- 2 gem squash
- 2 tsp cajun spice mix
- 75g quinoa
- 1 red onion
- 2 tomatoes
- 1 garlic clove
- 1 cayenne chilli
- 1 corn on the cob
- 1 bunch of radishes
- 1 lemon
- 1 avocado
- 1½ tbsp olive oil
- Sea salt
- 150ml boiling water
- Freshly ground pepper
- 1.
Heat your oven to 200°C/Fan 180°C/Gas 6. Spoon 1 tsp Cajun spice mix into a bowl. Add 1 tbsp olive oil and a pinch of salt. Slice the top – about 1/4 of the way down – off each gem squash. Scoop out the seeds with a spoon. Rub the spice mix into the flesh of each squash. Place the squash and lids on a baking tray lined with baking paper. Roast for 40 mins.
- 2.
While the squash are roasting, prepare the spiced quinoa stuffing. Rinse the quinoa well and shake dry. Peel and finely chop the red onion. Finely dice the tomatoes. Peel and grate the garlic. Finely chop the chilli, flicking out the seeds.
- 3.
Warm a medium pan and drizzle in ½ tbsp oil. Add the onion and cook for 5 mins till softened. Add the tomatoes, garlic and chilli. Cook for 1 min. Add the rinsed quinoa with ½ tsp Cajun spice mix. Pour in 150ml boiling water. Simmer on a gentle heat for 15 mins till the water has absorbed.
- 4.
Pull the leaves and silks off the corn cobs, then slice the kernels off the corn. Add them to the quinoa after it has cooked for 15 mins and stir them through.
- 5.
Finely slice the radishes. Wash the leaves and set aside for later. Zest and juice ½ the lemon. Toss the sliced radishes with the lemon juice and zest. Halve the avocado and scoop out the flesh. Thinly slice and toss with a pinch of salt and pepper and a squeeze of lemon juice.
- 6.
Remove the squash from the oven. The skin should be softened and the flesh fluffy. Heap the quinoa and corn filling into the squash shells till they're piled high.
- 7.
Divide the radish leaves between 2 plates. Top with the radishes and sliced avocado. Place a stuffed squash half on each plate. Scatter over the lemon zest and an extra dusting of Cajun spice.
- 8.
Did you avo?^ Squeezing lemon juice over freshly sliced avocado isn't just for flavour: the citric acid in the lemon's tart juice helps slow oxidisation – which is what's happening when you see a fresh avocado half start to go brown. So not only does a squeeze of citrus add a bright zing to your avo, it also keeps the fresh flesh a lovely creamy green.
- 9.