This time of year I will often roast acorn squash with a rub of Earth
Balance and brown sugar. My family loves squash prepared this way but
it's very sweet. This is a slightly different take on that recipe. It's
still sweet, but not overwhelming so, and it's so simple it becomes an
easy addition to any meal.
Roasted Acorn Squash Cook Time: 1 hour
2 acorn squash
1/8 C maple syrup
2T balsamic vinegar
1 T honey
1/4 t sea salt
freshly grated nutmeg
8 sage leaves
Preheat
the oven to 350 degrees F. Cut the squash in half from top to bottom.
Scrape out the
seeds with a spoon and place the squash on a baking sheet with the cut
sides up. In a bowl mix the maple syrup, balsamic vinegar, honey and sea
salt. Brush the cut sides of each squash with the mixture and grate
nutmeg over the squash. Lay two sage leaves on top of each squash and
bake for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, pull the squash out and baste.
Put it back in the oven for another 20 minutes. Repeat the
basting one last time using up the liquid mixture and finish roasting for another 20
minutes or until tender.
We are invited to Thanksgiving dinner at my sister's. She is an amazing cook... really amazing! So, what do I do? For years Thanksgiving dinner was always my favorite! I loved all the flavors, smells and tastes... the butter, the cream, the eggs, the turkey, the gravy... oh my! But now, I really don't eat a lot of what will be served, and I don't expect her to cook any differently because of me. Thanksgiving traditions are very important in this family.
Last year I was at my sister-in-law's for Thanksgiving. I was still new to this diet and I decided to eat as a vegetarian. It was actually quite nice to taste all those flavors (turkey aside) that I had so recently given up. It was really a treat, and I'll probably do the same this year. After all, what's really important here is being with family and sharing in the tradition of sitting down at the table with one another to eat and give thanks for all that we have... our family, our health, the laughter and love.
So now the dilemma is what to take? Bringing a vegan side dish that will please everyone will be my challenge. I decided to look back on some of my recipes from last fall. I found my stuffed acorn squash. I'm not sure I'll make this, but it's in the running. It's really wonderful. It has all the flavors of fall and everyone would like it, so it's under consideration.
Stuffed Acorn Squash
Serves 4
2 acorn squash – approximately 1.5 lbs each
2 C. rice - I used Lundberg Wild Blend, a blend of whole grain and wild rice
4 C. water for cooking rice
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 t. fresh sage, chopped
2 stalks of celery, chopped (1/2 C.)
1 apple, diced, with the skin on
1/2 C. dried cranberries
2 T. chopped walnuts
1/2 t. sea salt
pepper
Pam – non-stick cooking spray
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Cook the rice according to the directions on the package. Line a sheet pan with foil and lightly spray with Pam. Cut the acorn squash in half and seed. Place squash cut side down on the sheet pan and bake until tender, about 40 minutes. When the rice is nearly finished cooking, heat a non-stick saute pan over medium high heat and toast the walnuts stirring for about 3 minutes, remove and set aside. Spray the non-stick saute pan with Pam and heat the celery, garlic and sage together stirring for about 2 minutes. Add the rice, apple, cranberries, walnuts, salt and pepper. Mix well. Divide the mixture between the squash shells and warm in the oven for 10 minutes.
