Miso-Curry Delicata Squash

This meal cannot get any more “fall.” There is bright orange, deep purple, and forest green. Delicata squash gets roasted in the oven with purple potatoes and tofu and then everything gets combined with raw dino-kale and toasted pepitas. Dressed to the heights with a miso-curry sauce. Yum yum in the tum. I could eat this for days.

The dressing (or sauce?) is my favorite part about this dish. There are only 3 ingredients: olive oil, Thai red curry paste, and white miso. So easy and perfectly salty and savory, I was literally licking my plate clean because this sauce was so perfect. And what a great way to use more of the Thai red curry paste that I had from when I was making this Tofu Panang Curry. I recently bought a small tub of sweet white miso from Whole Foods and this was the perfect opportunity to use some (I’m also dying to make miso soup and this vegan fettuccine alfredo with my white miso).

This past Monday, October 24th, was “Food Day.” From the website:

Food Day seeks to bring together Americans from all walks of life—parents, teachers, and students; health professionals, community organizers, and local officials; chefs, school lunch providers, and eaters of all stripes—to push for healthy, affordable food produced in a sustainable, humane way. We will work with people around the country to create thousands of events in homes, schools, churches, farmers markets, city halls, and state capitals.

In honor of Food Day I went to Eataly in NYC where farmers working with Eataly were there to give samples of their produce, dairy, meat, wine and chat with the customers. I purchased all of my produce and the pepitas for this Miso-Curry Delicata Roast from Eataly. And the best part? I only spent $12 (including a few other fruits and miscellaneous nuts and seeds purchased)!! Granted, I already had olive oil, red Thai curry paste, and miso at home. But 4 servings worth of food for only about $12 is dang-good. And this is what Food Day is all about. Healthy food should be affordable, accessible, easy to prepare, and tasty.

I feel healthy and comforted. Rock on.

Miso-Curry Delicata Squash

adapted from Heidi Swanson’s Super Natural Everyday 

serves 4

Ingredients

12 ounces/ 340 g delicata squash (aka 1 decent sized squash)

1/4 cup/ 60 ml extra-virgin olive oil

Scant 1/4 cup/ 2.5 oz/ 70 g white miso (I purchased mine at Whole Foods, I bought the “sweet” one)

Scant 1 tablespoon red Thai curry paste

1 package of extra firm tofu, cut into small cubes (I used a 14-oz pkg)

1 large handful of small purple potatoes, unpeeled and cut into chunks

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1 bunch of dino-kale, tough stems removed and leaves chopped

1/3 cup/ 1.5 oz/ 45 g pepitas, toasted

optional: 2/3 cup/ 1 oz/ 30 g chopped fresh cilantro

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Cut the delicata squash in half lengthwise and use a spoon to clear out all the seeds. Cut into 1/2-inch thick half-moons.

In a medium bowl, whisk together olive oil, miso, and curry paste.

Combine the tofu, potatoes, and squash in a large bowl with 1/3 cup/ 80 ml of the miso-curry paste. Use your hands to toss well, then turn your vegetables onto a rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment and arrange everything in a single layer. Roast for 25-30 minutes, until everything is tender and browned. Toss once or twice along the way, after things start to brown a bit. Keep a close watch, though; the vegetables can go from browned to burned in a flash.

In the meantime, whisk the lemon juice into the remaining miso-curry paste, then stir in the kale until coated.

Toss the roasted vegetables gently with the kale, pepitas, and if using, the cilantro. Serve family style in a large bowl or platter.