Squash Anyone?

As you can see I have ended up with quite a bountiful supply of squash this fall! They seem to keep coming and coming- from my weekly farm boxes and from a co-worker.

I really haven't eaten much squash in my life- the occasional experiment with an acorn or spaghetti squash and of course canned pumpkin for pies and breads. With this many however, I am going to have to get creative and try some new recipes. Squash is a very healthy vegetable full of vitamin A, vitamin C and vitamin E. A serving of winter squash is 1 cup which is twice as much as a serving of white or sweet potatoes. That means you will get full with out as many calories or carbohydrates as a potato.

So far I have already made pumpkin puree, butternut squash risotto and I tried sauteing some spaghetti squash with some garlic and other vegetables. Today I found some recipes from Trader Joe's that I can not wait to try- spaghetti squash carbonara- yes please!

Tonight for dinner I took the two smallest squash that I had (no idea what type they are). I cut into them, removed the seeds and then tried to cut away the skin. They were pretty hard and I started to question this idea to cut away the skin instead of putting them in a dish with water in the oven. Next I sliced some Brussels sprouts and turned on the oven to 450 degrees. In a cast iron skillet I browned 2 slices of center cut bacon (this is unnecessary but there was some in the fridge that needed to be used up). After removing the bacon and some of the fat, I added the squash and the sprouts to the hot pan and placed it in the oven to 10 minutes. After 10 minutes I stirred everything around and roasted for another 5 minutes. The end result was browned Brussels sprouts and very soft squash. The squash was so soft it was creamy- incredible! I added a little sprinkle of parmesan cheese with the crumbled bacon and dinner was served. The crunch of the Brussels sprouts with the creaminess of the squash was a perfect combination.

What do you like to do with squash? I would love any suggestions!