Quinoa-Stuffed Pattypan Squash

What's up guys?!?! It's good to be back! I've been on a super-long hiatus, but hopefully I'll be posting here much more frequently and regularly from now on. I miss my little blog! I've been lacking motivation to blog for a looooooong time....I've been cooking more than ever, but when it comes time to take photos, write a post, edit it and publish, I've been majorly slacking..... But I really want that to change for myself and my readers!! So for my mid-summer resolution, I've decided to try and get back to this whole blogging thingamajig!


In the past 6 months or so I've really been trying to eat healthier, and be more conscious about what enters my body- it is a temple and all that ya know! So expect to see more healthy recipes on here. Now, that certainly doesn't mean I don't indulge in the occasional treat, for example the totally delicious and non-waistline friendly peanut butter pie I made and ate last night for my boyfriend's (30th!!!!) birthday, so expect to still see treats and whatnot as well. 


For my return, I am posting this delicious (and healthy) stuffed squash recipe that I made tonight for dinner. I found these cute Pattypan squash at Whole Foods this weekend and just couldn't resist! They were a really good price ($2.99/lb) especially for being local and organic! Hopefully I'll be able to find more soon since they were so yummy, and I'd love to make this recipe again and try out some others!  I've never cooked Pattypan squash before and so I searched around for a yummy sounding recipe, and stumbled upon one on one of the blogs I regularly read- Oh She Glows- which is a wonderful vegan blog.  I, as you know, am not vegan, but I do try to eat mostly meatless throughout the day, saving meat for dinner, and also sometimes omitting the meat from dinner as well- if my boyfriend is not home- he's definitely the more carnivorous one in out relationship :) 


I did not have all the ingredients needed for that particular recipe, but I used it as inspiration and adapted it to the ingredients in my own pantry/refrigerator.  I'd love to make the original recipe at some point as well, so check that one out too!  It looks awesome!

Quinoa-Stuffed Pattypan Squash
Serves 1


Ingredients:
3 pattypan squash
1/4 cup quinoa
1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth (or vegetable broth if you want this to be completely vegetarian)
1-2 small garlic cloves, smashed
1 small zucchini
1 green onion
1 Tbsp tomato paste
1/2 Tbsp unsalted butter
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Directions:
1. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.
2. Bring quinoa, broth, and smashed garlic cloves to a boil over high heat in a small saucepan.  Once it starts to boil, reduce heat to low, and cover.  Cook for 20 minutes.
3. While quinoa is cooking, fill a medium saucepan with water, 1-2 inches high, and bring to a boil.  Add pattypan squash and cook 7-8 minutes.  When done, drain and let cool.
4. Meanwhile, finely chop zucchini and green onion by hand or in a food processor.
5. When the quinoa is cooked, remove the garlic cloves, and mix in the tomato paste, butter, and zucchini mixture.
6. Once cool, cut off the stems of the squash and carefully spoon out the insides- don't throw those away though!  Add the spooned out squash to the quinoa mixture.  (Don"worry if you pierce the bottom of the squash, I did and mine turned out great anyway!)  Season the quinoa-zucchini-pattypan mixture to taste with salt and pepper.
7. Place the hollowed out squash in a baking pan- I used my Pyrex loaf pan and it was the perfect size for my 3 squash.  Stuff your squash with the quinoa mixture until it overflows, and spoon the rest around the squash (you'll most likely have more filling than you can stuff the squash with).
8. Bake the stuffed squash for 20-25 minutes.


Enjoy!


Source: Inspired by Oh She Glows