Butternut squash stuffed with quinoa and beef

Butternut squash stuffed with quinoa and beef

serves 2-3

1 tbsp olive oil
1 medium butternut squash
300g minced beef

110g quinoa (uncooked, I used tricolour quinoa)
a handful of snap peas
half a medium apple
a small, sliced stalk of leek
a handful of raisins
a handful of coarsely chopped roasted almonds 
2 tsp fresh lemon thyme (or normal thyme)

a dash of ground nutmeg

a dash of ground cinnamon
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 220°C (200°C fan).
Cut the squash in half, place the halves on a baking tray and score the flesh with a sharp knife. Drizzle with a little olive oil, season with salt, pepper and 1 tsp of the thyme and bake for about 45-50mins.
In the meantime prepare the quinoa according to the instructions on the packet. Cut the leek in about 0.5 cm thick slices. Cut the snap peas into smaller pieces e.g. half them or so. Dice the apple.
Heat the olive oil in a non stick skillet over medium high heat. Add leek and snap peas and fry for about 5 minutes or until tender and slightly browned. Add apple and fry for another 5 minutes. Add the beef mince and cook until the beef is cooked through and has browned a little bit here and there. Season well with salt and pepper.
When the squash is baked, take it out of the oven and scoop out most of the meat. Add the squash meat to the beef and vegetable mixture. Add raisins, almonds, the remaining thyme, nutmeg and cinnamon.
In a big bowl combine the meat mixture with the cooked quinoa and season to taste.
Spoon the filling onto the butternut squash. Place the tray back in the oven and bake for another 10 minutes.
Serve with cottage cheese or sour cream.