My lazy post.

I haven't been trying out a lot of new recipes lately, so this is my lazy post ;-)
I have been making modifications to some of my usual recipes, nothing new and brilliant but very tasty.

For instance, kale salads are very delicious with peeled and chopped pineapple guavas in them.
This is the time of year that pineapple guavas are falling on the ground. Since most people use them for landscaping rather than the fruit, you can often find them for free in your neighborhood. I have seen them at the farmer's market and in natural food grocery store as well.

The other day I wanted to stuff my delicata winter squash, I looked up my recipe for stuffed winter squash, it calls for cooked rice, I didn't have any. I wasn't in the mood to saute onions either, so I made it with the carrots, cabbage, bread crumbs, herbs and some grated cheddar cheese, simple but sooo good. I'll be getting more winter squash at the farmer's market tomorrow !!

I made these chocolate chip bars for a recent trip and while they disappeared rapidly, when I went to make them again as a gift I added 1 cup of rolled oats to the recipe. The oats gave them a great flavor and texture boost.

We love soup at our house and I have made my own soup stock, in fact, I noticed that I had lots of seafood stock in my freezer. Mostly I have been making green soups and the seafood stock isn't a very good match for that kind of soup.

It was time to make a fishy soup and use that great homemade stock. I love bouillabaisse , I had some frozen sea bass and salmon but didn't want to be bothered with the shrimp and shellfish. So I made the broth and didn't strain it and added the fish cut in chunks. It was an ocean delight !! If you don't have your own stock, clam juice would be a good substitute.

Stuffed Baked Squash

I love to look into the fridge and see what needs to be used and what I can create with those leftovers. That is how this dish came to be.
I had two beautiful Heart of Gold winter squash from a friend's garden. They are very similar to an acorn squash. I had some leftover brown Basmati rice and carrots and cabbage that needed using.
Here is what I came up with !! Bob and I were amazed at how tasty this dish turned out.

Stuffed Baked Squash.
Cut open two squash and scoop the seed. Bake on a foil lined cookie sheet at 400 F for 30 to 40 minutes. You can use Acorn squash or any winter squash that has a big enough cavity to stuff.

Filling:
1 cup grated carrots
1/2 finely chopped cabbage
1 cup cooked brown rice
1 onion chopped
1- 2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp.fresh herbs: rosemary, sage, thyme, oregano finely chopped. This really made the dish. You can use dried as well.
1 tsp. salt
1 tbsp. sunflower seeds
1 tbsp. bread crumbs
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese ( optional)

Saute the onion in the olive oil, as it begins to soften add the carrots, cabbage and fresh herbs. Cook until the cabbage is soft and wilted.

In a bowl mix together the sauteed vegetables, brown rice, sunflower seeds, bread crumbs and salt.

Spoon the filling into the pre-baked squash.

Cover with foil and bake for 30 to 40 minutes at 375 F. Remove the foil and add the grated cheese, bake another 5 minutes. Serve !!

To make this dish vegan leave off the cheese, to make it gluten free forget the bread crumbs. No sunflower seeds on hand use whatever nuts or seeds you do have. Make it Asian by adding sesame oil, and soy sauce, make it Indian by adding some curry in place of the fresh herbs and add 1/2 raisins or currants. Instead of the brown rice, try quinoa or couscous. The possibilities are endless ;-)