What do you take to a Christmas party given by vegetarians? Easy, try my stuffed butternut squash.

The gorgeous contrast of the orange squash, dark wild rice speckled with cranberries, and slivered almonds is a festive addition to the potluck. Even if you are not vegetarian, you could serve this as a side dish with roast turkey, goose, Cornish game hen or ham.

Adding nutty flavor, the wild rice is also very nutritious, high in protein, carbohydrate and fiber but low in fat (less than 1 percent). The wild rice is high in potassium and phosphorus. It's an excellent source of folate (folic acid), zinc and the B vitamins (thiamin, riboflavin, and niacin).

Native Americans who lived near the lakes of the upper Midwest and southern Canada gathered the rice by hand from their natural habitats. Today, most wild rice sold on the market is cultivated in paddies. Many crops are grown in Minnesota; it is also cultivated in northern California, Idaho and on the the East Coast.

Although wild rice is more expensive than other rice, you don't use as much because it expands to about four times its volume when cooked. To further offset the cost, combine it with brown or Basmati rice.

Rinse the rice well before cooking to remove chaff or debris. Place in a colander, and run cold water over it until it runs clear. Use one part rice to three parts of water, bring to a boil, then add the condiments.

FESTIVE STUFFED BUTTERNUT SQUASH

4 butternut squashes (approximately 1 pound each)

2 cups water

3/4 cup wild rice, raw, rinsed

canola oil cooking spay

1 cup Maui onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 medium orange, fresh squeezed

2 1/2 cups multigrain bread, torn and packed firmly

1 teaspoon poultry seasoning

1/3 cup dried cranberries, currants or both

1/4 cup slivered almonds, or pine nuts (optional)

flat-leaf parsley

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Using a paring knife, score around the perimeter of the squash. Place the knife in the middle of the long side of the squash and cut the squash in half. Scoop out the seeds and fibers with a grapefruit spoon or any other scraping tool. Cover shallow baking pans with foil and place the squashes cut side up. Cover tightly with more foil. Bake 40 to 50 minutes or until fork tender. Set aside to cool.

In a saucepan, bring water to boil. Add the wild rice, reduce to simmer and allow to steam for 40 minutes or until all the water is absorbed. Spray large dutch oven with cooking spray. Saute the onion and garlic until the onion is lightly browned.

Do not burn. Add the cooked rice, orange juice, bread, cooked wild rice, poultry seasoning, cranberries and slivered almonds. Scoop out the pulp with a large tablespoon leaving the sides of the squashes about 1/2-inch thick. Gently fold the tablespoons of squash into the rice mixture. Stuff each squash generously with stuffing and place them into foiled-lined pans and cover. Bake for 20 minutes or until well heated through. Garnish with parsley.

Yields 8 servings.