Squashes with Cooked Onion-Herb, Sweet Potato, Quinoa with Tempeh

We're enjoying a bit cooler weather, and what better way to welcome the onset of autumn than with baked squash? I cut and seeded acorn and delicata squash and, cut edge down onto a plate with 1/2" or so of water, I baked them in a 375°F oven for about 30-40 minutes. I also cut a sweet potato in half and baked it for about 10-15 minutes longer.

When I visited Italy last October, I learned the technique of cutting onion and simmering on low heat, covered, in a little bit of olive oil. I did just that with half of a medium onion that I had cut into 1/4" half moons. After about 20 minutes, I added a sprinkling of basil, oregano, and rosemary from my garden, as well as some garlic gold and salt, and cooked for another 5 minutes. I served the onion mixture within the cooked squash halves.

I also sauteed about a third of a package of tempeh for a few minutes till it gently browned, then added a little bit of medium diced onion. I cooked a few more minutes, then added, in a 1:2 ratio, quinoa and water. I brought to a boil, added some salt, and cooked on low heat a little over 5 minutes till the quinoa was done (you can see a white ring form on the grain). Dinner was good!