Fall Baked Butternut Squash Crunch
I’m a pretty busy person, so I look for ways in which I can be more productive. Hitting 2 birds with one stone, so to speak.
I don’t have a ton of time to spend on meal prep, so when I choose a recipe it has to be easy to put together, with basic ingredients I may have on hand (or can easily pick up), and above all, it’s gotta be tasty! Life is too short for bland fat-free and low calorie recipes. There is a way to choose healthy, nourishing foods that make your body feel good, AND that taste really delicious as well.
Given that the fall is here, I have revisited a personal favourite recipe from one of my all-time favourite recipe books – ‘The Oh She Glows Cookbook’
I get asked all the time if I am vegan or vegetarian, I am not. I do limit animal protein but I still eat it from time to time. I don’t like labels, but what I do like is the delicious flavours that are in vegan recipes. Without animal protein I find these recipes really creative and flavourful. Also it pushes me to consider other interesting options for meals outside of the traditional meals I grew up with.
I often take vegan meals and modify as it works for me and my eating preferences. The original recipe in the cookbook is the Fall Harvest Butternut Squash with Almond-Pecan Parmesan. If you would like the vegan option of the recipe I would highly suggest you buy Angela Liddon’s book. It’s packed full of incredible recipes and is worth well over the $20 list price. My recipe takes her base and simplifies it slightly to fit my nutritional preferences.
I like this dish because I can make it once and eat it 3-4 different ways. This dish is an excellent side dish for dinner, a great base for delicious brunch – just throw a couple fried or poached eggs on top and a little sliced avocado on the side. Additionally I will use this to add a little fall flavour to salads. Sometimes raw veggie salads get a little tired for me in the winter. Adding warmth and variety from fall roasted vegetables mixes it up for me and makes them more interesting. You could also grill some turkey or tofu sausages and mix them into the butternut squash mixture for a great lunch or dinner option.
Ingredients
1 butternut squash
2-3 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 parsley, finely chopped – optional
1-2 tsp olive oil
salt & pepper
1/4 cup chopped pecans (or you can use almonds or walnuts)
2-3 Tbsp parmesan cheese
1-2 cups kale, pull leaves off stems and loosely chop
Directions
Preheat the oven to 375’F.
Peel the butternut squash, scoop out the seeds and cut into 1 inch or so pieces and place in a bowl. Add 1-2 tsp of olive oil and mix. Add the minced garlic, mix again and then place onto a baking dish. I used a rectangular casserole dish.
**If you are using parsley add it in with the garlic. Last time I made this recipe I didn’t have parsley and it turned out well without it. But extra greens are always a good thing. Parsley provides anti-oxidants, and it is a source of vitamin A, K & C.
Cover the baking with a lid or foil and bake for 35-40 minutes, or until the squash is fork-tender.
While the squash cooks, mix the parmesan cheese & chopped nuts together.
When the squash is cooked, remove it from the oven and reduce the heat to 350’F. Mix in the cheese & nut mixture, as well as the chopped kale. Place dish back in the oven and cook for an additional 5-7 minutes, until the kale is wilted.
Take out and let cool a few minutes before serving or eating.
Let me know if you try this fall dish. If you make any changes or additions to the recipe to improve it for your own personal taste, I’d love to know 🙂
