Baked Acorn Squash RIngs

Ingredients

• 3 ripe acorn squash
• sea salt, to taste
• fresh ground black pepper, to taste
• 3 tablespoons vegan butter substitute, melted
• 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon water
• 1/4 cup fresh squeezed orange juice
• 2 tablespoons orange zest
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme
• 1/4 cup dried cranberries
• 8 Servings

Directions

1. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Slice the ends off of each squash.
3. Slowly and carefully slice each squash into pieces roughly 1/2" thick. Don't worry if the rings aren't even. Don't worry if you accidentally slice the ring open so you have something that resembles the letter C more than it resembles a ring. It will taste the same.
4. Use a biscuit cutter (or a knife) to cut the middle seedy part out of each ring.
5. Discard the seeds.
6. Place the squash rings in a large bowl and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
7. Add 2 tablespoons of the melted vegan butter and toss the rings so that they're all coated.
8. Place the rings in a large, ovenproof saute pan or skillet. It's okay if they overlap.
9. Whisk together 1/4 cup water, orange juice and orange zest.
10. Pour the water mixture over top of the squash rings.
11. Cook the rings over medium-high heat for 15 minutes or until tender when poked with a fork. I found that it's best to rotate them every 5 minutes or so, so that each ring gets to spend some time close to the bottom of the pan.
12. Whisk together the remaining water, vegan butter and the maple syrup.
13. Remove the squash from the heat.
14. Pour the syrup mixture over the squash rings.
15. Sprinkle the dried cranberries and thyme over the rings.
16. Bake the rings for 15-20 minutes, until tender.
17. Serve immediately.