Delicata Squash, Rosemary Garlic Roasted Potatoes, Smoky Tempeh

An aunt from Connecticut arrived today for a week and a half or so visit. After picking her up from the airport and going for a hike, I got to work on dinner. I cut some small white potatoes into quarters and thirds, depending on size, and tossed with some olive oil, salt, freshly ground black pepper, and chopped rosemary needles from my garden. I baked the potatoes at 400° F for about a half hour till they just started to brown.

In the meantime, I cut some delicata squash into halves, removed the seeds, and baked them, cut side down on plates with a little water in them, for a little less time (I could have baked them at 350° or so). I prepared a sauce as well - I put into a bowl Earth Balance non-hydrogenated margarine, salt, paprika, and Volcano Lime Burst (water, organic lime juice, lemon oil), and put the bowl into the oven for a few minutes till the margarine melted. When the squash was soft, I served it with a generous coating of the sauce and some pomegranate kernels.

I also sauteed tempeh. When it was nearing completion and getting nicely browned, I added some red bell pepper for a few minutes, and put a few drops of hot sauce and Colgin Liquid Smoke on each piece of tempeh. Lemon sourdough boule, lightly toasted, and heirloom tomato rounded out the meal.

I was planning a nice dinner last night, but we went to a pottery festival a few hours away and it became fairly late, so we decided to eat out. We chose Queen of Sheba's Ethiopian Restaurant in Chapel Hill. We had a good dinner (and ran into a number of folks we know) of a mixed vegetarian platter and would have picked up a raffle prize for Thanksgiving but the owner had just mailed it. But the discovery I am so happy to have made is an appetizer that is like hummus but much more garlicky and creamier. It is made with chickpeas and lots of garlic; I don't know what makes it so creamy, but the waiter assured us it is vegan. We loved it! Though I love to cook, I'm starting to think that going out, even when we don't "have to", is also a joy.