In the last 3 weeks, whilst I've been away, V has gone from having mysterious morning lows, an hour after breakfast to having mysterious morning highs, just before lunch.
Just to keep things interesting, he then has mysterious afternoon lows.
Well, probably not too mysterious..... He must be overcorrecting the high with the lunch bolus.
But we're continually lowering that and he still gets the lows.
And for people with a properly functioning pancreas, this all is taken care of without a thought.
The body truly is a marvelous thing!
And so are fall vegetables; many of them just begging to be stuffed.
This is not a dish for someone trying to avoid carbohydrates.
This is a dish for someones who wants a healthy, lo-fat, one-dish dinner celebrating the best of autumn.
Count your carbs if you must; inject if you must; then enjoy!
The squash bakes while the stuffing is prepared and just needs 10 minutes to finish. I usually can't get all of the stuffing in, so I keep it warm and serve it on the side. The salty ham and slightly crunchy quinoa contrast well with the sweet squash. And, yes, the mustard works too!
1 acorn squash 900gr, 32oz
1/2 cup quinoa 100gr, 3.5oz
1 cup chicken stock 225gr, 8oz
8oz (250gr) slice baked or deli-style ham 230gr, 8oz
1 onion 110gr, 3.9oz
2 cloves garlic 6gr, .2oz
1 stalk celery 50gr, 1.7oz
1 tbs olive oil 13.5gr, .47oz
1/2 cup chicken stock 112gr, 4oz
1 tbs Dijon mustard
2 tbs fresh sage substitute 1 tbs dried, crumbled
1 1/2 tbs cornstarch (corn flour, maizena) dissolved in 2 tbs water 12gr, .4oz
Cut squash in half and scoop out seeds. Either place face down on tray and microwave for 10 - 12 minutes or put into a baking dish, cover with foil and bake in 400F (200C) oven for 40 minutes.
While squash cooks: Cook the quinoa in chicken stock 15 minutes or according to your package directions, until all liquid is absorbed and it's done. (Check your package directions for correct quantity of stock and cooking times.)
Chop the onion and celery; mince the garlic. Heat the oil in a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Sauté the onion and celery 5 minutes then add the garlic. Sauté 5 more minutes or until onion and celery are tender and starting to brown. Cut the ham into small cubes, about 1/3" (1cm). Add ham and sage and sauté until ham starts to brown. Add mustard and chicken stock and stir well to combine. Dissolve cornstarch in stock. When ham mixture is simmering stir cornstarch in, a little at a time. (You may not need it all). You want it very thick but not paste. When quinoa is done add it to ham mixture and stir to combine.
To assemble: When squash are ready (they should be tender, almost done) remove from wherever they cooked and fill with the quinoa/ham mixture. Bake (not microwave for this last bit) uncovered for 10 minutes, until heated through and squash is done.
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Entire Recipe / per serving
Calories: 1332 / 666
Total Carbohydrates: 200 / 100
Dietary Fiber: 33 / 16.5
Total Fat: 40 / 20
Saturated Fat: 9.6 / 4.8
Cholesterol: 138 / 69
Protein: 64 / 32
Calcium: 430 / 215
Sodium: 3790 / 1895
Glycemic Index: medium
I try to be accurate, but I do not guarantee it. I use 'grams' as the unit of weight; with an approximate conversion to ounces.
