Wild Rice and Mushroom Stuffed Acorn Squash

This recipe is a giant food hug with every bite!! It looks like a lot of steps but very easy, it only takes about 45 minutes from start to finish and the result is a gourmet fine dining dish. We like to sample the wine used in the recipe as we cook, dancing in the kitchen. Perfect for entertaining or Holiday dinners.

Ingredients

• 2 medium sized acorn squash, halved lengthwise and seeds removed and bottoms trimmed to sit flat.

• 1/2 teaspoon Herbimare or sea salt

• 1/4 teaspoon pepper

• 4 cups of chopped mushrooms (we like to use 2 varieties and selected mini portabella and button mushrooms)

• 1 Tablespoon vegan butter

• 1 container Fauxmagerie Zengarry Creamy Swiss Cashew Cheese

• 3 Tablespoons truffle olive oil

• 1 medium onion

• 1 glove garlic minced

• ½ cup dry white wine

• 4 tablespoons unsweetened almond milk

• 2 cups cooked wild rice or wild rice medley (we cook the rice for mushroom broth for added flavor)

• 3 Tablespoons of toasted almonds

• Fresh Herbs – We suggest sage or parsley

• Truffle oil to taste

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2. While the oven is heating, toast the slivered almonds on a baking sheet (watch carefully this takes only a minute or two. Remove from the oven as soon as they start to turn colour as they keep cooking when removed from the oven. I like making extra of this as well to add to salad for the week.

3. Chop onion set aside, mince garlic set aside, clean and chop mushrooms and set aside.

4. While the oven is heating start the rice. I cooked the wild rice medley in our Instant Pot with mushroom stock, while the squash was in the oven. (I always make extra rice so I have it on hand for the week or make extra to keep frozen to add to dishes in the coming weeks.

5. Brush the acorn squash with truffle olive oil and season with salt and pepper if desired. Place cut-side up on a lined baking sheet or baking pan and put into the oven when it reaches temperature. Bake the squash for 30-45 min. Set a timer so you will remember to start checking in 30min.

6. While the rice and acorn squash are cooking time to get the creamy sauce together. Heat large saucepan on medium/low with 3 tablespoons of truffle oil and vegan butter. Add onion to the saucepan, stir frequently over next few minutes until starting to brown, add minced garlic into saucepan, stirring frequently, cook for a couple minutes, add mushrooms, stir, then put the lid on the saucepan. Stir frequently and adjust the temperature as needed, cooking until mushrooms are soft. With a slotted spoon remove mushroom and onion mixture into a bowl and set aside.

7. Pour wine into saucepan while stirring, bring temperate back up to medium, chop cashew cheese, herbimare salt and pepper into the saucepan and stir. Add almond milk to get to desired texture, use a whisk or wooden spoon to mix as cooking and blend ingredients.

8. Add the mushroom mixture back onto the saucepan and turn to low. Add 2 cups of the cooked rice into the saucepan and stir.

9. Remove acorn squash from the oven when a fork easily pierces through the squash flesh.

10. Put the squash halves onto serving platter and scoop in Fauxmage and wild rice mushroom mixture into each half.

11. Add toasted almonds and chopped fresh sage or parsley.