Roasted Acorn Squash with Chicken, Quinoa, and Kale

Roasted Acorn Squash with Chicken, Quinoa, and Kale

A few years ago, for my cooking club, I made this amazing curry dish and replaced it with squash, instead of rice. (It was awesome = Tikka Masala shrimp over Squash).  This was the first time I ate both these squashes at the same time to tell the difference between the acorn squash and the sweet dumpling squash.  However, one of the best things about this vegetable is that as long as you adjust your cooking time, they are almost all interchangeable. Winter Squash Guide (from Epicurious)

For this recipe, I needed to do wedges instead of halves because of the odd number of people I was serving (grandparents, sister, and nephew.) I highly recommend serving this so each person gets their own bowl. 

Sweet Dumpling & Acorn Squash

Ingredients:
2 acorn or sweet dumpling squash 
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
3 tablespoons maple syrup
1/2 teaspoon  salt
1/4 teaspoon ground pepper

3-4 slices bacon 

1 lb chicken breast, chopped

1 lb kale, stemmed and chopped

1 tsp dried thyme (or fresh if you have any),

Lacinato Kale

1/2 cup dry white wine

4 cups quinoa/rice (I used 2 Seeds of Change, but you can cook it yourself too) 

1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan (optional) 

Top with fresh herbs, if available

Directions: 

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut squash in half through the stem end, and remove seeds. Cut each half into quarters, depending on the size of the squash. Place wedges in a large roasting pan. 

In a small bowl, combine melted butter and maple syrup.  Drizzle squash quarters with maple glaze and sprinkle with salt, and pepper. (note: reserve at least 1/2 cup for the finished dish.) Roast squash, turning occasionally, until tender and golden brown, 35 to 45 minutes. 

While squash is roasting, heat a large saute pan. Cook bacon through. Remove cooked bacon. (crumble once cooled) (note: I did 3 on this recipe, but my nephew recommended more bacon, so I would recommend 4 slices... Is there such thing as too much bacon??) 

Add to pan the chicken, plus salt and pepper to taste.  Toss occasionally until the chicken is almost cooked through. 

Add the chopped kale, thyme, and white wine. Saute until kale is tender.  Adjust seasoning. Remove from the heat. 

If your quinoa mixture is warm, toss with chicken and kale mixture. 

Plate squash wedges on a platter. Top with Chicken, quinoa, kale mixture.  

Top with crumbled bacon. 

After plating, drizzle remaining maple butter sauce over the top. (trust me - this is fabulous!) 

Serve warm. 

Photo Credit: https://www.flickr.com/photos/summertomato/5234734727

Squash Wedge Original Recipe: http://www.marthastewart.com/348927/roasted-squash-wedges