I don’t really consider myself a squash person. I like to look at squash. I like it when our neighbors decorate their stoops with cute little varieties of squash and leaves and the occasional haystack. Fall harvest scenes make me crave warm apple pie, and I’m cool with that. Draw a face on that pumpkin. Stuff some berries in that gourd. Pass me some candy that’s been shaped into the form of a squash but that actually tastes like chocolate. I’ll eat it all day.
I decided to try being a grown up for once and ate something I wouldn’t normally eat. It came down to a tie between acorn squash and brussels sprouts, but since the kind folks at Williams-Sonoma said I could cover an acorn squash in maple syrup and cranberries, I chose squash. And of course I totally liked it, even though I was a huge baby about trying it and I made a very dramatic face before I took a bite, expecting the worst. I will absolutely make this as a side dish for Thanksgiving this year.
But I’ll have to keep it away from my cat, because he became obsessed with trying to cuddle it.
Recipe: Roasted Acorn Squash
Ingredients:
3 acorn squash
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup maple syrup
3 tbsp vegan butter substitute, melted
1/4 cup + 1 tbsp water
1/4 cup orange juice, fresh squeezed
2 tbsp orange zest
2 tbsp fresh thyme, chopped
sea salt and fresh ground black pepper
Preheat your oven to 400 Fahrenheit.
Slice each squash carefully into pieces roughly 1/2 inch thick. If the rings aren’t eve or if you accidentally slice the ring open, don't worry. It will taste the same.
Cut the middle seedy part out of each ring with a knife.
Discard (or roast) the seeds.
Put the rings in a bowl, sprinkle with pepper and salt.
Add 2 tbsp of the vegan butter and toss.
Put the sqush rings in a large saute pan. Don't worry if they overlap.
Mix orange juice, 1/4 cup water, and orange zest. Pour this mixture over top of the rings.
Cook the squash rings until tender for 15 minutes. Rotate them every five minutes or so.
Whisk the remaining water, maple syrup and vegan butter together.
Once the squash rings are tender remove them from the heat and pour the syrup mixture. Sprinkle the thyme and cranberries over them.
Bake the squas at 400 F for 15-20 minutes, until tender.
Serve warm and enjoy!
