I first made this dish as a vegetarian offering for Thanksgiving two years ago- it is an adaptation of a recipe from the New Moosewood Cookbook, something that I believe should be a staple in every crunchy kitchen, vegetarian or otherwise.  This time around I adapted the recipe to made two servings and paired with a salad it made a wonderful, comforting meal for me and my man crow.  I forgot to take pictures, which is a shame because when the squash halves are stuffed and the cheese it melted on top it makes a really beautiful dish.

Ingredients:

1 Butternut squash, halved and seeds removed

2 tablespoons butter

1 small onion, diced small

1 large clove of garlic, minced

1 celery stalk, minced

1/4 of a red cabbage, shredded (could substitute 1/4 lb of mushrooms if preferred)

1/4 tsp of salt or more to taste

fresh ground pepper

1/4-1/2 tsp  sage

1/4-1/2 tsp  thyme

1 tbs lemon juice

2 tbs chopped walnuts

2 tbs sunflower seeds

2 tbs dried cranberries

1 cup breadcrumbs, I prefer the Italian Seasoned if store-bought

4 dried apricots, cut into small peices

1/2 cup packed, grated, sharp cheddar cheese

1) Start by baking the squash, face-down on an oiled sheet at 350 degrees for a bout 30 minutes or until soft. You can prepare the stuffing while they are in the oven.

2) In a skillet, melt the butter and cook the onions, cooking until soft, about 5 minutes.  Add the garlic, celery, cabbage, sage, thyme, salt and pepper.  Cook until the cabbage is wilted down and all the veggies are soft- about 10 minutes.

3) Add the walnuts, sunflower seeds and breadcrumbs.  Cook, stirring continuously, until the breadcrumbs are slightly toasted.

4) Turn off the heat and add the cranberries, apricots and about 2/3 of the cheddar cheese in the skillet.  Mix together.

5) Take the baked squash halves and flip them over. Scoop out a little bit of the meat from the top part of the squash, making a sort of canoe, so that there is plenty of room for the stuffing.  Fill the insides of the squash with a heaping amount of the stuffing and top with the remaining cheddar cheese.  Bake, covered (a Dutch Oven works well for this) at 350 degrees for about 25 minutes or until heated though and the cheese is well melted.

Enjoy!