Acorn Squash "Boats"

Several weeks ago Katie posted these beautiful zucchini boats, which inspired me to do some "boating" of my own, but instead with the acorn squash from our garden.

I popped them in the oven (whole, not cut in half yet) for 30 minutes at about 350 degrees. Next I cut them in half, laid them seed side facing down, and then placed them back in the oven for about 15 minutes.


Next I flipped them over, scrapped out all of the seeds, and placed about 2 tsp of Smart Balance margarine and ~1 tsp Splenda brown sugar in the boats.



Next I added ~1/4 cup brown rice (brown rice is a whole grain, wahoo!).



Then I added ~1/4 cup black beans (beans are packed with soluble fiber, which is a great way to lower cholesterol, and they also have many disease-fighting plant nutrients).



Next I added ~1/4 cup lean ground beef, which had been seasoned with cumin and cinnamon. By the way, I bought grass-fed beef today at the store. I can't wait to use it. I've never tried it before! It's supposed to have a higher content of omega-3 fats.



Next I added ~2 T of FULL FAT shredded cheese and some spinach, then placed them under the broiler for about 2 minutes.



Ok, so I need some photography lessons. This picture doesn't make my mouth water, but these acorn boats were fabulous. Please, do yourself a favor, and make some today (large acorn squash work best)!



Question: Have you ever gone "boating" in your kitchen? What did you use as your boat?