Butternut Squash Pecan Gratin with Vegan Goat Cheese
Author: 
Recipe type: vegetable, casserole
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 3-4
 
Ingredients
  • one large butternut squash about 3#
  • 3 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil, divided (2 Tbsp. to sauté the onions and garlic, 1 Tbsp. to grease casserole dish)
  • 1 cup finely chopped shallot or yellow onion
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 cup milk of choice (I used unsweetened soy milk)
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • several grinds of black pepper
  • 5 oz. vegan 'goat cheese': 1 cup of pine nuts and/or macadamia nuts blended with 1 Tbsp mellow white miso, juice of 1 small lemon, ½ Tbsp. apple cider vinegar, ¼ tsp. yogurt starter
  • ¾ cup pecans
  • 1 Tbsp. hemp hearts
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Cook butternut squash for 20 minutes (alternatively, if the squash is small enough to fit in your microwave, microwave it for 5 minutes, stopping to rotate the squash half-way through).
  3. Meanwhile, blend the vegan 'goat cheese' in your food processor or blender, preferably a small one. Adjust the amount of lemon and vinegar to your taste. You may have to stop the blender and scrape down the sides several times due to the recipe being a small amount.
  4. Chop onion and mince garlic.
  5. Sauté onions and 2 Tbsp olive oil in a large pot for about five minutes, until onion softens and starts to brown. Add garlic and sauté for another minute.
  6. Remove butternut squash from oven, cool, peel, cut into ¼" half-rounds.
  7. Add squash, milk, and salt and pepper to the pot with the onions and garlic and simmer with the lid on for five minutes.
  8. Grease the baking dish with the other Tbsp. of the olive oil.
  9. Place a layer of half the squash in the casserole dish.
  10. Sprinkle with half the goat cheese.
  11. Place the other half of the squash into the casserole dish.
  12. Dot the top of the casserole with the remaining 'goat cheese'
  13. Add pecans on top.
  14. Sprinkle top with hemp hearts.
  15. Bake for 50 minutes until squash is soft.
Recipe by Fit and Fed at http://fitandfed.net/2013/02/03/butternut-squash-pecan-gratin-vegan-goat-cheese/