Vegan Roasted Delicata Squash with Spicy Cumin Crema

Try out this perfect vegan dish, which is great on its own or as a compliment to a larger meal -Holidays, anyone? Family and friends will love the flavorful delicata squash balanced by the spicy crema. You could even try this with some sprinkled pomegranate seeds for a fruity punch. 

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  • Serves: 5
  • Cook Time: 30 minutes
Ingredients
  • 4 Delicata Squash, ends sliced off and cut in half lengthwise
  • 1 cup Tofu
  • 1 cup Water
  • 0.5 teaspoon Cayenne, ground
  • 1 teaspoon Coriander seed, ground
  • 1 teaspoon Cumin seed, ground
  • 1 head of Garlic, top sliced off
  • juice of 1 Lemon
  • 2 teaspoon Salt, divided
  • Olive Oil
  • 1 handful of fresh Parsley (can be substituted with cilantro)
  • 1 tablespoon Pomegranate arils (Optional)
Directions
  1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
  2. Scoop out the seeds of your delicata squash with a spoon and then slice into half moons.
  3. Take your head of garlic and cut off just the top, so the cloves are exposed, but the head stays intact. Set aside for a moment.
  4. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and spread out the squash. Add the head of garlic to the sheet pan as well. Drizzle everything with olive oil to coat and season lightly with 1 teaspoon of salt. Roast for 15 minutes, give a quick stir, then roast again for 10 minutes until the squash are just lightly golden brown.
  5. While the squash is cooking, prep the spicy crema in a food processor. Add in the tofu, water, cayenne, coriander, cumin, parsley (leave some for garnish), lemon juice, and the remaining 1 teaspoon of salt. Pulse until blended and add more water to thin if needed. Leave crema in blender for the next step.
  6. When the squash and garlic are finished cooking, set the squash aside to cool. Remove the individualized caramelized garlic cloves from the head into the blender with crema. Be careful to not add any garlic skins. Blend the crema again until smooth. Pour into a dish for dipping.
  7. Once the squash has cooled, you can either plate it and serve alongside the crema or you can toss the squash in the sauce. Top with fresh parsley leaves. For an additional layer of flavor and texture, pomegranate arils taste fabulous on top!