Tofu with Savory Tahini Squash Sauce over Greens
1 carnival squash (can substitute butternut squash)
1 14 to 16 oz pkg of regular firm tofu
1 bundle of cooking greens (kale or collards)
2 onions: 1 small & 1 medium, both diced
soy sauce and apple cider vinegar, to taste
1/2 to 1 cup vegetable broth
1-2 heaping tablespoons tahini
1 tablespoons canola oil, olive oil, or margarine
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 to 3 teaspoon thyme
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon cayenne
salt and pepper, to taste
2-3 tablespoons walnuts
Preheat oven to 350.
Press tofu to remove water: Cut tofu horizontally into 3 slabs. Wrap each slab in a clean THICK kitchen towel. Put on a plate. Top with another plate. Put something heavy on top plate, like a cast-iron skillet or a pot filled with water. You can remove tofu from this press after 30 minutes or once squash is done roasting. Place on dry cutting board.
Roast squash: Cut squash in half length-wise. Spoon out strings and seeds. Place skin-side down onto a casserole dish. Cover bottom of casserole dish with water.This may require about 1 cup of water. Put in preheated oven. Remove once it's soft enough to stick a fork in it--about 30-35 minutes.
Wash cooking greens. Discard stems. Roll leaves and cut into wide strips. Place into a pot with small onion and about 1/2 cup of water. Cover and cook over medium heat to preferred tenderness. (I like it after it has steamed about 25 minutes or so.) Remember to keep an eye on your greens and add additional water if it dries out. Once done, season with little splashes of soy sauce and apple cider vinegar.
Heat canola oil, olive oil, or margarine in skillet over medium-low heat. Saute medium onion until it is softened. Add garlic, thyme, cinnamon, walnuts, cayenne and salt and pepper. Cook for 2-3 minutes--long enough for you to chop the pressed tofu into bite sized chunks. Add tofu to skillet and cook until tofu is golden.
Meanwhile, by this point the squash should be ready and you can make the sauce. Yay! Spoon squash flesh out of its skin into a blender. Add minimum amount of tahini and vegetable broth. Blend to create a thick and creamy sauce the consistency of your favorite gravy. Add more tahini or broth as needed depending on size of your squash and desired flavor and consistency.
Add sauce to tofu mixture in skillet. Cook over low heat for about 5 minutes, giving tofu a chance to absorb the sauce's flavor.
Serve saucy tofu over steamed greens. Corn bread or biscuits make a good companion to this dish.
SO HOW'D IT GO?
WE absolutely loved this recipe! I used tempeh instead of tofu and used butternut squash which worked so well with the tangy kale and savory tempeh. The only change I would make is baking the tempeh next time to cut down on the oil.
I didn't follow the recipe exactly but it turned out AMAZING!! The sauce was so good everyone was licking their bowls clean. I used summer squash so it wasn't as sweet as it would have been if I had used acorn or something else. Instead of veggie broth I used the juice off the chard that I cooked to accompany. I didn't use cinnamon but with only garlic, onion, salt, pepper, and cayenne for spices it had a really slow burn.
Thanks so much for this recipe!!
I didn't like this. It was too sweet. I don't like entrees that taste like desserts. It was also a lot of work. My squash took more than an hour and a half to get tender enough. I won't be making this again. Sorry.