edible acorns

Today at Wegmans I picked up something new. It's an acorn squash, and I have never eaten one before. Last week in the Washington Post they had a side column on different varieties of squash and how to cook them. I quickly ripped out the article to save, since there were a few on that list that I have never tasted. Spaghetti squash was another one that I wanted to try, so it also made it into my shopping cart.

I found this recipe on allrecipes.com. I will substitute the couscous for brown rice or quinoa to make it gluten free. I'm making it for dinner tomorrow, so I will let you know how it goes. My husband and I will be having a nice dinner with just the two of us after everyone is in bed...(only because I only bought two acorn squash.)

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon butter, melted
• 2 large acorn squash, halved and seeded
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 stalks celery, chopped
• 2 carrots, chopped
• 1 cup garbanzo beans, drained
• 1/2 cup raisins
• 1 1/2 tablespoons ground cumin
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 (14 ounce) can chicken broth
• 1 cup uncooked couscous

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Arrange squash halves cut side down on a baking sheet. Bake 30 minutes, or until tender. Dissolve the sugar in the melted butter. Brush squash with the butter mixture, and keep squash warm while preparing the stuffing.
3. Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Stir in the garlic, celery, and carrots, and cook 5 minutes. Mix in the garbanzo beans and raisins. Season with cumin, salt, and pepper, and continue to cook and stir until vegetables are tender.
4. Pour the chicken broth into the skillet, and mix in the couscous. Cover skillet, and turn off heat. Allow couscous to absorb liquid for 5 minutes. Stuff squash halves with the skillet mixture to serve.