Vegan MoFo #13: Twice Baked Acorn Squash

I am starting to notice a recurring ingredient in my Vegan MoFo posts: winter squash. There has been kabocha, delicata, pumpkin, and butternut squash, now it is time for some acorn squash!

Admittedly, the flavor and texture of acorn squash is my least favorite of all winter squashes. The most popular way to prepare this squash is to stuff it with sweet or savory fillings, but for me the stuffing never seems to flavor (read: cover up) the squash enough. I had all but given up on this popular winter squash, and then I found a method for twice baked acorn squash. Baked first, then the flesh is scooped out and mashed up with the stuffing, before being packed back into the skin and baked once more.

This method worked perfectly and took away all of my reasons that I normally dislike acorn squash. I pureed the squash flesh which eliminated any stringy bits that usually gross me out, and into the food processor went some additional flavoring to spice up the bland taste that normally bores me. If you are without a food processor, never fear, you can easily mash up the squash by hand.

I encourage you to try out this method with your favorite squash stuffing. For me, that was wild rice, cremini mushrooms, leeks, and peas -- a real savory squash treat!



Twice Baked Acorn Squash
(inspired by Hangry Pants)
Serves 2

1 large acorn squash, sliced in half top to bottom, seeds removed
1/2 cup uncooked wild rice
2 leeks, white and light green parts, sliced
2 cups sliced mushrooms (I used cremini)
2 cloves of garlic, minced 
1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves (or 1/2 tbsp dried)
1/2 cup frozen peas
2 tbsp unsweetened non-dairy milk
2 tbsp nutritional yeast
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 tsp dijon mustard
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp chopped parsley

Prepare rice according to package directions. While the rice is simmering, prepare the squash. Preheat oven to 400. Place squash halves face down in casserole dish in 1/2" of water. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the flesh is very tender. Set aside to cool for at least 10 minutes. (May do both a day ahead). Lower heat to 350.

Heat 1/2 tbsp olive oil in a large skillet. Add leeks, garlic, and thyme and saute for 4-5 minutes. Add mushrooms and saute for an additional 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms are lightly browned. Stir in peas when the mushrooms are nearly done, just long enough to thaw them. Stir in rice and remove from heat.

Scoop out squash flesh leaving about 1/4" in the skin to hold the structure, reserve skins. Puree flesh in food processor or mash by hand, along with non-dairy milk, lemon juice, nutritional yeast, mustard, onion powder, paprika, and salt, until smooth.

Pour squash mixture into the pan with the rice mixture, and add parsley. Stir to coat. Stuff the squash skins with mixture and bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes, until hot. Serve and enjoy!

Creamy Garbanzo-ball and Wild Rice Soup

  

I recently picked up some black short grain rice without any big plans on what I would use it for. The first thing that came to mind was coming up with a vegan friendly creamy chicken and wild rice soup. This sounded tasty and I was up to the challenge. 

I worked out all of the vegetables and also what the creamy dairy-free broth would be composed of, so the only thing left to figure was the chicken substitute. Chicken flavored bean balls would be fun, yes? Ah, yes, and I knew that garbanzo beans would be up to the task. 

The end result was creamy, hearty, and exactly what I was going for. My only complaint is that when I stirred the rice into the pot of gorgeous creamy white soup it discolored the broth a little bit. Of course this did not make the soup less delicious, it just made it a teeny bit less pretty for its closeup.

 

Creamy Garbanzo-ball and Wild Rice Soup

Serves 4

2 cups cooked short grain black rice (or wild rice, or blend of choice)

3 carrots, chopped

3 ribs of celery, chopped

1 medium onion, diced

1 cup of frozen peas

2 cloves of garlic, minced

1 tsp dried thyme

1/2 tbsp dried parsley

2 bay leaves

5 cups water

2-1/2 not chick'n bouillon cubes

1 cup rice milk

1 cup firm silken tofu (1/2 package)(or more for a thicker soup)

3 tbsp chickpea flour

Garbanzo-balls

1 15 oz. can chickpeas

1/2 not chick'n bouillon cube

1/2 tbsp tahini

1/2 tbsp cornstarch

1/2 tbsp dried parsley

1/4 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp dried thyme

3 tbsp water

1/2 cup chickpea flour

Spray soup pot with olive oil cooking spray and heat over medium heat. Add onions and saute for about 5 minutes, or until translucent. Add a couple of tablespoons of water if onions start to stick. Stir in garlic and saute for another minute before mixing in carrots, celery, thyme, parsley, and bay leaves. Continue to saute, stirring often for 5 minutes. Add water and bouillon cubes and stir until bouillon dissolves completely. Turn up heat to bring to boil and then reduce heat to simmer. Meanwhile start the garbanzo-balls.

Combine all ingredients except the chickpea flour in food processor and puree. Add in flour gradually and pulse until fully incorporated. The flour should dry out the mixture a little bit, but it should still be moist. The mixture should be easy to roll into balls, and shouldn't be overly sticky and moist. Spray a large non-stick skillet and heat over medium heat. Grab a heaping tablespoon of the bean mixture and roll into a ball and add into the skillet as you go. The mixture should make about 20 balls. Roll the garbanzo-balls around in the pan every 2 minutes or so, to brown all sides. You just want these to lightly brown and crisp up on the outside, but watch carefully to not darken them too much as this will dry them out. 

The garbanzo-balls should be done in 10-15 minutes, and by this time the veggies in the soup pot should be tender and ready to go. Remove the bay leaves and mix in the frozen peas. Puree rice milk, tofu, and chickpea flour in your blender and then stir into the soup pot. Lastly stir in your garbanzo-balls and rice and bring to temperature. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

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I am submitting this soup to the March No Croutons Required blogging event, in which the theme is soups and salads featuring chickpeas. Vote for your favorite soup or salad starting March 20.

Don't forget to enter my Primal Strips giveaway, open until the end of the day this Friday, March 5!