Tempeh Stuffed Squash

This recipe was e-mailed to me courtesy of http://www.exploreveg.org/.

Serves 4
Ingredients
2 acorn squash (about 1 1/2 lb. each), rinsed
8 ounces tempeh
1/4-1/2 tsp cloves
1/4-1/2 tsp sage
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 sweet apples such as Fuji (1 lb. total), peeled, cored, and chopped
1/4 cup raisins
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1/4 tsp dried thyme
2 tablespoons chopped pecans
1/4 cup maple syrup

Directions
Cut each squash in half crosswise; scoop out seeds. Cut a thin slice off the bottom of each half so it can stand upright.
Place each half, cavity side down, in a 9- by 13- inch baking pan and cover pan tightly with foil. Bake in a 350º oven until tender when pierced, 45-50 minutes.
Meanwhile, break up the tempeh with your hands into a large bowl; stir in sage, cloves, salt, and pepper.
In a 10- to 12- inch frying pan over medium-high heat, cook tempeh, onion, apples, raisins, cranberries, and thyme; stir often until apples are tender when pierced, 8-10 minutes. Stir in pecans.
Uncover squash and turn halves upright; fill equally with "sausage" mixture. Drizzle equally with maple syrup and bake, uncovered, until filling is slightly browned on top, about 15 minutes.

If you are throwing a fall dinner party and want to impress people, make this recipe. It takes a while but it is so worth it. I was a little hesitant to make this at first, I hadn't had an enjoyable tempeh dish yet but I had time to cook so I went for it. I'm glad I did. The acorn squash get so sweet it's almost like sweet potatoes. And the stuffing with thyme, apples, and cranberries reminded me so much of Thanksgiving.

My boyfriend's family is coming down for an early Thanksgiving and I definitely plan on serving this. I highly recommend it!