We have pretty much every type of eater represented at our Thanksgiving table; vegetarian, meat loving, gluten free, dairy free… you name it they’re probably feasting with us at some point over the holiday season! It can be a nightmare trying to find recipes that make everyone happy at the same time, but this Exotic Rice Stuffed Delicata Squash with Curried Cashew Cream totally fits the bill!
The delicata squash in this dish is first slathered with a curry and cinnamon spice mixture and roasted to perfection. Then it is stuffed with an exotic blend of long grain brown rice, Himalayan red rice, wild rice, and brown basmati rice mixed with sautéed onions, garlic, walnut pieces, dried bing cherries, and Lacinato kale. These gorgeous squash boats are delicious all on their own, but are really over the top when slathered with curried cashew cream sauce! (Also, since I’m still on my pickled cranberry kick I couldn’t resist adding a few of those to the platter for color and that tangy/sweet burst of flavor!)
If you have followed along on our site for a while you already know how much we love Nuts.com. Their products are always the best quality, their staff might just be the friendliest people we have ever met, and shipping is always lightning fast! So, a few months ago when Nuts.com reached out to us and asked us to create a holiday worthy recipe with some of their products in exchange for a $500 donation of Nuts.com pantry staples to the Food Bank of Southern California we just couldn’t resist! I mean what’s not to love, a delicious multi-diet friendly recipe for our family table and yours, plus the ability to help those in our local area that aren’t as fortunate as us?
To make serving this up for your crew a cinch I’m including my Nuts.com Thanksgiving dinner shopping list right here!
Supreme Raw Cashews
Exotic Rice Blend
Curry Powder
Ground Ceylon Cinnamon
Dried Bing Cherries
Walnut Pieces
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Don’t think you have to go all the way with this recipe, you can simply make the rice filling as a side dish. It is incredible on its own!!
Ingredients
For the curried cashew cream
- 1 1/2 cup Nuts.com Supreme raw cashews, soaked overnight or for 30 minutes in hot water, drained & rinsed
- 1 cup vegan “beef” broth
- 1 tablespoon Nuts.com curry powder
- 1/2 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
For the delicata squash
- 2 delicata squash, halved, seeds removed
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon Nuts.com curry powder
- 1 teaspoon Nuts.com cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
For the filling
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 cup finely chopped red onion
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/4 cup Nuts.com walnut pieces
- 2 cups cooked Nuts.com exotic rice blend
- 2 cups finely shredded Lacinato kale
- 1/4 cup Nuts.com dried bing cherries, chopped
To garnish
- fresh thyme, Maldon salt, freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
Roast the squash
- Preheat the oven to 425°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Divide the oil between the 4 squash halves, drizzling it into the cavity of the squash where the seeds were. Using your hands rub the squash all over with the oil. In a little dish combine the curry powder, cinnamon, salt and pepper. Stir to combine then divide the spice mixture between the 4 squash halves. Use your hands to spread the spice mixture all over the squash halves then roast cut side down on the prepared baking sheet for 20 minutes.
Make the filling
- Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the onion and a pinch of salt to the pan and sauté until translucent, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic and walnuts to the pan and cook for another 2-3 minutes until the garlic is golden brown and the walnuts are lightly toasted. Add the cherries and the cooked rice into the pan, stir to combine then add the shredded kale and cook, folding the ingredients together until the kale is completely wilted, about 3-5 minutes more. Allow to cool slightly before stuffing the squash.
- Fill each roasted squash half with the rice mixture, you will have some left that can be spread around the serving platter. Put the squash back into the oven to heat through for an additional 10 minutes.
Make the cashew cream
- While the stuffed squash is warming in the oven, combine the cashews, broth, curry powder, salt, and garlic powder in a high powered blender. Blend until smooth.
To serve
- Arrange any leftover rice on a serving platter, place the stuffed squash over that and garnish with fresh thyme, Maldon salt, and freshly ground black pepper. Serve with the curried cashew cream on the side. I also garnished our dish with pickled cranberries, because I’m obsessed!
Notes
I like to use vegan “beef” broth to cook the rice in this recipe, it really adds a great depth of flavor!
Just served this recipe tonight for a dinner club. Really easy prep and the flavours remind me of Thanksgiving, especially with the pickled cranberries (piece de resistance). No need for an additional course, our tummies were full and satisfied without any additionals (and wine). Thank you for the amazing recipe!
★★★★★
I am so glad that you loved this recipe as much as we do and that it made for an easy holiday feast for your dinner club! Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts with.