Pesto quinoa stuffed squash

I am finally home for the holidays. It's my first real break since summer (Thanksgiving is only a two day break, so it doesn't really count) and I am attempting to soak up all of the comforts of home that I can before I head back to Berkeley (not for another three weeks thankfully). Since I've gotten here I have been baking non-stop. A few failures (who new Macaroons could be so complicated), a few recipes that need tweaking before I write about them (some marvelous corn lime cookies, almost perfect, just need to nail the texture), and some marvelous MARVELOUS gingerbread men. Of course, since I've been doing all this baking, something had to go wrong. I have conveniently lost the cable that connects my camera to my computer. I'm feeling like the most scatter-brained person ever.

Because of my remarkable ability to lose things right when I need them, I've decided to post an older recipe. This is a marvelously simple and impressive quick and delicious dinner recipe. I used to make this all the time in my co-op because it takes all of about forty minutes start to finish. This recipe looks complicated, but trust me, it's not. Actually, it has the added bonus of not dirtying any dishes (provided you have the patience to wait for it to cool enough to pick the squash up without a plate, I never do)



Pesto Quinoa Stuffed Squash (serves 1)

1 small squash (my favorite is sweet dumpling)
1/4 cup quinoa
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup diced onion
1 clove garlic minced
2-3 Tablespoons pesto (I use this one from 101 cookbooks, and you really don't need to add the oil if you don't want to since the squash is pretty moist)
fresh basil for garnish

Preheat the oven to 350 F and spray a cooking sheet with cooking oil. Cut the squash in half and scrape out the innards. Place it cut side down and bake it 20 minutes or until soft. Meanwhile, bring the quinoa and water to boil in a small pot. Lower the heat and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes or until the water is absorbed and the quinoa is tender. While the quinoa and squash cook, saute the onion and garlic in a little olive oil until the onion is translucent. After the squash is done scrape, out the flesh into a bowl leaving enough in the squash to leave the skin intact. Mash up the squash with a fork and then stir in the quinoa, onion/garlic mixture, and pesto until fully combined. Pile this mixture back in the squash, put the squash back in the oven, and bake 20 more minutes. Garnish with fresh basil leaves if desired.