Inspired by fall and fellow Relay Foods blogger Tim Vidra, I decided to make my own version of a comforting and gluten-free-friendly stuffed acorn squash recipe.
A bread and pasta lover by birth (Italian heritage will do that), going gluten-free has always seemed practically impossible to me. It’s in my blood after all. Despite my innate opposition, I’ve decided that I’m ready for a new food challenge and admittedly quite curious to see how I feel without so much of the inflammatory stuff in my diet.
Starting tomorrow, I am making the impossible possible for one solid month—conveniently ending a few days before Thanksgiving (there is no way I’m giving up stuffing and pie). If it turns out that I feel a lot better without gluten I may decide to make it a lifestyle shift—of course allowing a cheat day every now and again for special occasions like my mom’s famous sugar cookies.
The key to going gluten-free is cooking for yourself. Considering the content of my blog, you’ve likely gathered that I cook a lot. Call me crazy, but it shouldn’t be too hard for me to follow and hopefully my readers will enjoy adding a few new “GF” MOARfit recipes to their repertoire. Eating out will be the greatest hurdle (bye-bye bread basket) but I’ll be sure to share any tips I pick up on that front as well.
If you’d like to take this 30-day GF challenge with me, drop a comment below. It would be great to create a community hangout on Google+ or Facebook so that we can call share our experience.
…on to the first GF recipe!
Bison-Stuffed Acorn Squash (Gluten-Free)
What You’ll Need:
- 1 acorn squash
- 1/4 lb bison meat
- 1/4 sweet vidalia onion
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 ancho chile in adobo sauce (left whole)
- 1 tsp cumin
- salt and pepper to taste
- 2 tbs sherry vinegar
- 1 tbs chives
- 2 eggs
- 6 sun dried tomato halves (soaked in water)
How to Make it:
Step 1: Preheat your oven to 400F. Halve and seed your acorn squash. Paint with a light coat of olive oil and sprinkle with pepper and salt. Bake for 30 minutes.
Step 2: While that’s cooking, heat 1 TBS of olive oil in a large sauce pan. Add onions and sauté a few minutes until soft and translucent. Add garlic, chile, cumin, and salt and pepper to taste and cook another 1-2 minutes. Add 2 TBS of sherry vinegar and stir until evaporated. Add bison meat, cooking about 10 minutes until brown all the way through.
Step 3: Add 1/2 the bison mixture to each acorn squash halve. Top with three sun dried tomato halves, rehydrated for 5 minutes in warm water. Bake another 10 minutes at 400F.
Step 4: Remove your acorn squash from the oven. Crack an egg on top to finish each off. Bake for another 10 minutes at 400F then crank it to a broil for another 3-5 minutes depending on how you like you eggs.
Step 5: Garnish your autumn bounty with fresh chives and a generous crank of black pepper.