Stuff It.

For the last week or so, I've been on a personal mission to find Acorn Squash. I know our "local" commissary has 'em, but when you live an hour away from there.. you don't exactly want to drive all that way for squash. 

Well. After bombing out at all the local grocery stores, fruit / veggie stands and still ended up squashless.. I finally caved in and went to the commissary..yes, I picked up other groceries while I was there to make the drive worth while, lol. 

Ingredients

• 1 (6 ounce) package broccoli and cheese flavored rice mix
• 1 pound turkey breakfast sausage
• 1 medium acorn squash, halved and seeded
• 1/2 cup chopped apple
• 2 teaspoons crushed coriander seed
• 1/2 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese

Directions 

1.Preheat oven to 350*. While the oven is warming up, cut the Acorn Squash in half and scoop out the seeds. When you put the halves in the oven (face down), make sure to put water in the pan (I used a roasting pan) since the water will help keep the squash from drying out. Bake for 45 minutes.

 2. Follow the directions on the box of rice. Once it's done cooking, set aside. 

3.In a medium skillet over medium heat, cook sausage until evenly browned; drain, and set aside.

4. Take your apples and chop them up (within reasonable bit sizes), set aside. 

5.  In a large bowl, mix together the prepared rice, sausage, apple, and coriander. Stuff each squash half with the mixture.

 Since I couldn't find crushed coriander anywhere, I ended up having to use my Mortar & Pestle to to crush all the seeds:

6. Cover stuffed squash halves with aluminum foil and bake for another 30-35 minutes, or until squash is soft.  Remove foil, and top stuffed squash with cheese. Continue to cook until cheese is melted, about 5 minutes.  

The finished product...tah-dah!! 

I think the next time I make this, I'll use White Cheddar rather than Monterey cheese..and I'll switch out the turkey sausage for Chorizo or something. Give it some kick! All in all, it came out really well and the guys really liked it.