Thanksgiving is almost here! A glorious day centered around eating delicious food and spending time with loved ones. I love holidays where the gifts are purely good company and even better food. However, just because the food is traditionally rich and laden with all its sleepy time loveliness does not mean that there isn't room for a healthful dish loaded with nutritional value and delicately concealed behind exotic spices.

If you follow the blog than you already know that I love food that tastes good but is also good for the body. You will also know that I am notoriously late in posting my holiday ideas so I am so proud of myself this year because I am early with this Thanksgiving recipe! Yaayy me! I am also really excited to be experimenting with some new flavor profiles and trying to expand my knowledge through a self exploration of spices, it also doesn't hurt that I get to eat the results.

Cooking, like any other art form is an ever evolving practice and experimentation is key. We all know that vegetables on their own taste amazing and provide us with the most benefits but variety as they say, is the spice of life.

This dish is based on Tunisian spices, mainly harissa, a popular staple in North Africa consisting of chili peppers, garlic, olive oil, and salt with cumin, coriander or caraway thrown in depending on the exact origin. There are a variety of harissa products available, some very paste like and others more of a sauce so buy a few and give them a try to find your preference. In this dish I combined a Tunisian Harissa paste called Le Phare du Cap Bon with a Moroccan Harissa by Mediterranean Gourmet in order to create a depth when roasting the acorn squash. I also spiced the quinoa with cinnamon and cumin when cooking it so that it added to the flavor of the dish instead of only soaking up the flavors from the roasted veggies. I hope that you enjoy and share it with your loved ones this holiday season.

Tunisian Roasted Acorn Squash with Quinoa, Toasted Hazelnuts and Pomegranate Seeds

1 cup Quinoa

2 cups Water

1 tbs Cinammon

1 tbs Cumin

1 Acorn Squash, peeled and cubed

1 Red Onion, Quartered

1 head of Garlic, separated and peeled

1 tbs Olive Oil

1 tbs Harissa

1 tbs Honey

Pink Himalayan Sea Salt

1/2 cup toasted Hazelnuts

1/4 cup fresh Parsley, chopped

1/4 - 1/2 cup Pomegranate Seeds

Feta Cheese - optional

Honey for drizzling

In a saucepan bring the water, quinoa, cinnamon, cumin and a dash of salt to a boil. Cover and reduce heat to simmer for 15 minutes or until the water is gone. Set aside.

Preheat oven the 375. Toss the quartered onion, garlic cloves, and squash with 1 tbs olive oil, salt, harissa and honey. Place on a baking sheet and roast for 20 to 30 minutes until the onions have begun to brown and the squash is cooked through.

Meanwhile, toast the hazelnuts in a pan and set aside.

To serve, top the quinoa with the roasted vegetables, sprinkling the hazelnuts, pomegranate seeds and parsley over it and drizzling with honey. Serve warm or cold. Enjoy and Healthy eating!

Last week it seemed that spring was on the horizon, the sun was warming up and the birds where chirping and then Stella happened. She was a vicious woman and she brought with her snow, endless cold, wet snow. This was no ordinary snow, it wasn't fluffy and sweet but instead came down with a vengeance, obliterating any thought of spring. As the white stuff fell from the sky in droves, inch after inch until 30 had been accumulated I figured what else can I do but make some food.

As a food blogger you probably think that I am prepared for situations like this, a full pantry of grains and legumes, veggies loaded into the crisper and spices stored in every space but the truth is, I was not prepared for this storm. I tend to grocery shop once a week, buying fresh produce for smoothies and focusing on ingredients for one amazing meal for the week. I often eat this 2 or 3 times that week and then eat something simpler the other days. This week I did not make it to the grocery store so I had to scavenge for something great to eat.

That is how this delicious bowl was created, from scavenged refrigerator ingredients, basically the last of everything. The last of the quinoa, the last of the olive oil, the last of the chili sauce, the dish should really be called the last chance bowl since it was made with so many last bits of things. However, often times, this causes you to be creative and really think about how you are going to combine the ingredients on hand into something that really stands out.

In order to do this, I stuck with a Thai flavor pallet even though I was not necessarily using Thai ingredients. Sauteed asparagus and garlic became the focus as well as a hard boiled egg, apple cider vinegar marinated cabbage, a cucumber and of course the sauce! What dish would be complete without an amazing sauce, the fresh ginger, lime juice, soy, and Thai chili created an amazing blend of flavors that highlighted the fresh veggies and the heartiness of the quinoa. I hope that you enjoy!

Ginger Chili Lime Asparagus and Egg Quinoa Bowl

Makes 2 servings

1 cup dried Quinoa

2 cups Water

2 tbs Olive Oil

5 cloves Garlic, chopped

1 lb Asparagus, ends removed and cut in half

2 cups Cabbage, sliced

2 tbs Apple Cider Vinegar in 1 cup of Water

Pink Himalayan Sea Salt

I small Cucumber, sliced

1 tbs Sesame Seeds, toasted

2 Eggs, hard or soft boiled

Ginger Chili Lime Sauce

2 in fresh Ginger, peeled and grated

1 tbs Thai Chili Sauce

1/2 Lime, juiced

1 tsp Sesame Oil

1 tsp Olive Oil

1 tbs Soy Sauce

1/4 cup Water

Optional Garnish: Lime Wedges, Scallions, Peanuts

In a medium sauce pot, add 1 cup of quinoa, 2 cups of water and a sprinkle of sea salt, bringing to a boil before covering and reducing to a simmer for 20 minutes or until the water is absorbed.

Meanwhile, in a small pot add the cabbage, apple cider vinegar and water as well as a bit of salt and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and let simmer for 20 minutes as well or until softened and slightly tangy.

As the quinoa and cabbage cook, add 2 tbs of olive oil to a saute pan heating over medium high heat. Add the garlic, sauteing for 1 minute until fragrant and then adding the asparagus and a sprinkle of sea salt. Toss and cook until the asparagus is warmed, slightly browned yet still snappy.

Combine all of the sauce ingredients in a small bowl and whisk them together, adding more water for a thinner sauce and less for a thicker sauce.

Divide the quinoa into 2 bowls, top with the garlic and asparagus, cabbage, sliced cucumber, and hard boiled egg. Sprinkle with the toasted sesame seeds and top with the sauce. Garnish with scallions, peanuts and a squeeze of lime juice if desired. Enjoy and healthy eating!