CNI Recipe of the Month

Sam Fayershteyn is originally from Kiev, Ukraine but moved to the United States when he was four years old. He has been with CNI for six months and is the current QA Manager. When he is not at work, he is usually training in Muay Thai, hiking with his dog, reading or playing video games.
Stuffed Acorn Squash(Vegan)

• 4 acorn squash, halved lengthwise; seeds and membrane removed
• 1 cup organic brown rice
• 1/2 cup wild rice
• 4 cups vegetable broth or water
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 3/4 cup diced celery
• 1/2 cup pecans, coarsely chopped (or any nut of your preference)
• 1/2 cup dried apricots, diced
• 1/2 cup cranberries
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 2 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cardamom
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 375º F.

2. Cook both varieties of rice together in broth or water with ¼ teaspoon of salt (omit salt if broth is already salted).

3. Meanwhile, place squash halves, cut side down, into a large shallow baking dish or cookie sheet (you may need two). Bake for 30 minutes.

4. In a skillet, sauté onion in olive oil until it becomes transparent. Add the celery and sauté a couple of minutes. Remove from heat. Using a large mixing bowl, blend this mixture together with the cooked rice, cranberries, nuts, apricots, and remaining seasonings.

5. When done, remove the partially baked squash from the oven. Spoon out some of the cooked squash and mix it with the rest of the ingredients. Be sure to scrape only a little; you want to leave squash in the shells, too.

6. Press the rice mixture into each squash cavity, mounding rice as much as possible. (Depending on how large the squash are, you may end up with some leftover rice mixture, which makes a great side dish by itself.)

7. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes or until squash flesh is thoroughly tender.