Butternut Squash - Portabello Saute with Red Rice and Pistachio Greens

For dinner tonight, I took advantage of a little butternut squash that I had purchased today that was pre-cut. I don't find it easy to cut up hard squashes, and appreciate being able to cook with cut pieces.

I used about 3/4 of a box of seitan strips and set it marinating in the juice of about a quarter Meyer lemon. I wish I had had more time for the marinade, but after about 15m, I took out the strips from the juice and started sauteeing them on a cast iron pan over medium-high.

When the strips started darkening, after maybe 5 or 6 minutes, I added the squash (about a half pound and cut into cubes about 3/4" in side) and a little (about a fifth of a medium onion) onion cut into thin slivers maybe 1" x 1/4". I cut a stemless portabella mushroom into wedges maybe 1" per side, and put them in the saute after another two minutes or so.

I cooked the vegetables for another 4-5 minutes, cooking the mushroom down a bit. Then, almost ready to serve, I put in a generous serving of fresh lemon sage (maybe 1/2 teaspoon worth) and a very little bit of salt. My toddler sometimes but not usually will eat spicy food, so I sprinkled a little jerk seasoning atop the served dish and not into the pan. A slice of Meyer lemon was included to be added to the vegetables. The dish came out great - I love crispy seitan!

I had cooked some whole grain red rice - 3:1 ratio of water to rice, a vegan bouillon cube, and about a half hour of simmering did the trick. I served it to the side of the vegetable dish, and included lettuce with some pistachios and a splash of a herb vinaigrette dressing. It was a good dinner!