Acorn Squash filled with Curried Rice with Cauliflower and Tomato

Yesterday was one of those days when I really wasn’t in the mood to cook. Yes, that does happen at our house. We all have days when we have so much to do that the kitchen doesn’t get much attention. Me not being in the mood to cook doesn’t mean we are skipping dinner though so I had to make something. This recipe requires very little work, which is why I made it. It is definitely a low involvement meal with the acorn squash roasting and rice cooking without my intervention.

As I often do I made something with turmeric for the anti-cancer properties. Additionally I cooked the turmeric in a little oil with black pepper to make the turmeric more easily absorbed. Instead of broccoli I combined cauliflower with tomato today. I assume since cauliflower is part of the cruciferous family it works like broccoli and when combined with tomato the health benefits are maximized. Here is what I made last night for dinner.

Acorn Squash filled with Curried Rice with Cauliflower and Tomato
Serves 4

Ingredients:

2 acorn squash, cut in half top to bottom and seeds removed
salt and pepper to taste
½ cup water
½ tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
¾ teaspoon turmeric
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 cup brown basmati rice
1 cinnamon stick
2 bay leaves
2 cups water
½ cup yellow onion, peeled and diced
3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced (allow to stand 10 minutes before cooking so allicin can develop)
3 cups cauliflower florets, cut into small spears
14 ounces, canned diced tomato
2 tablespoons cashews for garnish
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Season the cut side of acorn squash with salt and pepper. Place the acorn squash on a half sheet pan cut side down. Pour the water into the pan and bake until the squash is tender. I used the convection setting on my oven and my squash was tender in about 30 minutes. To test the squash for doneness use the tip of a paring knife and pierce the squash throw the skin into the flesh. If the knife slides into the squash easily it is done. Remove the squash from the oven.

While the squash is baking cook the rice. Begin by sautéing the turmeric and black pepper for a minute, or until you smell the spices. Then add the rice and to the pan and stir to coat the rice with the spice and oil. Next add the water, cinnamon stick, and bay leaves and simmer the rice covered for 30 minutes.

After the rice has been cooking for 20 minutes water sauté the onion and garlic until tender. Add the cauliflower and tomato to the onion and cook to concentrate the tomato juice.

After the rice has been cooking for 30 minutes taste it for tenderness. It should be al dente at this point. If it is add it to the cauliflower and tomato and cook until it is tender, about another 10 to 15 minutes. Remove the bay leaves and cinnamon sticks when the rice is done.

Fill the squash with rice and serve more rice on the side. Top the rice with cashews and a little sprinkle of salt and pepper.

Nutritional Information:

Amount Per Serving
Calories -355.36
Calories From Fat (14%) - 48.3

Total Fat - 5.7g
Saturated Fat - 1.02g
Cholesterol - 0mg
Sodium - 43.7mg
Potassium - 1386.03mg
Total Carbohydrates - 73.1g
Fiber - 10.39g
Sugar - 5.9g
Protein - 8.95g

Comments:

This was an easy dinner last night, but it was also a tasty meal. Both the hubby and I enjoyed this. We also had a big bowl of fresh California blueberries, raspberries and strawberries to finish off this meal.

Each serving of this recipe contains more than 1,600IU of vitamin A, 70mg of vitamin C, 160mg of calcium, 110mcg of folate, 310mg of phosphorus, 170mg of magnesium, and 13mcg of selenium. Not too shabby for 350 calories.

Unrelated note:

We woke up this morning to the first snow fall of the season. Having snow this early in the season if very usual weather for us. In the 29 years I have lived in Baltimore I don’t think we have ever had a white Christmas.

Since it is cold and snowy I will be staying home today. Baltimoreans are traditional Southerners when it comes to snow. Most of them have no idea how to drive in the snow and really should stay home. We will have a traditional run on the grocery store where people buy all the bread, milk and toilet paper they can get their hands on. Another one of the Baltimore traditions I have never understood, I might add.

I hope you all have a great day today. Since I am going to spend mine at home there may be a little more cooking than normal today.