Contributed by (Recipe adapted from “Veg Web” at www.vegweb.com)

Ingredients

2 medium Acorn squash
½ C dry Lentils
¼ C Rice (any kind except instant)
1 medium Apple OR 1 medium Bartlett Pear
1 medium Onion
1 stalk Celery
Pumpkin pie spice OR apple pie spice OR cinnamon, allspice, cloves, nutmeg, ginger
Molasses OR brown sugar OR maple syrup
Mushrooms, peppers, other veggies (optional)

Instructions

Wash the squash and pierce it a few times with a knife. Place the squash into a baking dish and bake at 375° F for 30-45 minutes, or until it is somewhat soft.

While the squash is baking, put the rice, lentils, spices, and 1 1/2 cups of water in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer with a cover on for about 40 minutes or until the water is absorbed and the rice and lentils are soft. Take it off the heat.

Dice the onion and apple or pear (and mushrooms/peppers/other veggies, if using) and slice the celery. Sauté the veggies and apple or pear until everything is soft. Add the veggies to the rice/lentil mixture, and add sweetener if you want.

Remove the squash from the oven and reduce heat to 350° F. Slice the squash in half lengthwise and remove the seeds and membrane with a spoon. Place the rice/lentil/veggie mixture into the hollow in each squash half (don't be afraid to pile it up pretty high) and place the squash back into the baking pan. Cover the pan with tin foil and bake for another 45-55 minutes, or until the squash is soft and everything is heated through. You can drizzle a little sweetener on during the last 10 minutes of baking for a special treat if you want. Eat and enjoy! Serves: 3-4.

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