Recipe: Basked Winter Squash with Moroccan Couscous

I haven't posted any recipes in a really long time so I thought I'd throw one in to mix things up. I have a bunch of winter squash thanks to the most awesome CSA - Vermont Valley. I needed to use the oldest ones up and I had the urge to make something new. I've been trying to find time lately to try out new recipes since it is fun and tasty. Here's what I did with 2 of the squash. Recipe is thanks to one of my favorite cookbooks - Vegan Planet.



Baked Winter Squash with Moroccan Couscous Stuffing

Ingredients:
1 large or 2 medium winter squash
water
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon cardamom
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
2 cups chopped mushrooms
2 teaspoons peeled and minced fresh ginger
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup chopped unsalted dry-roasted peanuts

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Cut the squash in half and scoop out the seeds. Plash the squash cut sides down in a shallow baking dish. Add 1/4 inch of water, cover tightlys, and bake until just tender, about 30 minutes (I baked about 35 minutes but it will depend on the size of your squash).
2. While the squash is baking, cook the couscous according to the package directions. Cook the couscous with the cardamom, cinnamon, and cloves.
3. Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic, cover, and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the mushrooms, ginger and salt/pepper to taste. Cook, stirring a few times, until the mushrooms are soft, about 3 minutes. Remove from the heat.
4. Fluff the coucous with a fork and add the onion mixture, raisins and peanuts. Divide the stuffing equally among the squash halves. As an FYI, I had more couscous than I could stuff in the squash.
5. Bake the stuffed squash another 15-20 minutes until heated and squash is soft and ready to eat.