Eating in season and buying locally is one of the best things you can do for the environment – and your taste buds. However, it’s easier said than done. For one thing, whenever I open a cookbook, the recipes staring back at me are full of ingredients that are not in season and not local. If you have similar challenges finding good recipes with ingredients that are in season, then check out What’s Cooking Weekly – an e-mail subscription service that delivers 5 healthy and seasonal family menus to your inbox each week, plus recipes and grocery lists, nutritional information for meals, and tips to involve children. Eating seasonally has never been easier!
Find It Here: What’s Cooking Weekly
In honor of EcoMoms Act “Meat-Free Challenge” week, we have a yummy sample recipe from What’s Cooking Weekly below – vegetarian, of course, and loaded with seasonal ingredients and tips on how to involve the kids. Buon Appetite!
Acorn Squash Stuffed with Wild Rice
Your entire family will enjoy the flavor combination of this vegetarian dish. It is rich and satisfying, especially on a cool evening.
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2 acorn squash 1 shallot 2 cloves garlic, minced 1/2 tsp sage, dried |
2 Tbs butter 1 cup Wild rice 1/2 cup cherries, dried 1/2 cup pecans, chopped |
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
- Half each acorn squash lengthwise and scoop out the seeds.
- Place the squash halves on a baking sheet with the cut side down. Cover tightly with foil.
- Roast until tender (easily pierced with the tip of a knife), about 30-40 minutes.
- While the squash cooks, heat butter in a large sauce pan. Add garlic, shallots, sage, salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the shallots are tender.
- Add rice and water or broth (our wild rice was a 1:3 rice to water ratio). Cover and cook at a simmer for about 25 minutes, or until the water is absorbed.
- Remove rice from heat and add cherries and pecans. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Season the inside of each squash with salt and pepper. Mound the rice mixture into the squash halves and serve hot.
Servings: 4; Prep Time: 15 minutes; Ready In: 1 hour
CALL THE KIDS:
- Peel the garlic
- Help to scoop the seeds out of the squash
- Place the cut squash on the baking sheet, and cover with foil
- Measure rice, cherries and pecans
- Season the inside of the cooked squash with salt and pepper
- Scoop the cooked rice into the prepared squash halves
Nutrition (per serving): 438.1 calories; 32% calories from fat; 16.5g total fat; 15.3mg cholesterol; 13.1mg sodium; 990.5mg potassium; 70.2g carbohydrates; 8.1g fiber; 1.6g sugar; 62.2g net carbs; 9.6g protein.
(Recipe courtesy of What’s Cooking Weekly)