For the Vegans: Lemon-Nutmeg Acorn Squash

This one is for all the vegans out there.

Cue the Barry White. Probably something like "You're the First, the Last, My Everything."

Hey there. I know you don't eat meat, and you don't consume animal byproducts at all. I know that sometimes, it feels like Hungry Sam doesn't care. But I do. And I want to make it up to you.

I've been trying, you see. I showed you who to make a pretty super brussels sprouts salad recently -- but that had cheese. I gave you my recipe for shakshuka, but that has cheese AND eggs. I know you, as a vegan, need something else, something special.

So here's an easy, simple, tasty recipe I whipped up last night -- literally. Adapted from a recipe in this month's Everyday Food, here's Lemon-Nutmeg Whipped Acorn Squash:

 
The nutmeg in this dish enhances acorn squash's natural, earthy, nuttiness, while the lemon juice lends a bright vibrancy and keeps you guessing. It's not at all boring (I'd never do that to you), and it's a quick, tasty side for all the special non-meat eaters in my life. Whomever you might be.

Music changes to "I Want to Know What Love Is" by Foreigner.*

Also, in my blogging reverie, I wrote "I Want to Know What Squash Is" at first.

So, start with a nice, fresh, medium-sized acorn squash and slice off the cap and base. It should look something like this:

Which is kind of neat. So here's ANOTHER PICTURE of the VERY SAME THING:

Ok. Enough of that. using a sharp knife, trim off the rind and scoop out the innards. It should look (and kind of smell) like a little baby pumpkin. (Which, in another universe, was the theme of this post. Something like: "Acorn Squash are the Baby Pumpkins of Non-Jack-o-lantern-Ready Squash." See why I didn't go with that?)

Then, chop the squash into chunks. The specific size of the chunks isn't critical (I cut the fruit into something close to cubic inches), but you should try to ensure something close to uniformity. Over-small or large pieces will cook faster or slower than the rest, of course.

Time to change the music? How about one of the epic, 10-minute-long live versions of "Stairway to Heaven." Play it twice -- that should take us to the end of this post.

Place the chunks in a steamer basket over boiling water and cover. Steam the fruit until tender (test with a fork), about 12 to 15 minutes.

Remove the basket and throw the fruit into a mixing bowl. Add a half tablespoon of olive oil, a half teaspoon of salt, a half teaspoon of ground nutmeg, and a tablespoon of lemon juice, and using a fork, whip well. Serve with a sprinkle of nutmeg, like so.

Enjoy, vegans. And let it never be said that I don't love and support you. Even if I'm going to go see about a Manchego cheese and turkey sausage omelet. Yum.

*I definitely was listening to these songs while writing the post.