At my first job after college, there was a woman named Cynthia (a.k.a. Cyn-Bad), who, upon being asked what Chinese food she wanted to order, would always say, “Kung PAO!” and do a series of high-energy karate kicks. I believe she went on to teach first graders.

But I was always a little jealous of Cyn-Bad’s order, because takeout Chinese places almost never have anything fixed in a kung pao style besides chicken or maaaybe shrimp, so it’s a no-go for vegetarians. That’s why I was so excited when our friend Jeff (who, now that I think about it, would probably admire Cyn-Bad’s wicked karate stylings) forwarded us a recipe for Kung Pao Sweet Potatoes. What?! A whole new world of Szechuan deliciousness opened up to me.

I changed the recipe up a bit to match what we had on hand, which included a whole load of squash. As frequent readers of this blog might already know, winter squashes are really not my favorite vegetables, so this was a serious test, but the spicy sauce and the crunch of the peanuts helped that squash pass with flying colors. No doubt about it: it’s a meal glorious enough for a palace guardian, not to mention Cyn-Bad.

Kung Pao Squash and Greens

• 1 butternut squash
• ½ cup raw (or pre-roasted) peanuts
• 2 medium bunches of greens, like tatsoi
• 2 pickled or fresh chili peppers
• 1 small bunch of scallions
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 small knob of ginger, minced
• Olive oil, or other cooking oil
• White rice

For the sauce:

• 3 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 teaspoons sesame oil
• 1 tablespoon chili oil
• 1 tablespoon vinegar (I used cider vinegar, but use what you have.)

Cut the squash in half and scoop out the seeds, reserving about ¼ cup of them. Place the squash cut side down in a baking pan, and bake in a 375 degree oven until it is tender but not falling apart, about 40 minutes. Clean the reserved seeds and put them in a second pan with the raw peanuts. Roast these in the same oven as the squash until the peanuts are nice and brown.

Meanwhile, prepare the greens, cutting into small strips. Slice the chili peppers and the scallions, setting aside the green part of the scallions. Combine the sauce ingredients in a small bowl, adjusting to taste.

When the squash is baked and cool enough to handle, scoop out the insides and cut it into bite-sized pieces. (Put the rice on to cook at around this point.) In a wok or large pot, cook the chili peppers, white part of the scallions, garlic and ginger in some olive oil. When they are tender, add the squash and greens and cook just until the greens are wilted and the squash is hot again. Add sauce, peanuts and squash seeds.

Serve over bowls of white rice and garnish with the reserved scallions.