Fruity Stuffed Butternut Squash

Total Time: 1 hr 50 mins Preparation Time: 20 mins Cook Time: 1 hr 30 mins

Ingredients

• 1 medium butternut squash
• 1/2 cup dried apricot, cut in half
• 1/4 cup raisins (i use thompsons)
• 1/2 cup orange juice (tropicana calcium fortified, with pulp, is best, you can't taste the pulp here)
• 2 tablespoons raw sunflower seeds
• 2 tablespoons raw pumpkin seeds

Recipe

• 1 soak the apricots and raisens in the juice overnight. if you forget to do this, no biggie. see below.
• 2 cut your squash in half, and scoop out the seeds/pulp. place in a glass pan, cut-side down, and stab each half a few times like you would a potato. pour on about 1 cm of water, and bake in a 325 f oven about 50 minute (medium squash) or 1 hr and 15 min (large squash- times are approximate guesses). test with a long knife. you know it's done when it's quite soft all through, but not actually mushy.
• 3 if you didn't soak the fruit, place it with juice in a small pot, bring to a boil and immediately remove from heat. let sit, covered, while squash bakes.
• 4 5 minute before the squash is done, transfer the fruit mixture to a food processor or mini-chopper if you have one. pulse a few times, then add the seeds and blend till they're slightly chopped. it should be like a thick, chunky paste.
• 5 turn squash halves rightside up, scoop the fruit mix in the hollow part, and cover the pan with foil or a glass lid. bake 10-15 minutes more.
• 6 to serve, divide squash among plates and give each a share of the fruity stuff. mash it up together, it's really good that way!