Pictured is roasted acorn squash with lime butter, mushrooms and tatsoi, crunchy lentil salad, and brown rice. The brown sauce all over my plate is the triple ginger teriyaki sauce from Maido! in Narberth, PA.
First, make your rice. Our brown rice takes an hour, so get that going first.
The squash recipe starts with splitting the squash. Remove the seeds, wash them, and then arrange in a single layer on foiled baking sheet and salt generously. Preheat the oven to 350F, oil another baking sheet and place the acorn squash (or any other squash will do as well) cut side down on the sheet. Roast the squash at 350F for 40-50 minutes until soft when you test with a fork. You can put the seeds in at the same time, but stir them every 8-10 minutes until browned and toasted, usually about 20 to 30 minutes.
When you take the squash out, turn so they are cut side up with a spatula, and score the inside with your fork (this lets the lime and butter into the squash). Cut one or two tablespoons butter into the squash cavity, then divide the juice of one lime among the squash so there are equal parts butter and lime juice. Let it cool while preparing the rest of the meal, and the butter will melt and mix with the lime juice and marinade the squash.
For the tatsoi, cut the stems from the leaves and divide. Chop some mushrooms, either shiitake, cremini, or both. Saute the stems of the tatsoi in 1 tbsp oil with some garlic and ginger if you have it until softened, about 5 minutes. Add 2 tbsp rice vinegar and 1 tbsp tamari or soy sauce, the mushrooms, and the tatsoi leaves and continue to saute until the leaves wilt about another 3-5 minutes.
Crunchy lentil salad, heat 3 cups water, 1 tbsp thyme, 1 bay leaf, and 1 cup dried lentils until boiling. Depending on the lentils, set the timer to 13 minutes, and test how crunchy they are. If still too crunchy, test after another 3 minutes and repeat, but don't let them get mushy!
