Butternut Squash and Mushroom Sauté with Pomegranate and Quinoa

Feast your eyes on my newest creation, forged tonight on the tiny stove of apartment 3A. 

When I fall into a sour mood, I often feel the urge to scour every counter top, scrub every sink, do all my laundry, take out the garbage, wash all the dishes---see a pattern? 

On top of all that, I like to throw myself into cooking. Yes, yes, whip out the ol' frying pan and attempt a new concoction. That will surely keep me occupied while my insides boil over.

Whew!

I digress. 

This was an experiment dish for me, one I have never made before. I learned a few things.

1. Seed the pomegranate before food is already cooking in the pan--it takes longer than you think. 

2. When cooking with fresh sage, a little goes a long way. Also, cook it longer than you would typically cook other herbs, unless you're into bitter tastes.

3. Don't be afraid to try strange flavors together, or strange colors.

In order to make this dish, you will need:

-1/2 cup rinsed red quinoa

-1 cup water

-coconut oil

-1 cup butternut squash, cubed

-1 cup sliced mushrooms

-pomegranate seeds (any quantity that makes you happy)

-1 sliced leek

-a few fresh sage leaves

-dash of nutmeg

-salt and pepper

Cooking Instructions:

Pour half a cup of rinsed quinoa into a pan, add one cup of water, and bring to a boil. Then, reduce the heat to low, place a lid on top the pan, and let the quinoa cook while you make the rest of the dish (about 10-15 minutes).

In a medium frying pan, heat 1 about tablespoon of coconut oil over medium heat. Add the leek and cook for approximately 2 minutes. Then add the butternut squash and sage leaves, and cook until the squash is medium-soft. Toss on a dash of nutmeg and add the mushrooms, cooking the ingredients until the mushrooms begin to caramelize. At this point, the butternut squash should be soft. Turn down the heat, and salt and pepper the dish as desired.

Fluff the quinoa with a fork, scoop some onto a plate, add the vegetable ingredients, and toss on some of those gorgeous red rubies (pomegranate seeds, of course). Goat cheese would have been a nice addition to the plate, but I did not have any on hand tonight. 

Feast your hearts out, loves.