Eating colorful plant foods—from dark blue and purple to green, yellow, orange, and red—is the key to good nutrition and good skin. Take butternut squash as an example. Its brilliant orange color indicates it’s chock-full of carotenoids and vitamin C, which help protect against UV-induced skin damage.
Hasselback Butternut Squash with Pickled Red Onion & Herbed Salsa
Ingredients
- 2 lb butternut squash, whole
- 1 tsp extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra
- 1/3 cup crumbled plain vegan soft cheese
- 1/2 cup rice vinegar
- 1 tsp finely grated lime zest
- 1 tsp maple syrup
- 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 red onion, halved and very thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup packed fresh Italian parsley
- 1/4 cup packed fresh mint leaves
- 1/4 cup packed fresh cilantro leaves
- 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 large garlic clove, smashed and minced
- 1 Tbsp fresh squeezed lime juice
- Generous pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
- Salt, to taste (optional)
Nutrition
Per serving:
- calories193
- protein4g
- fat12g
- carbs20g
- sugar5g
- fiber3g
- sodium239mg
Directions
01
Preheat oven to 425 F. Line baking sheet with parchment. Set aside.
02
Roast the squash: Peel butternut squash to reveal bright orange flesh. Thinly shave top and bottom from squash and cut down middle to form 2 symmetrical halves. Scoop out seeds and discard. Brush cut sides of squash with oil and place cut-side down on prepared baking sheet. Roast in oven for 15 to 20 minutes, or until you can almost pierce it with a paring knife.
03
Make the pickled red onion: While squash roasts, in small saucepan, heat rice vinegar. Pour into 1 cup heatproof glass jar, such as a canning jar, and stir in lime zest, syrup,
04
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes, and salt. Stir to dissolve salt. Stir in onion and press down to immerse slices in vinegar. Cover and set aside. Onion can be refrigerated for up to a couple of weeks.
05
Slice the squash: After squash has been roasting for 15 to 20 minutes, remove from oven. On cutting board, place halves cut-side down. Using very sharp knife, carefully cut 1/4 inch wide slices crosswise into squash, being careful not to cut all the way through. Slide long spatula under sliced squash halves and return them to baking sheet. Return to oven and continue to roast for approximately 20 more minutes, or until slices are completely tender but not falling apart.
06
Prepare the herbed salsa: While squash continues roasting, in mini blender, combine herbs, oil, garlic, lime juice, and crushed red pepper flakes. Pulse until finely ground. Add a splash of water for thinner mixture. Add a pinch of salt, to taste, if you wish. Store in tightly covered container for up to 1 week. Makes about 1 cup.
07
Assemble the dish: To serve, remove squash from oven and place on heated serving platter. Spoon some pickled onions and salsa over top. Top with crumbled vegan cheese and splash with a little extra olive oil, if you wish.
READ THIS NEXT
SEE MORE »
Curried Lentil Stuffed Squash
Serving saucy lentils in squash halves is a sure-fire way to elevate your plant-based menu. And, yes, the whole bowl is edible, skin and all. If desired, you can add dollops of Greek yogurt or sour cream. Spice of life Garam masala, a blend of spices traditionally used in Indian cooking, usually includes cardamom, black pepper, cloves, nutmeg, fennel, cumin, and coriander. It’s great on roasted meats and vegetables.
Kartoffelknödel Potato Dumplings Stuffed with Toasted Bread and Spinach
“Germans do potatoes in general very well,” says Canadian expat Chris Gilles, who now lives in Munich and has celebrated many an Oktoberfest there. “Knödel seem kind of rubbery. You don’t really think it’s potato when you first see it, but it’s tasty.” But he might be surprised to find that this alive -inspired version of Bavarian potato dumplings is made with a combination of potato and cauliflower, because as anyone who’s eaten cauliflower gnocchi knows, the low-carb vegetable is a great way to lighten up starch-heavy foods (and Biergarten menus). Happy Knödelfest! The original version of these snacks are so popular that it even gets its own food fest: Knödelfest, which happens in September in Austria, about a 1 1/2-hour drive from Munich. If alive threw a Knödelfest, these dumplings would definitely be on the menu, served simply as snacks with sliced radishes and fresh parsley or dill, or topped with butter, beer gravy, or mushroom sauce. The dumpling test You can test one dumpling by shaping it and then boiling it before shaping the rest. If the water is lower than a boil and it still falls apart, add more starch to the batter before shaping another ball and testing again.
Dunkel Beer-Marinated Rotisserie-Style Chicken
This dark beer-marinated chicken uses the convection setting on your oven to create a crispy skinned bird. Convection cooking circulates air around the meat, crisping it like rotisserie without needing a spit or a lot of oil, similar to an air fryer (which you can also use!). If you don’t have a convection setting on your oven, you can simply bake the chicken for longer at the same temperatures as below, until a meat thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the thigh reads 165 F (74 C). You can use any dark beer, but our pick is, obviously, something German. Oktoberfest barbecue You can also grill the whole chicken on a barbecue—which makes for an impressive presentation and a gorgeously crispy bird—but it’s best to spatchcock it first (take out the backbone) so it cooks more evenly and quickly. Make it fast! If you don’t want to make an entire chicken—or if you want your dinner to cook faster—use this marinade (without stuffing the chicken cavity) on chicken breasts, thighs, or iron-rich chicken livers instead.
Gluten-Free Pretzels
At Oktoberfest celebrations in Munich, there are always people walking around selling large pretzels, says Canadian expat Chris Gilles, who moved to the city in 2018. The large pieces of golden, twisted pretzel dough come topped with coarse salt for a savoury crunch with every bite. “They don’t come with any dipping sauce,” Gilles says, “but you could dip it in sauce if you had ordered something else”—say, the honey mustard or stone-ground mustard you might have with your bratwurst or sauerkraut balls. But don’t feel bad if you prefer to break from German tradition and dip them in caramel or tahini instead! There’s no need to flour a surface when rolling out your dough; the psyllium keeps it from sticking.