I Did It For The Colors

Today is 12.12.12, which I find to be completely awesome.  I've been writing the date on everything all day just because I like the way it looks.  Who knows, if I would have wanted a winter, Wednesday, wedding (say that 3 times fast!), maybe we would have picked today.
But yesterday is what today's blog is about. I've become increasingly interested in kale and squash, mainly because I find the colors to be so pretty together.  The bright green of cooked kale, and that Dalai Lama gold color of butternut squash makes my eyes happy every time I see it. 

 

And there are a plethora of recipes out there with these 2 ingredients in them, so yesterday I started reading and combining and thinking about them and how to make some sort of entree.  One particular recipe that stood out to me was the Roasted Vegetable Orzo at 101 Cookbooks.  I decided to use that as a base recipe, mostly because I liked the idea of using orzo, and the dressing in that recipe was super easy (meaning I had all the ingredients for it), and it sounded delicious.  But I also thought it could use some revisions to fit my needs, so I read the recipe, and went forth into Morgan's World, which included tofu for protein. 

Here is what I did, in paragraph form this time, as it better follows my thought process:

Roasted Vegetable Orzo with Honeyed Tofu

1 butternut squash

1 bunch of kale

3 small onions

Olive oil

2 c. uncooked orzo

2 pkg. extra firm tofu

1/2 c. orange juice

1/4 c. balsamic vinegar

pinch of cayenne pepper

1/4 c. honey

1/2 c. pine nuts

Dressing:

1/2 c. plain yogurt

5 cloves roasted garlic

sea salt to taste

I poked holes in the whole squash with a fork and microwaved for 4-5 minutes to soften the rind.  Then I put the whole squash in a baking dish and put it in the oven at 400 degrees for about 40 minutes.  While that was cooking, I wrapped 2 packages of tofu in paper towels and pressed them between a cutting board and a pile of plates in the sink for about 30 minutes.  Then I mixed a quick marinade with the orange juice,balsamic vinegar, and cayenne in a mixing bowl.  Once the liquid was pressed out of the tofu, I cut the tofu into cubes and added it to the marinade, and set it aside. 

I chopped the 3 onions into large chunks and put them in a separate bowl.  When the squash was able to be easily cut through with my trusty kitchen knife, I pulled it out of the oven and sliced it in half, length-wise.  I scooped out the seeds and strings, and peeled the whole thing with a vegetable peeler.

I cut it into bite sized chunks, and added it to the bowl of onions, with the olive oil and some sea salt, mixed it all together with my hands, and threw it on to a baking sheet (cover it in foil! it's worth it when cleaning up!).  I added 5 cloves of (unpeeled!) garlic for the dressing, and stuck it in the oven.  I let it roast for 35-40 minutes at 350 degrees, fliping/stirring it occassionally.  At the same time I put that in, I put the tofu on another foil covered baking sheet, drizzled it with half the honey, and baked it. About halfway through, I flipped the pieces and drizzled the remaining honey on them.

While THAT was going on in the oven, I started the dressing by mixing the yogurt and about 1/2 tsp sea salt together and putting it in the fridge.  I also washed, dryed, and de-veined my kale, and sliced it into strips that would be able to fit in one's mouth.  I put it in the same mixing bowl that I'd mixed the squash in, and added a bit more olive oil and salt.  I spread it out on another baking sheet covered in foil, and put it in the oven for about 10 minutes, until it was bright green and chew-able (NOT chew-Y).  A couple of the edges of the leaves were slightly crisp, but nothing was browned or burnt.

I also cooked the orzo as I would any other pasta, and drained it immediately before adding to a large pasta bowl. I lightly browned the pine nuts.

When both the squash and the tofu were slightly browned and crispy, I pulled them out of oven.  I took the garlic out of the roasted vegetables, slipped the outer skin off, and mashed it into the yogurt mixture, adding salt to taste. 

Then I mixed the orzo, kale, vegetables, and tofu together, added the dressing and mixed it in, and topped it off with the pine nuts. 

It. was. delicious. 

SOOOOOOO good.  I served it with rosemary roasted baby potatoes, which may seem like a lot of starch in one meal but was delicious so I ignored it.