Remember on Facebook when I said my kitchen smelled like cotton candy?
Well it wasn’t cotton candy, and it was not vegan marshmallows: it was a vegetable.
You heard that right! Sweet Roasted Acorn Squash to be exact!
Easy to prepare, delicious, nutritious, and very filling!
Ahhh tis the season of winter squash!
My seasonal squash of choice? Acorn Squash.
Now take a look at this fine little cutie! (seriously, I think they are so adorable!)
Don’t let the cutie patootie looks fool you, this is a mean, lean, powerhouse nutrient machine!
- One cup of acorn squash contains 145% of the daily recommended requirements for Vitamin A.
- It also contains Vitamin C, potassium, manganese, folate (folic acid), and 15% of the omega three fatty acids necessary to good health
- It’s also an excellent source of fiber that will keep you full and focused.
Now, you may be asking, how does one choose an acorn squash? Pick the cutest one available. Just kiddinggg!
Look for: Select a squash that has a good balance between green and orange skin. You want to choose a smooth squash without any soft spots. The heavier the squash, the more moist it will be, so choose a squash that is heavy for it’s size.
Avoid: Too much orange coloring on the skin, which indicates an overripe squash.
Storage: Store at room temperature (no need to refrigerate before cooking) and use within two weeks of purchase. Cooked acorn squash can be sealed and refrigerated up to 4 days.
The first way I ever had an acorn squash was roasted with butter and brown sugar, and to this day it is still my favorite.There is nothing like the smell of Sweet Acorn Squash roasting in the oven. It smells like a sweet sugary dream come true!
I decided to lighten up this recipe with Earth Balance Natural Buttery Spread With Olive Oil. If you haven’t tried this before, you need to head on over to your local Health Food store and get a tub. My mom and I have been using it in place of butter in our Armenian family recipes to give those heavy meals, a light touch. It’s an incredible alternative to butter, made with natural expeller-pressed oils such as soybean, olive, and Flax. It’s also vegan, lactose-free, gluten-free, casein-free, non-GMO, and contains no trans fat, and no cholesterol. With all of that said, this is a great source of healthy plant based monounsaturated, and polyunsaturated fats.
Sweet Roasted Acorn Squash
Serves 2
1 Acorn Squash (about 1 lb)
1 Tbsp Earth Balance Natural Buttery Spread
1 Tbsp brown sugar or Splenda Brown Sugar Blend
Preheat oven to 400°F and arrange a rack in the center. Cut the acorn squash in half. Scrape out the seeds and strings (like a pumpkin). Save the seeds for another recipe coming soon! Divide the Earth Balance spread into 1/2 Tbsps. Using your fingers, coat the yellow flesh of each squash with Earth Balance. Divide the brown sugar into 1/2 tbsps and sprinkle over each half of the squash. Place in a baking pan and surround with crinkled aluminum foil to hold the halves upright. Place in the oven and roast until fork tender about 45 minutes to one hour.
Note: I recommend using a baking pan with raised edges so any drippings can be caught.
On that note: If you don’t have a baking pan with raised edges, you can shape your own out of foil and then place on top of a cookie sheet.
Last note: Don’t throw the seeds away! Keep them in a ziplock or container in the fridge for another recipe.
The Rabbit Food Pyramid Breakdown
Produce: Acorn squash
Whole Grain: 0
Protein: 0
Plant Based Fat: Earth Balance Olive Oil Buttery Spread
Mmmm tastes like fall, feels like winter!
Roasted acorn squash would be excellent stuffed with quinoa(whole grain) and lentils (protein). Stay tuned for a recipe to stuff your cute little squash!
Elizabeth
February 7, 2013 at 3:19 pm (12 years ago)Perfect: I had an acorn squash sitting on the counter! It’s baking now. They fit upright in my 9×9 brownie pan.
Ash
February 7, 2013 at 6:25 pm (12 years ago)Looks delicious and sweet! I love acorn squash but I’ve never made it like this before.
Christine
February 8, 2013 at 9:30 am (12 years ago)OHMYGOSH YOU’RE BACK!! (This is probably late, but I’m too excited to hold back haha) I just jumped half way off my chair in the middle of class! Welcome back and please never abandon us again :] I missed your posts sooo much!
Catherine
February 8, 2013 at 12:43 pm (12 years ago)Awww you’re too cute! Thank you Christine! I’m so happy to be back! xo
Fel
February 8, 2013 at 12:07 pm (12 years ago)hey girl! i’ve been reading your blog for a while now and i love all the delish-ness you post. i wanted to reach out to you as well because i’d love to interview you for my blog! i like to talk to people about the creative life, and i search in particular for people who are doing all kinds of different things (artist, thinkers, doers, makeup artists, stylists, designers, engineers, fitness/health enthusiasts, et al!) to chat about how what they do allows them to live a creative life. Just thought you might be perfect for that, and I’m yet to find the right health/fitness person 🙂
Do you think you might be interested? i would love to talk with you more. Check out the blog and see if you think we might be a good fit 🙂 http://www.felsgotswag.blogspot.com
And if you’d like to chat, just shoot me an email! feliciarose16@gmail.com
all best,
xx Fel
Sarah
February 8, 2013 at 7:17 pm (12 years ago)As soon as I saw this post I ran out and bought some acorn squash and am literally eating it right now. This is my new favorite way to eat a vegetable! As a vegetarian I’m forever looking for new ways to cook 🙂 I also added Chia Seeds for some added nutrition and crunch! Love your blog!
Brittany
February 8, 2013 at 9:03 pm (12 years ago)I love squash! It is so tasty and healthy at the same time!
EricaB
February 11, 2013 at 10:12 am (12 years ago)Hi Catherine, just wanted to let you know that you are such an inspiration! I’ve struggled with my weight and used to be a binge eater. Right around the time you started your blog I started eating healthy & exercising and seeked professional help. After getting to a happy place with a balanced diet & exercise I unexpectedly found love, I was dumped 5 days ago and was left feeling shattered and wanting to go back to my old eating habbits. I want you to know that until this morning I wasn’t sure what I was gonna do with myself to get over the break up and now Im excited to read your blog and instead of spending my time crying in bed Im going to better my cooking skills YAY! thanks a ton for your blog 🙂
Nicole
February 11, 2013 at 2:06 pm (12 years ago)Hi Catherine,
I love reading your blog and am so glad you’re back! Just wanted to ask, did you find there was anything that helped you whilst you were having triuble with your thyroid? I’m having my meds adjusted at the moment and while they aren’t perfect I’m really struggling with the carb cravings, low energy etc. I don’t want to stray from the healthy eating but it’s so hard! I’m trying to find a good, health food that can help, any tips you might have will be gratefully received! Thanks!
Morgan
February 11, 2013 at 3:37 pm (12 years ago)I made this last night! It was so delicious! Can’t wait for the stuffed recipes 🙂
Katherine
February 17, 2013 at 7:16 pm (12 years ago)Yum! I actually roasted an acorn squash and ate it for dinner tonight! (well, not ALL of it! hahah) I used olive oil and salt and pepper. I saved the leftovers and I’m going to use it in a soup tomorrow! I wish I had seen this post, it would have tasted so good with brown sugar! And I also happen to own the splenda brown sugar, but I’d probably just use pure brown sugar:) I had it with roasted mushrooms and roasted kale. It was a roasty kind of night!
May
February 27, 2013 at 4:27 pm (12 years ago)I’m eating this as I type. Prior to spotting your blog on Pinterest, I’m not sure I could have told you what an acorn squash was. Thank you for this, healthy, filling recipe – it’s now on my list of go-to foods!
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July 17, 2013 at 3:49 pm (11 years ago)Appreciate this post. Will try it out.