Roast Squash

Roast squash is one of my favorite fall items, I love the sweet yummy flavor that it has. I like how versatile it is because you can use it as a side dish, a snack or like I have done here, added to a salad. Taking the skin off the squash is the hardest part of the process, make sure you have a very sharp knife or heavy duty vegetable peeler!

Roast Squash

1 Squash (Acorn or Butternut are my favorites)
Olive Oil
Brown Sugar
Salt

Cut squash in half, remove seeds and skin. Cut into 3/4 inch cubes and place on a non-stick baking pan. Drizzle with a little olive oil and then lightly sprinkle with salt and brown sugar. Bake at 400 degrees until sugar starts to caramelize and squash is just tender, about 20-30 minutes. Serve hot or let cool and use on salads or enjoy as a snack.

I made a simple salad using some mixed greens, a seared steak and a pungent blue cheese...the sweet squash and blue cheese together were to die for!

Thai Coconut Curry with Squash & Chicken

I hope everyone had a wonderful and safe Thanksgiving! I sure did, and feel about 10 pounds heavier because of it. Also, I got so tied up with work and eating this weekend I forgot that I didn’t have anything lined up to post, so sorry it’s been so long. I finally wasn’t in charge of the meal this year and went over to a friend’s house. We had 3 appetizers, turkey, 13 side dishes, and 3 desserts…a foodies dream come true, all I had to do was bring mashed potatoes and sweet potatoes (you think I’m from Idaho?) I will do a post about these a little later this week when I get all my pictures ready.
So onto the curry dish…I had an acorn squash hanging out on the counter this week and I thought I would throw it in a curry with some chicken and it was really good, I can’t wait to make this dish again. It’s really quick and with the exception of the cilantro, I had all the ingredients on hand. This is also a very quick dish to make, so it’s perfect to throw together after work. I like my curry dishes pretty spicy so I used a full (or rather heaping) tablespoon of curry paste, if you’re not a spice fan, you may want to cut back to a teaspoon or so and then add more to taste.

Thai Coconut Curry with Squash & Chicken

1 Acorn Squash, peeled and cut into ½ inch cubes
2 Shallots, chopped
1 Garlic Clove, chopped
1 Tablespoon Thai Green Curry Paste
1 Can Unsweetened Coconut Milk (reduced fat is fine in this dish!)
1 Teaspoon Fish Sauce, or more to taste
2 Teaspoons Dark Brown Sugar
1 Teaspoon Salt
2 Tablespoons Oil
1 Large Chicken Breast, cut into cubes
Cilantro, or Thai Basil, for garnish

Bring a medium sized pot of water to a boil over high heat. Add the squash and boil until just tender. Drain and set aside.
In a small food processor or blender combine the shallots, garlic, curry paste coconut milk, fish sauce, brown sugar, and salt, process to form a smooth sauce.
In a medium sized pot, add the oil and sauté the chicken until just browned. Add the curry sauce and squash and cook until fragrant and squash is very tender, about 5 minutes. Serve over rice if desired with cilantro or basil for garnish.

Roasted Acorn Squash

I am so excited to finally have acorn squash ready in my garden! This is one of my favorite fall items and I have several recipes I use squash in. It is definitely getting colder here and fall is in their air that means it’s time for some good comfort food. I have tomorrow off and it’s supposed to be rainy and cold, I’m thinking that the first pot-roast of the season is in order.

Roasted Acorn Squash

Cut squash in half and remove seeds. Sprinkle with coarse salt and black pepper, and then drizzle each half with about 1 Tablespoon dark molasses. Place on a baking sheet, cover with foil and bake in a 350 degree oven for about 1 hour, or until tender. If you like your squash a little sweeter, they are good with a sprinkle of brown sugar.