Meatless Monday: Lentil & Quinoa Stuffed Acorn Squash

This hearty meal is full of satisfying flavors and substance to warm you up on a chilly night.  Quinoa and lentils pack lots of fiber and protein; one serving of lentils has 15 grams of fiber (that’s half of your estimated daily needs) and 13 grams of protein (just under what 2 oz. of meat provides).

Turmeric, garlic, pepper, onion and squash all add cancer fighting and immune supportive properties while the coconut oil is a healthy fat perfect for cooking at higher temperatures.  To top it off, this dish is gluten-free!

Ingredients:
1 cup quinoa, dry
8 cups water
3/4 cups dry green lentils
2 acorn squash
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/8 teaspoon cumin
4 cloves garlic
1/2 onion
1 red pepper
2 Tbsp. coconut oil
1/8 teaspoon turmeric

Directions:
1.) Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

2.) Wash squash and cut in half and remove seeds.


3.) Add 1/2 inch of water to a baking dish and place squash, flesh side down to bake for 30 minutes.

4.) Cook quinoa in a rice cooker or stovetop by combining 1 cup dry quinoa with 2 cups water and a pinch of sea salt.

5.) Cook lentils in pot on stovetop.  Boil 4 cups water then reduce heat to a simmer, add lentils. Cover but leave a slit in lid and simmer for 35 minutes until tender checking around 25-30 minutes to prevent overcooking.

6.) While quinoa and lentils are cooking, wash red pepper, chop.  Chop garlic and onion.

7.) Sauté garlic, onion, & red pepper in 1 Tbsp. coconut oil until golden brown and soft, about 8-10 minutes.  Once ready place veggies into a large bowl.

8.) Mix quinoa and lentils into the bowl with garlic, onion, and red pepper.  Add salt, pepper, cumin, turmeric.

9.) Melt 1 Tbsp. coconut oil on stove and pour into mixture saving a little bit to drizzle on top of stuffed squash halves.



10.) Remove squash from oven and flip over.

11.) Stuff center of squash with quinoa and lentil veggie mixture.

12.) Drizzle remaining coconut oil over top of squash.  Return to oven and bake for additional 15-20 minutes until warm and flesh of squash is soft.



Substitutions:
Acorn Squash: delicata squash, pumpkin
Red Pepper: green, yellow or orange pepper, mushroom, eggplant