I am thinking of calling today “Treat Tuesdays” because I love alliteration—and boy, do I have a treat for you today!
If you haven’t noticed, ‘Fall is in the air’—at least in the grocery stores.
Not only is the Halloween candy out, but there are tons of fresh, hearty root vegetables and squashes to be had!
It is squash season—and there are bountiful varieties (many on sale).
To name a few: Spaghetti squash, butternut squash, kombacha squash, pumpkin and acorn squash.
Today, I bought my first acorn squash ever.
(I know, living on the edge-so crazy).
And I decided to cook it up for dinner.
Reviews?
Amazing.
Nature’s candy. Definitely very savory.
Even better?
It is a great source of Vitamin-C, providing 20% of your daily allowance alone–and helping guard your immune system against the upcoming “cold and flu” season. Additionally, acorn squash has 5 grams of dietary fiber, and is also a good source of potassium and magnesium for maintaining your body’s water balance and proper energy metabolism.
Win, win!
Here are a couple super simple recipes for you to try yourself.
Basic Acorn Squash: Simply Delicious
Ingredients
- 1 Acorn Squash
- 2-3 Tablespoons grassfed butter
- Cinnamon, sprinkled (I like lots!)
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 350.
- Cut squash in two, lengthwise, and remove seeds.
- Lay open side down on a cookie sheet lined with foil.
- Bake for 30 minutes.
- Add butter and cinnamon to each side of the squash.
- Bake open side up for another 30 minutes.
- Pair with protein and green veggies of choice!
Acorn Squash Casserole
Ingredients
- 1 Acorn Squash
- 1 lb. ground meat (I used ground turkey, but may also use bison or grassfed beef)
- 1 apple or pear (you choose your fav type!)
- Spinach (2-3 large handfuls)
- 6 slices Nitrate free bacon/turkey bacon
- 1 tbsp fresh rosemary (or 1 tsp dried)
- 2 tsp. thyme
- 1 tsp. onion powder
- 1 tsp. ground sage
- 1 tsp black pepper
- ½ tsp nutmeg
- Sea salt, sprinkle to taste
- Cinnamon, sprinkled (I like lots!)
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 350 and line baking sheet with foil, or spray a glassware baking dish with coconut oil cooking spray
- Cut squash in two, lengthwise, and remove seeds.
- Lay open side down on a cookie sheet lined with foil.
- Bake open side up for approx 45 minutes.
- While squash is baking, dice apple/pear and pull out bacon
- In a large skillet greased with coconut oil, sauté apple/pear and spinach leaves alongside bacon; remove when bacon is browned to a mixing bowl
- In the same skillet, brown the ground meat, while adding spices to it
- Combine meat with bacon and apple/pear mixture
- Scoop mixture into acorn squash halves with spoon to fill squash boats
- Bake squash and meat casserole in oven for another 15-20 minutes, until all baked
One word: Yum.