices of Ezekiel bread toasted and then placed in a food processor)
  • 3 sage leaves chopped
  • Salt/pepper/sason completo

Pre-heat the oven at 400

Slice the tops off of the acorn squash and empty out the seeds making a bowl out of the squash.

Slice of the tip at the bottom of the squash so it can stand upright. Drizzle the inside with olive oil and salt and bake for 1 hour

Sauté onions, leeks, carrots, and peppers in olive oil until almost carmelized adding salt at the beginning. Add sausage and cook through.

Add apples, garlic, and sage and sauté for another 2 minutes

Set mixture aside.

Sauté the ground turkey adding salt, pepper, and sason completo until browned. Drain the liquid and combine the turkey with the vegetable/sausage mixture and let cool.

Once cooled add the eggs and bread crumbs. Mix well and stuff into the cooked acorn squash.

Top with breadcrumbs and bake at 400 for another 20 minutes

…And during this Thanksgiving season it is a wonderful time to enjoy different squashes and make these homey Fall meals.

One thought on “Stuffed Acorn Squash…and family

  1. Yay!!! I was waiting for this recipe… This stuffed squash was absolutely DELICIOUS. I can’t wait to prepare it at home 🙂
    Thanks my friend!
    xoxo

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