Fall day at home and stuffed delicata squash

I hope that you are having a wonderful fall season! It is finally on full on fall mode where I live in the San Francisco Bay Area. The mornings and night time have gotten nicely cold while the afternoon can sometimes get a teeny bit warm just like how fall days are supposed to be. The trees are ablaze with autumn colors and leaves carpet the ground. The world appears as if a filter has been applied to it. There is a soft haze to the surroundings brought by the fall rain and dark early afternoons.

And there are pumpkins, lots and lots of them. Pumpkins of all kinds, sizes and color. And squash and vine vegetables that only make their appearances during fall. I just love being surrounded by pumpkins. I start collecting pumpkins as soon as October arrives. I start with mini ones then I buy big ones. Just a couple of weeks into October, I have pumpkins all over my house — in the living room, kitchen, dining room, patio and even my little garden! Being surrounded by pumpkins make me feel cozy. These last couple of years, because I have more time to cook due of the pandemic, I have been buying edible pumpkins and squash to cook. I am no longer content with just buying and eating pumpkin pies, now I am into cooking my own pumpkin and squash dishes. I made pumpkin soup, pumpkin bread, stuffed pumpkins, etc. and I have just started!

I am so thrilled to have discovered the delicious joys of delicata squash! I cooked it for the first time today and I am happy with how delicious it turned out to be! I just learned that delicata squash is named for its delicate skin. The skin is edible so there is no need to peel it while the inside is really sweet! My version is vegan/meat-free but carnivores can add meat. (Please see below.)

Before I share my recipe, I would like to express my gratitudue to our veterans. Thank you for your service so we may enjoy our freedom. It is a holiday for me in celebration of Veterans Day. I enjoyed a quiet day as Mr Sweetie had to go to work. I was able to read in bed before I got up to do house chores, tackle my long-term project of shredding documents, made an egg croissant and had it with coffee for breakfast, cooked squash soup and roasted delicata squash. I even got to watch an episode of Gilmore Girls! And now I am blogging! These moments are precious as I do not get to enjoy days at home anymore since returning to work full-time. What a lovely fall day!

Delicata Squash Stuffed with Brown Rice, Cranberries and Nuts

Ingredients

• 1 delicata squash, washed and scrubbed clean
• 1 cup sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed into small pieces
• 1/2 cup red onions, chopped
• 1 stalk celery, chopped
• 1 tablespoon each of chopped sage, parsley and/or rosemary (combination or whatever you have available)
• 1 1/2 cup brown rice, cooked
• 1 tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil (or butter)
• Non-GMO cooking spray or butter
• 1/4 teaspoon pumpkin spice
• 1/8 cup chopped nuts (I used pistachios), optional if you are allergic or do not have or do not want to use
• 1/3 cup dried cranberries (more if you really love cranberries)
• 1/2 cup shredded cheese for topping (I used vegan parmesan)
• Salt and pepper to taste

How to Make

Prepare the delicata squash for roasting:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Wash and scrub the delicata squash.
3. Cut the delicata squash in half lengthwise.
4. Scoop out and discard the seeds and fibrous membranes.
5. Place the squash halves in a roasting pan sprayed with non-GMO oil or use melted butter. (Spray or butter the sides of the squash as well.)
6. Salt the inside of the squash (optional).
7. Roast the squash halves with the cut side up in the preheated oven for 40 minutes or until tender when pierced with a fork.
8. Once the squash halves are done roasting, lower the oven to 350 degrees.

COOK THE STUFFING:

1. While the squash is roasting, saute sweet potatoes, onions and celery. When the vegetables are slightly soft (about 8 minutes), add herbs, pumpkin spice, salt and pepper.
2. Add cooked brown rice, cranberries and nuts.
3. Mix everything together.

STUFF THE SQUASH:

1. After the roasted delicata squash and stuffing have slightly cooled, stuff the delicata squash with the brown rice mixture.
2. Top with grated cheese.
3. Bake for about 10-15 minutes until the stuffing is heated through and athe cheese is melted. Enjoy!

MY NOTES

1. This dish can be made ahead by cooking the stuffing first and keeping in the fridge until the squash is ready for stuffing.
2. It is best to roast the delicata squash just before eating as pumpkins and squash can get soggy when refrigerated.
3. I used grated vegan parmesan but I can imagine that other types of grated cheese will be great as well such as Monterey Jack, Swiss, etc.
4. Walnuts are good as well, instead of pisctachios.
5. Use moist brown rice and avoid using dry rice as the stuffing will be dry.
6. Cooked and crumbled sausage can be added to the brown rice stuffing mixture if desired.

NOTE TO SELF:

1. Try stuffing delicata squash with sundried tomatoes and feta cheese next time!

Did you make Stuffed Delicata Squash? Please let me know by leaving a comment below.