LITTLE MISS TASTY

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 400 F. To prepare squash, use a chef’s knife to cut squash in half. Use a large spoon to scoop out seeds and stringy bits inside and discard.
2. Place the 4 squash halves cut side up in a 9" square baking dish. Rub 1 TBS of the olive oil over the inside and sprinkle with 1/4 tsp salt. Add 1/2 C water to the dish and cover with foil.
3. Bake until the squash flesh is easily pierced through by a fork, about 45 minutes. Remove from oven but leave it on.
4. Meanwhile, cook the quinoa: in a med saucepan, combine the quinoa and water. Bring the mixture to a boil over med-high heat then reduce the heat as necessary to maintain a gentle simmer. Simmer, uncovered, until all of the water is absorbed, about 16 to 18 minutes. Remove pot from the heat and stir in cranberries. Cover and let mixture steam for 5 min. Uncover and fluff the quinoa with fork.

5. In a med skillet, toast the pumpkin seeds over med heat, stirring frequently, until golden on edges and making little popping noises, about 4 to 5 minutes. Set aside.
6. Pour quinoa mixture into a med mixing bowl. Add pumpkin seeds, chopped green onion, parsley, garlic, lemon juice, the remaining 1/4 tsp salt, and the remaining 1 TBS olive oil. Stir until ingredients are evenly distributed.
7. If mix is very hot, let cool for a few min before adding the parm and feta/goat cheese. Gently stir mix to combine.
8. Divide the mixture evenly between the squash halves with a large spoon. Return squash to oven and bake for 15-18 min, until the cheesy quinoa is turning golden and crispy on top.
9. Sprinkle stuffed squash with remaining 1 TBS chopped parsley and serve warm.