Baked Butternut Squash with Saucy Rice & Salad

Vegan

This is a truly sumptuous dish yet it isn't difficult. If you don't have cooked wholegrains, they can be made - as with the sauce and salad - while the squash is baking. The picture here shows the recipe made with quinoa. Try experimenting - a fried smoked tofu cubes or a few handfuls of cooked aduki beans would work well in the recipe.

Serves:

Time:

45-60 mins

Gluten free

No nuts

No sesame

No soya

Reduced fat

Reduced sugar

Ingredients:

Oil spray
1 large butternut squash cut into 4 and de-seeded - don't bother peeling. If you are in a hurry, chop into smaller pieces which will cook more quickly.

1 cup cooked brown rice or other wholegrain, eg quinoa or buckwheat.(If you don't have leftovers, cook the grains while the squash is baking.)

2 shallots, chopped fine
2 tbsp vegetable stock
2 tbsp red wine
Handful of raisins
Good pinch of cinnamon
Handful of chopped fresh parsley

Sauce
Half a jar (about 3 large) roasted red peppers - in brine not oil - drained
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp crushed garlic
1 tsp nutritional yeast flakes
Pinch ground allspice

To serve:
Green Salad ingredients for 4 or steamed greens of your choice

Method:

1. Pre-heat oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas Mark 4.

2. Grease a baking tray with oil spray and coat the squash pieces in it. Bake squash for 45-60 minutes or until soft. If you don't have leftover brown rice or other wholegrains, cook from scratch now, while the squash is baking.

3. Cook shallots in stock and red wine - along with the raisins, cinnamon and parsley - in a heavy-bottomed pan until shallots are soft and liquid reduced to almost nothing. Set aside.

4. Now make the sauce by blending everything together until smooth.

5.Meanwhile, make green salad or steam greens.

6. In a medium-large saucepan, heat the sauce and the shallot/wine mixture together. Add rice and heat everything through thoroughly.

7. Pour this mixture over the baked squash and serve with the salad or greens.