Saturday 9/18 "Stuffed Squash"

Quick-Fix with Robin Miller

Ingredients
• 2 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 1 cup quick cooking barley
• 2 acorn squash (about 1 1/2 pounds each), halved crosswise and seeded
• 2 teaspoons olive or vegetable oil
• 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into small pieces
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1 green bell pepper, seeded and diced
• 1 teaspoon dried sage
• Salt and pepper, optional
• 4 tablespoons crumbled herbed goat cheese
Directions
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
Heat the chicken stock in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the barley and simmer until tender, about 8 to 10 minutes.
Scoop the seeds from each squash half and place, cut sides up, in a microwave-safe baking dish. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and microwave on high for 5 minutes, or until flesh is tender.
Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add chicken, onion, green pepper and saute 3 minutes. Add sage, salt and pepper, to taste, and cooked barley and stir to coat. Cook, stirring constantly, until chicken is cooked through and mixture is well-combined.
Spoon barley mixture into each halved squash. Transfer stuffed squash to a foil-lined baking sheet or a baking dish and top with goat cheese. Bake for 5 to 7 minutes, or until cheese is lightly browned.

The verdict: Once again, I think my pallet is too refined for my family's! :) Nobody was digging the squash part of this dish except for me. I will say, 5 minutes was not long enough to soften squash in my microwave. I should have done 8 minutes. Some parts of the squash were still hard even after being in the oven. Everyone loved the chicken/stuffing part. I think barley is such a great thing to cook with, and it had never occurred to me before! If you had leftover orzo, that would work as well. I promise to get back into listing costs next week. I do know that all I had to buy for this meal was the barley, squash, green pepper, and goat cheese.