[glad2bhome]

What do I do with an acorn squash? Any yummy recipe suggestions would be gladly appreciated!

~Melissa

 

[Mama Lori]

Acorn squash are so pretty, you want to serve them right in their shells.

Here is a delicious recipe I've used for many years. It's from Sunset Vegetarian Cookbook.

2 medium-size acorn squash (about 3 1/2 lbs. total)
1 1/2 cups vegetable broth
1/2 cup dried cranberries or raisins
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
2 large Granny Smith or Newtown Pippin apples (about 1 lb. total)
1 TBSP lemon juice
3/4 tsp. cinammon
1/8 tsp. nutmeg
1 TBSP chopped walnuts
1 package (14 oz.) firm tofu, rinsed, drained, and cut into 1/2-in. cubes
1 TBSP. balsamic vinegar
1 tsp. cornstarch
1/3 cup thinly sliced green onions
1/2 cup sour cream (nonfat/lowfat fine) or plain yogurt

Cut each squash in half lengthwise; scoop out and discard seeds and fibers. Place halves, cut side down in a 9x13 baking pan. Add broth. Bake at 350 until tender, about an hour.

Meanwhile, in small bowl combine cranberries and syrup, let stand until soft, about 10 min, stir occasionally. Peel, core, and thinly slice apples; place in large bowl, add lemon juice, and gently turn apples to coat with juice. Stir in cinammon and nutmeg.

Toast walnuts in a wide nonstick frying pan over med. heat, stirring often, until golden about 3 min. Remove from pan.

In frying pan, combine apples, cranberry mixture, and 1/4 cup water. Cook over med-high heat, stirring gently, until apples are almost tender when pierced (about 3 min.). Add tofu and cook just until heated through (2 min.). In small bowl, smoothly blend vinegar and cornstarch; add to tofu mixture. Cook, stirring, until sauce boils and thickens slightly (2 min.), remove from heat and stir in onions.

Arrange each squash half, skin side down, in a shallow individual bowl. Fill halves equally with tofu mixture; top with sour cream and sprinkle with walnuts. Makes 4 servings.

Hope you enjoy! We had this one year at Thanksgiving as a main dish for vegetarians and was a big hit.

 

[glad2bhome]

Thanks so much! Sounds yummy--and I was just thinking what to serve for Thanksgiving this year! (My husband has been a vegetarian for 12 years and he always ate the side dishes; I just "converted" this past year. That's what reading "Diet for a New America" will do to you!)

~Melissa

 

[Harper]

A real simple and every day kind of recipe: cut the acorn squash in half; clean out the seeds; put in some butter and brown sugar or maple syrup and bake until soft in a 375 degree oven--about 45 minutes to an hour. Very good and very easy.

 

[Kelly71]

MMM. I love winter squashes and anytime baking them with butter and brown sugar is involved is sure to be a treat!

My favorites are buttercup and blue hubbard. Both are dryer and tastier than traditional butternut.

 

[OdessaEarthenMama]

Yes, I do love the butter & brown sugar recipe, and for those non veg, I love to add a little bacon.

 

[glad2bhome]

Harper, I used your recipe last night with dinner--YUM! I was so afraid of that thing (the acorn squash)--it was just sitting in my produce basket. Nice to know cooking it can be so simple!

~Melissa