Green Beans With Butternut Squash, Tofu and Maple Syrup Glaze

hungry vegan's Note:

Great dish. A wonderful experience for your whole mouth, tastes even better served with salad and fresh crusty bread. My mother-in-law introduced it to me, and it is now one of my favourite dishes... It is from Crank's vegetarian cook book.

• Total Time: 37 mins
• Prep Time: 10 mins
• Cook Time: 27 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 3

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 dash Tabasco sauce
• 1 dash sea salt
• 1 dash ground black pepper
• 1 butternut squash
• 4 garlic cloves (unpeeled)
• 2 small red onions
• 150 g green beans
• 275 g firm tofu
• 2 tablespoons tamari
• 30 g whole almonds (optional)
• 1 tablespoon maple syrup

Directions:

1. top and tail green beans.
2. cut tofu into about 16 cubes.
3. chop almonds into slivers.
4. remove seeds from squash and cut into strips.
5. Pre-heat oven highest setting.
6. Mix 1 table spoon of olive oil, tabasco, salt and pepper.
7. Put squash, garlic and onion into roasting tin.
8. Baste squash, garlic, and onion with olive oil mixture.
9. Tuck garlic cloves and almonds into and among the squash (so they dont burn).
10. Roast for 25 minutes and steam beans.
11. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in smal pan, add tofu and fry for a minute on high heat.
12. Add tamari, reduce heat and fry until well browned and crisp in places. (this should take about 10 minutes).
13. After the squash, garlic and onions have been in for 25 minutes, glaze with maple syrup and mix.
14. Place tofu on top of roast mixture, and put it back into the oven for another 2 minutes.

Reviews

[justcallmetoni]

This dish has two components and my reactions to each were a little different. Loved, loved, loved the roasted vegetables and green beans. They are among my favorite vegetables a but until now had never put them together. The combination of hot sauce and maple syrup was perfect as it accentuated the natural sweetness of the roasted squash and onions without the cloyingly sweet fare that is all too common. I would give that part 6-stars if I could. I am somewhat new to tofu but am trying to eat more as I increasingly move towards more meatless meals. I tried to make this low fat by cutting the oil in half and cooking it in a nonstick skillet. Thought it went well and I did get a nice crust on the tofu. Did I love it? Not yet. But I did think it went well with the veggies as the saltiness from the tamari was a good contrast to the sweetness of the veggies. Thanks!!