Tips for Success:

• Cutting the acorn squash: You can cut the acorn squash horizontally or through the center (showcasing the flower ribs).  Cutting an acorn squash takes some muscle and effort.  Use a sharp knife and be very careful.  We cut ours through the center showcasing the flower ribs.  Additionally, before we cut the acorn squash through the center, we cut off a tiny piece off each end to create a flat surface so when serving the squash does not teeter around the plate.
• Rice: The cooking time is largely dependent on the rice and brand  Some rice types, as well as some brands, take longer to cook. Soaking the rice in hot tap water speeds up the cooking time; however, some brands of rice take quite a bit of time.  Read rice package directions for estimated cooking times keeping in mind that the hot soaking time hastened the cooking time.  Resist the urge to stir rice while it is cooking as it causes the rice to release too much starch into the dish and the dish become murky and creamy.
• Wild Rice: Wild rice is naturally “toothy” or slightly chewy.  It does not get as tender as regular rice does as the hull of the rice is still intact.  If you are not familiar with wild rice and think that this could bother you (or your family members), then just use all brown rice.  We LOVE wild rice, it has great texture, flavor, and visual appeal.
• Viewing the Skillet while Cooking: You do not want to create a hot rolling boil when cooking the rice, you want to simmer (low boil) the rice. After you cover the skillet, wait 10 minutes, then just gently lift the lid to take a quick peak.  Evaluate and increase or decrease the heat accordingly.
• Toasting Pecans: If you want a really rich nutty flavor, simply place the pecans in a dry skillet over medium heat.  Swirl them around the pan until they start to release their fragrance.  Or you can do simply place them in a small bowl and microwave them for 60 seconds to heat them up.
• Spices/Herbs for the Rice: You can make the rice all by itself to serve without the acorn squash as it is delicious.  If you plan to serve with the acorn squash, taste test the rice to determine if you need more herbs.  We found the listed herbs were perfect.  However, if you choose to add more herbs, just be careful when adding additional herbs at the end, not to stir the rice too much to avoid getting a risotto affect with the rice.
• Optional Mushrooms: You can easily stir in some sautéed mushrooms along with the dried cranberries and pecans.  Simply place 8 oz. of your favorite mushroom into a skillet with 1 Tablespoon of reduced-sodium tamari and a tiny sprinkle of each the following: sea salt, black pepper, onion powder, garlic powder.  Sauté for 5 to 8 minutes until the mushrooms release their water, set aside until ready to add into the rice skillet (when the pecans and cranberries are added).
• Thanksgiving/Christmas Menu: This recipe is often made for holiday dinners.  We strongly suggest that you do a trial run before making this dish on an important event to become familiar with the directions, cooking times, etc.
• Baking Acorn Squash: Baked acorns sometimes emit what appears to be black clouds onto a baking sheet.  This is just the sugars in the vegetable caramelizing and forming these black crunchy looking puffy clouds.  Simply push them away.  If the cut ends of the acorns appear burnt and black, they typically are not.  It is just the sugars releasing and caramelizing on the cut end.  We just gently scrape them off.  This recipe can fill approximately 6 to 8 acorn halves.
• Scraping the Skillet: When you add the almond butter and stir it around the pan for one minute, it tends to stick to the bottom of the pan.  That is fine, but remember to scrape it up off the bottom of the pan and back into dish when you place the liquid (water and vegetable broth) into the skillet.

*Notes Continued:

*Vegetable Stock:   We use Pacific Organic Low Sodium Vegetable Stock. We love this brand because it is Whole Food Plant Based compliant, as it does not contain MSG, has no oil, and does not contain any highly-processed ingredients.

*Tamari: We used San J Tamari Soy Sauce, Gluten Free, Reduced Sodium.  You can substitute the tamari with reduced sodium soy sauce, Braggs Liquid Aminos, or Braggs Coconut Liquid Aminos.

*Dried Crushed Thyme Leaves: We use Penzeys French Thyme. Dried and crushed thyme leaves are not the same as ground thyme.  Ground thyme has a powdery consistency. Whereas dried and crushed thyme leaves have texture.  You can use either in this recipe.  We used dried and crushed thyme leaves, so if you are using ground thyme, scale back to half of the amount indicated in the recipe and check for flavor consistency.

*Brown Rice:  We used Uncle Ben’s Whole Grain Brown Rice.  Feel free to use your favorite rice.

*Wild Rice:  We used a generic brand from the bulk food section of our local grocery store.

*Sea Salt:  Please adjust the sea salt based upon your family’s sea salt preferences and/or based upon dietary needs.

*Serving:  4-6 Servings

*Storage:  Refrigerate and use within 4 days.

*Nutrition Information INCLUDING pecans and cranberries: Serving Size = 1 half stuffed acorn squash: 337 Calories, 7.2g Total Fat, 0mg Cholesterol, 65.3g Total Carbohydrates, 6.6g Dietary Fiber, 7.3g Protein.