If falling leaves and changing colors don’t let me know that autumn is here, my local organic grocery leaves no doubt: plump pumpkins and squashes of every variety suddenly appear in bright piles, which leads me to thinking about stews and gratins and this easy baked acorn squash recipe, most of all.
Baked acorn squash is easy, classic, warming, and beautiful.
Baked Acorn Squash
Yield: 2 servings
1 acorn squash
1 tablespoon vegan margarine (optional)
1 tablespoon maple syrup
/or/
1/4 tsp. liquid stevia with 1-2 drops of maple flavoring
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Cut the squash in half, from stem to bottom. I use a mallet to gently tap a big chef’s knife into the squash. It always wants to go crooked. Ah well. Scoop out the seeds and stringy bits, scrapping the insides. Cut a crosshatch design deep into the flesh. Use margarine or oil on all cut surfaces, or you can skip all that fat and just go to the next step. Place in a shallow pan, add an inch of water, and bake in the oven for an hour or so. The squash needs to be very soft before it’s done.
These little boats make wonderful containers for all sorts of things: quinoa with sautéed vegetables (shown), cauliflower pilaf, bread stuffing with bits of tempeh or tofu with teriyaki flavors, Moroccan flavors with couscous, raisins, orange peel, and chickpeas…really, this is limited only by your imagination and the contents of your refrigerator!
