Butternut Squash With Cannellini Beans and Quinoa

I could eat butternut squash every day. I love, love, love butternut squash.

Tim, on the other hand, hates butternut squash. Well, all squash really. I don’t’ know what it ever did to him to tick him off, but it must have been something really, really bad.

This is not the first time we have been on opposite sides of liking something.

When I was a very young child, my mother took me to a magic show. I still remember (have flashbacks, nightmares, anxiety attacks) it very well.

The magician handed me his wand and …it drooped. Repeatedly. Horrified, I did the only sensible thing. I burst into tears. I had broken his magic wand! I could feel the waves of animosity rushing toward me from the audience (okay, I may be exaggerating a bit here since it was an audience of 3 year olds and half of them were probably too busy staring at the ceiling lights to even notice that there was a show going on) but I was totally traumatized. My mommy had to come rescue the poor magician before he drowned.

I love the theater, but definitely do not feel the need to ever get up on a stage again.

Tim, on the other hand, was plucked out of the audience at a broadway show to come up on stage, and before you could say abracadabra, he was joining the cast in a musical number and turning the professional comedian into his straight man!

Unlike me, they practically had to get the hook to get him off the stage!! It’s all I can do to keep him in his seat when we go see a show anymore.

Yes, we definitely like different things. He can have his stage career, I’ll have my squash.

Ingredients:

1 butternut squash
1/2 cup quinoa, rinsed and drained
1 cup vegetable broth
1/4 cup sliced green onion
15 grape tomatoes, cut in half
1/2 cup cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
2 teaspoons minced fresh oregano
2 teaspoons lemon juice
2 Tablespoons olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 425. Cut the squash at the base of the “neck” so that you have the bottom ‘bowl” piece where the seeds are and the top piece which is solid squash. Scrape out the seeds and put the “bowl” on a lined baking sheet and roast in the oven for 30-40 minutes or till tender.
Meanwhile, cut the top stem off of the “neck” and, using a vegetable peeler or a sharp knife, cut the skin off of the squash. Cut the “neck” into bite sized pieces, drizzle with some olive oil, put on a lined baking tray and roast for about 15 – 20 minutes or till tender, stirring after 10 minutes. Remove form oven and let cool. I used a small squash, so I got about 1 1/2 cups of squash. ** You can shorten the prep time by simply buying already cubed squash and cutting it into smaller pieces since they are usually pretty large chunks from the store.You won’t get the “bowl” to slice and fill, but it will taste the same.
While the squash is cooking, put the quinoa and vegetable broth in a small pot and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to low and cook 15-20 minutes. Set aside for 5 minutes, then fluff with a fork and cool.
Meanwhile, prepare the tomatoes, and green onion and beans.
When the quinoa and squash are cool, add the tomatoes, onions and beans and stir gently to combine.
In a small jar, combine the oregano, olive oil, lemon juice and salt and pepper and shake to mix. Pour over the quinoa mixture, stirring gently to coat and refrigerate till ready to eat.**
To serve, cut the “bowl” of the squash into 4 rings and fill each one with the quinoa mixture.