Friday, August 23 Soba Noodles with Broccoli and Tofu, Five Spice Delicata Squash; Rating: 4.75

With the abundance of winter squash we have, I’ve needed to get a little creative. I remembered the recipe in Appetite for Reduction for Five Spice Delicata Squash. It’s really simple, just four ingredients including the squash, and is so delicious. I wasn’t sure what Seth would think of it, so I never made it for him before. He. Loved. It. The mildly sweet flavor of the squash with the five spice powder is so good – and it tastes all buttery and roasty and rich. So good. You have to make it. Keeping with the Asian theme for dinner, I marinated some tofu (Veganomicon Asian tofu recipe) and then popped it in the oven with the squash when it had about 25 minutes to go. OK, squash, check; tofu, check. I decided that rather then rice or basic stir-fried veggies, I’d go with soba noodles and broccoli. Simple, but a nice accompaniment.  I put a little water in the wok, tossed in the broccoli, covered it with a metal pizza pan and let it steam until it was bright green – lightly cooked, but still crisp. When the noodles were done, I added them to the broccoli along with the marinade from the tofu and a little chili-garlic paste. I should have added a little more of that, but it was still good. We just buy frozen spring rolls – there are a lot of brands out there that are vegan, even if just accidentally. Serve with hot mustard, sweet chili sauce, tamari and sricracha for dipping. I have to say, I was rather surprised when Seth said he’d rate this as high as he did; I guess I underestimated just how much he liked that squash.