Quickies Cooking Challenge: Avocado ?n? Feta

This past week, I’ve been cooking and baking up a storm in the kitchen because (a) I’ve had more time since my classes finished, and (b) once I board a plane for Beijing this upcoming Saturday morning, no more kitchen fun for five weeks! So, I’ve got to let my cooking creativity flow before I go.

Here’s a new one: how to combine avocado and feta cheese in a single dish, with ease, elegance, and enthusiasm (ok, I may have made up the three “e’s”, but I will strive to radiate them all ). When Denise of Quickies on the Dinner Table and Lazaro of Lazaro Cooks! issued their Quickies: Morning, Noon, and Night Cooking Challenge, I immediately started forming exotic combinations in my head.

Avocado, feta, and … burdock root? Nah, too chewy.

Avocado, feta, and … sea cucumber? Nah, too much like snot.

Hmm.

Wait, look what I found in our kitchen!

I can do something with this acorn squash … how about:

Acorn Squash Cradles Avocado, Feta, Tomato, and Egg (a.k.a. Stuffed Acorn Squash)

Serves 2

Ingredients:

One acorn squash

2 eggs

2 small tomatoes or 1 large tomato, diced (you’re using a serrated knife, right??)

1 avocado, seed removed and avocado sliced

1/4 cup feta cheese, crumbled

Your favorite fresh or dried herbs (I used fresh thyme)

Salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Wash and cut your acorn squash in half. Use a ridiculously large knife if necessary.

(This Japanese knife is called the “Pig-Sticker”. No, I’m not kidding. I wish.)

Spray lightly with oil and roast cut side up for 30 minutes, or until you can pierce the squash easily with a fork.

Meanwhile, combine beaten eggs, tomato, half of the avocado, and half of the feta. Pour into a lightly oiled pan over medium heat and scramble (push egg mixture toward center of pan repeatedly so that the egg “scrambles” ).

Once the acorn squash has cooled slightly, crumble a little feta into the “cup”.

Spoon the scrambled egg mixture into the squash and top with more feta and the rest of the avocado.  Add fresh ground pepper and flake salt, if desired.

Serve an acorn half to each person with a spoon and enjoy!

Easy? Most definitely! Elegant? Well, it depends on how elegantly you can eat when you’re digging around with a spoon. Enthusiastic? How do you measure enthusiasm, anyway? I guess I can say that I dug at my acorn squash with gusto Avocado and feta cheese is a delicious combination.

For those of you who want to enter the Quickies Challenge, visit this post for the rules. I’m crossing my fingers for a win because the prize is a copy of Denise’s superb cookbook, Quickies: Morning, Noon, and Night.

Thanks to Denise and Lazaro for cooking up such a fun contest!

Did you know that eggs are a cheap but powerful source of protein? For those of you who include eggs in your diet, I’ll talk a little about how important they are next week. In the meantime, have a great day, everyone!

Q: Do you have a “go to” quick meal for those days when you need a meal FAST?