Maple Roasted Acorn Squash and Cornbread Stuffing with Curried Apple & Cranberries

A shot of nostalgia and two recipes today- a mix and match- just in time for Thanksgiving. And both are redolent with old fashioned autumnal goodness- warm and subtle spices, maple, and apple. Cozy and comforting. The first- an easy, favorite side dish of mine- is maple roasted acorn squash. And it's vegan (perfect for those of you with veg-head guests coming to dinner and those of you cooking GF/CF for ASD angels and looking for a way to up the daily vegetable quotient).

The second dish is one of my oldest tried and true recipes- from my very first Thanksgiving as a married woman, in fact (we won't discuss how long ago that was, Darling, but I will admit it was back with Husband Number #1 and I'm not at all certain he cared for it, and may I mention- as a side note- that Husband #2 is a huge cornbread fan. Coincidence?). That said, I was anxious to do it up with style (as any blushing bride would be, I imagine) and had the sudden inspiration to use cornbread and apples as a stuffing instead of the traditional- and familial on both sides- white bread and sage turkey dressing.

Maybe that's when they started to notice I wasn't exactly a dyed-in-the-wool kind of girl.





Maple Roasted Acorn Squash

Looking for an elegant winter side dish for the holidays? Shhh. I'll let you in on a secret. This is one of the easiest vegetable sides you could make. And it looks so pretty on the plate.

Pick deep green same-sized acorn squash. Figure on half a medium squash per person.

Crank the oven to 400 degrees F.

Carefully slice the acorn squash in half, lengthwise. Clean out the seeds with a spoon. Place the squash in a broiler or roasting pan. If any of the squash is tippy, slice a thin piece off the bottom to make it sit still.

Pour some water into the pan- you'll need a good inch or two (this helps keep the squash from scorching/sticking to the pan). Drizzle the squash with fruity olive oil and some pure maple syrup until it collects in the hollow. Season with sea salt.

Place the pan into the preheated oven.

Roast the squash until it is fork tender. Easy, right? And delicious.

Serve as is- or...

Pour off the maple syrup into a measuring cup; stuff the squash with my cornbread dressing; pour the maple syrup on top and re-bake it till heated through (my Cornbread Stuffing with Curried Apple & Cranberries follows). Voila! A vegan holiday entree.

Printer-friendly maple roasted squash recipe

Cornbread Stuffing with Curried Apples & Cranberries

If you're not a fan of cornbread or need to be corn-free, don't fret. This recipe works with any gluten-free bread, cubed and lightly toasted. I've made this recipe vegan- without eggs or dairy- but if you prefer a more traditional recipe, see omnivore-friendly notes below.

Start by making a pan of your favorite gluten-free vegan cornbread. Here's one of my recipes for a delicious cornbread (you can leave out the green chiles in this recipe, if you like; or keep them in for an unexpected New Mexican flavor spike). Plan on making an 8-inch square or 9-inch round cornbread two to three days ahead; cut it up into 5 or 6 squares and freeze.

Before making your stuffing, allow the cornbread to thaw a little bit. Cut the squares into cubes before it's totally defrosted. This makes for easier slicing and it will crumble much less.

To start the dressing:

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.

Toast the cornbread cubes on a baking sheet for about 20 minutes or so. Keep an eye on them so they don't get too browned. When they're nicely toasted remove the baking sheet from the oven, set aside and allow the cubes to cool.

4-5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, to taste- or use melted vegan butter, if you prefer
1 cup diced celery
1 cup diced sweet or purple onion
2 large Granny Smith or other tart apples, peeled, cored and diced
1 teaspoon thyme, dried
1-2 teaspoons mild gluten-free curry powder, to taste
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup fresh chopped cranberries
1 cup light vegetable broth- more, as needed
2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste

Heat about 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large deep skillet, stir in the thyme, curry and cinnamon; add the celery, onion and apples; cook until softened. Remove the skillet from the burner and set aside to cool a bit.

Add in the chopped cranberries.

Stir in the toasted cornbread. Mix well. Add a little more olive oil, and the broth, pouring in a little at a time and gently stirring to combine. Add the maple syrup. Stir. Season with sea salt and pepper to taste.

Some folks like a very soft dressing- if you are one of these, feel free to add more broth.

Options:

• Use for stuffing roasted acorn squash (see above for roasting squash).

• Dear Reader, if you happen to be a turkey loving omnivore- grab your spoon and stuff away.

• Or bake the stuffing as a side dish in a casserole.

For the casserole- spoon the stuffing into a baking dish, cover and bake at 350 degrees F till heated through- about 20 to 25 minutes (note: it will take a bit longer to heat through if you made the stuffing ahead of time and chilled it).

Serve as a side dish for vegetarian fare.


Karina's Notes:

My reason for the curry? Curry is often my secret ingredient and adds a mysterious little something extra to traditional recipes. Before you decide to leave it out, try it. You just might start making it your secret ingredient.

Agave lovers- if you prefer the taste of agave, use agave instead of the maple syrup. I happen to like the maple taste, but if you don't (or you need to keep maple off the menu) use agave or omit. Non-vegans could also use honey.

Omnivores- if you'd like a more traditional approach to this recipe, use melted butter instead of the olive oil, use chicken broth, and add a beaten organic egg to the stuffing when you add in the broth.

Wonderful with roast chicken, duck, ham, or turkey.

This stuffing is gluten-free, dairy-free, egg-free, soy-free, nut-free, rice-free and shellfish-free. Gotta love that.

How many will it feed? Depending upon the size of your squash- and appetites- 6 to 8. Recipe can be doubled.

Print-friendly cornbread stuffing recipe

More Gluten-Free Thanksgiving Recipes:

Sweet Potato Shepherd's Pie
Pumpkin-Sweet Potato Soup
Cozy Autumn Rice Bake with beef and cranberries
Beef & Mushroom Stuffed Acorn Squash
Pork Roast with Brown Sugar Apricot Sauce


Thanksgiving Vegetarian & Vegan Recipes:

Pear Polenta Muffins
Sweet Potato Black Bean Enchiladas
Lasagna Vegetariana

Skillet Cornbread with Green Chiles
Sweet Potato Cornbread
Pomegranate Green Beans & Portobellos
Acorn Squash with Attitude

A Veggie Lover's Shepherd's Pie

Pumpkin Chai Bread

Cranberry Crumble

Maple Frosted Pumpkin Cake

Pumpkin Pie

More Gluten-Free Thanksgiving Goodies Around the Web:

Kalyn for BlogHer's Thanksgiving Vegetarian, Vegan, Gluten-Free Round-Up
Susan at Food Blogga's Roasted Brussels Sprouts & Pears
Rebecca Reilly's fabulous Gluten-Free Pie Crust recipe
Susan's Sweet Dumpling Squash Stuffed with Lemon-Herb Rice
Ellen's Rice-Stuffed Acorn Squash
Kalyn's Italian Flatbread- gluten-free
Gluten-Free Mommy's Green Bean Casserole
Book of Yum's Gluten-Free Thanksgiving Posts

Gluten-Free Bay's Thanksgiving Post
A Mighty Appetite's Gluten-Free Thanksgiving