Baked and Stuffed Avocados With Cashew Queso and Sausage
[Vegan, Gluten-Free]

To Make the Salsa Pico:

1. Add all of the ingredients and stir gently to combine in a medium-sized bowl. Set this aside.

To Make the Queso:

1. In a small saucepan, add butternut squash, cashews, garlic, and 1 tablespoon salt.
2. Bring this to a slow boil on medium-high heat for 5 minutes.
3. Remove this from the heat to cool, drain and add the mixture to a high-speed blender.
4. Add in remaining ingredients (except hatch chili) and blend for 3-4 minutes until wicked smooth, then add hatch chili and pulse for 5 seconds to incorporate and still leave it chunky.

To Make the Avocados:

1. Slice and half the avocados to make 6 portions.
2. Remove the pits and place the avocados onto a baking sheet. Set this aside.
3. Remove the casing and crumble sausage by hand into a bowl.
4. Heat a sauté pan over medium heat, then add the red onion and sear for about a minute.
5. Add in the crumbled sausage and sauté it for 3 minutes more. The more charring you get the more flavor it will have; however, be careful not to burn it! Remove this from the heat and allow it to cool.
6. Make sure the avocados will stand up on own by gently pressing them down they won’t tip over.
7. Add roughly 1 tablespoon of cashew queso, then top that with 1 tablespoon of sausage-onion mixture in the center of each avocado.
8. Bake them for 10 -15 minutes, then remove from oven and top with the salsa pico. Garnish with the cilantro and jalapeños as desired, sprinkle them with a touch of salt, and serve them immediately.