When we’re bored, we sit around and ask each other questions like: What’s your favorite preparation of sausage? And also: Do you think you could eat an entire stick of butter in one sitting?

Until recently, we also used to frequently discuss what magically regenerating food item we’d choose to take with us to a deserted island. In this fantasy, there’s no nutritional variation between chocolate and broccoli. Obviously.

This particular question became somewhat less fun, however, when we learned the correct answer, which is quinoa. I know! Quinoa?! But yes — quinoa has a ton of protein, fiber, iron and other important nutrients. It’s sometimes called the The Super Grain. Or even The Mother Grain. (Even though, shhh, it’s not actually a whole grain, but rather a seed).

We’ve experimented with quinoa a little bit before, and thought it would be perfect for stuffing when we found these gorgeous summer squash at a roadside farm stand in Maine. These ended up being filling enough, while still featuring beautiful and fresh seasonal produce. We could have just eaten the quinoa alone we loved it so much, and with the summer squash, this was a stunning and healthy addition to an outdoor evening meal.

Ingredients:
4 round summer squash
2 cups cooked quinoa (cooked according to package instructions)
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1-2 cup button mushrooms, sliced thinly and halved
1/2 onion, chopped
2 tbsp red wine
2 tbsp olive oil
1/4 tsp cumin
1/2 smoked gouda cheese, grated (optional)
salt and pepper (to taste)

Instructions:
Carefully cut along the top edge of the squash and remove the top with its stem. Scoop out more flesh of the squash if the cavity does not seem big enough to stuff. You can cut up the flesh and add it back in with the vegetables and quinoa later. Preheat oven to 350, place squash in a baking dish, and cook for about 40 minutes, until insides have softened. Heat olive oil in a large pan, then add onions and cook until soft, about three minutes. Add pepper and any additional squash, cook for another 1-2 minutes, then add mushrooms and wine, and cook until all vegetables are almost cooked entirely (about another 2 minutes). In a large bowl, gently stir together vegetable mixture and quinoa. Add cumin, and salt and pepper to taste. Spoon quinoa into squash, top with cheese, and bake for an additional 10 minutes, until cheese has melted and squash is completely soft. You can mix quinoa and cheese together once the squash is removed from the oven, or just serve.