I'm sure many of you already know about this easy-to-prepare, vitamin-loaded winter veggie, but I just tried making it for the first time last night and am now hooked. My mother has been trying to get me to cook with squash for years (as I also mentioned in my previous post)...she raves about how good it is for you, how easy it is to cook and serve, etc., etc....and much to my dismay, she has again been proven much wiser than me on the subject of vegetables.
Anyway, this post is for any of you who are looking for a new side dish to add to your fall/winter quick-cooking dinner lineup. I bought one 2+ pound squash and cooked half last night and the other half tonight. It turned out to be the perfect amount for Russ and me both nights...you could probably serve 3 people with one half, but this stuff is soooo good (and so low-cal) that I just gobbled up the extra.
So easy to prepare: cut in half lengthwise (this is probably the hardest part), scrape out the seeds, place in microwave safe dish cut side up, add 1/4 cup of water to dish, cover with plastic wrap, and microwave for 12 minutes. Carefully remove plastic wrap, transfer to cutting board (or other dish, so you don't have to mess with the piping hot dish that just came out of the microwave), then shred the squash with a couple forks.
You can eat a heaping 1 cup portion for less than 80 calories, and you'll get 145% of your RDA for vitamin A...plus lots of vitamin C, potassium, fiber, and folate. I like to eat it as is, and Russ likes it with a bit of hot sauce drizzled on top.
Hope each of you have a healthy and happy holiday weekend. I'm looking forward to eating Russ's famous pecan pie (an old recipe from his family), putting up Christmas decorations, and spending time with the fam. This will be my first Thanksgiving with my family since my college days, and will also be the first holiday we all celebrate together with my older brother's new wife and my little brother's fiancee. Nice to finally have some more girls in the family.
Happy Thanksgiving!
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