Talk about a marvelous new dish to lighten up the traditionally heavy Thanksgiving meal!

Ingredients

• 10 ounces butternut squash (about 2 cups)
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1 cup quinoa
• ¼ cup chopped shallots
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon dried or fresh thyme
• 2 ½ cups vegetable broth
• 1 teaspoon grated lemon peel and 1-2 tablespoons lemon juice
• Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
• 2 tablespoons lightly toasted pine nuts (optional)
• 1 teaspoon minced fresh chives (optional)

Preparation

• Preheat oven to 400F. Cut the squash in half and scrape out the seeds and strings. Peel and cut into ½-inch cubes and toss with the 1 teaspoon of lemon juice. Place them on a non-stick baking sheet, sprinkle with a little salt and pepper, and bake for 15 minutes, stirring halfway through.
• Heat a deep, non-stick pot. Add shallots and garlic and cook, stirring, until shallots soften slightly.
• Add the quinoa and toast it until it begins to exude a toasty aroma.
• Add the squash along with the thyme and vegetable broth. Reduce the heat to low and cover. Cook, stirring once or twice, until all broth is absorbed, about 20 minutes.
• Stir in the lemon peel and 1 tablespoon of lemon juice.
• Season to taste with salt and pepper, and add more lemon juice if needed.
• Serve with toasted pine nuts and chives sprinkled on top.

This dish is very intriguing to the palette; the lemon flavor in the vegetable broth is heavenly, the crunch of the quinoa is unsurpassed in its texture, and the roasted Bnut squash provides a solidity to the dish that balances the lightness of the lemony flavor… give it a try! We made this recipe at the last Eat To Your Heart’s Content cooking class, co-taught by me and Wendy Van Wagner of In the Kitchen. This is Wendy’s recipe and has endless possibilities for variations–have fun with it!