VeganMoFo Day 11: Squash Boats

I saw the cutest little yellow, golf ball-sized globe squash at the farmers’ market yesterday. If you’re like me, you go to the farmers’ market for the ambiance, admire nature’s bounty...and then proceed to buy everything in sight without a recipe in mind. That’s how I got suckered into buying these little babies…I can never say no to miniature vegetables. (Can you?)  I ended up making little squash boats. You can serve them as an appetizer, but I had them as the main course with brown rice. Yum!

Recipe adapted from the Cooking with PETA cookbook

3 medium globe squash or zucchini (or 6 tiny ones)

2 tablespoons olive oil

2-3 garlic cloves, minced

1 medium onion, chopped

1 cup of crumbled tofu, tempeh, or vegan ground round (I used Gimme Lean Sausage)

3 tablespoons nutritional yeast

½ teaspoon oregano

½ teaspoon red chili pepper flakes

¼ cup tomato sauce or marinara sauce

Salt and pepper, to taste

1. Slice squash in half and scoop out the pulp. Transfer the empty boats to a greased baking dish. 
2. Chop the squash pulp and set aside.
3. Heat oil in a skillet. Add garlic and sauté until fragrant.
4. Add onion and brown for 2-3 minutes.
5. Add vegan ground round, chopped squash pulp, nutritional yeast, oregano, red chili pepper flakes, and tomato sauce. Sauté for 2-3 minutes more.
6. Season with some salt and pepper.
7. Add 1-2 spoonfuls of filling to each boat.
8. Cover with with foil and bake for 30 minutes in a 375°F oven.
9. Remove foil and bake for an additional 15 minutes.

Some notes:

• Next time, I’ll try sprinkling some breadcrumbs over the filling for an added crunch.
• I might add some finely chopped walnuts or pecans to the filling too.
• I guess I could’ve easily skipped the boat part and just sautéed all the ingredients together as a stir-fry, but where’s the fun in that?  :)