Baked Acorn Squash with Sauteed Mushrooms, Onions and Garlic

 Squash sounded good.  Trying to eat somewhat healthy, I decided on stuffed squash.  Yep, had to add just a little bit of butter.  What is squash without butter?  Not sure, maybe I'll try that next.  Had a bag of quinoa in the cupboard.  Bought an Artichoke Garlic Paste from an olive and vinegar shop in the mall so I thought I would try that in this dish.  Measurements, of course, are estimates and cooking times are pretty close.

1 cup uncooked quinoa

1 Acorn Squash

1 TBSP butter, unsalted

Olive oil

2 TBSP garlic

1 small onion

1 TBPS Artichoke and Garlic Paste

2 medium to large Portobello mushrooms

Cook 1 cup quinoa per directions on bag or box that it came in. (I cook quinoa in a rice cooker)

Preheat oven to 400.  Fill 9 x 13 glass baking dish with enough water to fill about ½ inch from bottom.  Cut acorn squash in ½, lengthwise.  Clean scoop the middle out.  Put in glass baking dish cut side up.  Add ½ tbsp butter to each ½.  Stick in the oven for about 40 minutes.

While the squash is baking, sauté garlic until it starts turning brown.  Add onions and sauté until they start softening.  Add Artichoke and Garlic Paste and Portobello mushrooms.  Sauté until everything is softened.  Of course, I tasted it and decided it was cooked enough, so basically sauté to taste.  Add cooked quinoa to the sautéed mix. 

Take the squash out of the oven, the top will be starting to brown and the water is probably pretty much gone.  Add sautéed mix to the pan and flip squash, cut side down onto the sautéed mix.  Add a drizzle of olive oil and about 1 cup water.  Put back into the oven for about 15 more minutes. 

Shrimp Mushroom Dish

Since I liked the mushroom snack from the other night, I went to the store and bought more mushrooms, more cilantro and of course some other things since I went to the store hungry.  Here's the result.

8 oz Arriba Medium Fire Roasted Mexican Chipotle Salsa Made from Smoked Jalapenos.
1-16 oz frozen package of edamame shelled soybeans
1-16 oz package of gourmet stuffer mushrooms, sliced (minus a few slices to snack on while making the dish)
½ Cup cilantro, chopped
½ lb cooked prawns, chopped into bite size (minus a few bite sizes snacked on while making the dish)
1 avocado

Pour salsa in a sauce pan and turn burner to medium.  Pour soybeans over salsa.  Simmer on medium while cleaning and slicing mushrooms.  Clean and slice mushrooms and add them to simmering soybeans.  Wash and chop cilantro and add them to simmering mix.  Remove tails from prawns, rinse and chop into bite size and add to simmering mix.  Simmer a little longer until.  Serve with sliced avocado.

Simmered Mushroom Snack

Trying to stay healthy with snacks lately. 
One packet of mushrooms (those little blue containers of mushrooms)
Roasted Chipotle salsa
Cilantro to taste

Rinse mushrooms and slice (not too thinly).  Throw into small saucepan with just enough salsa to keep mushrooms from sticking.  Simmer until mushrooms are warmed through.  Add salsa and simmer a little longer until mushrooms are cooked to taste.  Some people like mushrooms cooked until reduced.  I like mushrooms that are still a little firm.  Enjoy!

Juicing - Grapefruit Juice

Decided to start juicing again.  Lupus decided to give me a bad time this winter.  This is a simple grapefruit juice that I like. 

3 red grapefruits - peeled
1 red delicious apple

My juicer does not have one of those nice large mouth openings to put a whole grapefruit or apple in so I have to cut them into just the right size to drop in.  I put the fruit through the juicer.  After juicing, I pour the batch into an airtight container for no more than 48 hours.  Usually I drink a batch within 24 hours.  I like tart grapefruit juice.  You could add more apples for a more sweeter taste.