Sweet and Savory Butternut Squash

I kept looking at the butternut squash on my counter wondering what to do with it.  It was the chosen side dish for tonight and once I’ve decided on the side vegetable, it’s rare my mind can be changed.  This is what I came up with and it was pretty darned good. 

Sweet and Savory Butternut Squash

 

• 1 medium butternut squash
• 1 TBS SmartBalance (or butter)
• 1 tsp brown sugar
• 3 spring onions, chopped small
• 1 tsp fresh rosemary
• salt and pepper
• 2 TBS grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/4 cup Eggbeaters (or one whole egg – slightly beaten)

Put your squash in the microwave on high for about 6 to 8 minutes.  Remove and let cool until you are able to handle it.

Preheat oven to 425 F.  Remove skin from the squash and slice the thin end (the end without the seeds) into 1/4″ round disks.  Place on an aluminum foil lined baking sheet/dish, lightly sprayed with non-stick spray. 

Remove the seeds from the other end of the squash and put the squash “meat” in to a glass bowl (or microwavable bowl if you need to).  If it is not soft enough to puree, put it back into the microwave on high for another 2 – 3 minutes until it is soft and mashable with a fork. 

Saute onions on medium in a little olive oil, 1/2 TBS  – about 3 minutes.  When cooked add to the mashed squash. Add rosemary, salt and pepper to taste, parmesan cheese and egg.  Puree using an immersion blender or blender.

Melt the SmartBalance (or butter) with the brown sugar in the microwave for just about 10 – 20 seconds.  Brush onto the squash disks on the aluminum baking sheet.

Taking about 1 to 2 TBS of the pureed mixture, place it on top of each squash disk.  Bake for 20 – 30 minutes until disk is soft and mashed topping has browned slightly.  Note:  You will have extra pureed squash.  Simply place in a pie plate sprayed with non-stick and bake along with the other dish.  Just a little extra treat.

A little extra savory squash puree

I have to share this because I’m so excited.  The following email arrived today and if you are a Tyler Florence fan, you’re sure to be equally excited.  I’ve added him to my blog roll – how cool is that?!

Recently we have been working with acclaimed celebrity chef Tyler Florence who is known for his various cook books and three shows on the Food Network, Food 911, How to Boil Water, and Tyler’s Ultimate. Tyler has a fan base all around the world, who love him for his unique tastes, visions and creations. Tyler has recently been making efforts to reach out to his fans by using a blog and Twitter.

Tyler has got his fans talking up a storm…someone has snatched his large fork from outside of his California store! Now all of Tyler ‘s followers are tweeting #freethefork, and offering suggestions as to the fork’s whereabouts. The incident spurred humorous entries on Food Network blogs, including a series of photos manipulated to show the giant fork at a Yankees game, under Kirstie Alley’s arm and being ridden by Harry Potter star Daniel Radcliffe. On twitter, Tyler has also created the unique concept of an online cooking school every Friday, called Twitterlicious. Every week, Tyler puts up a poll of different recipes on his website, and for the recipe that gets the most votes, Tyler provides a step by step video instructions via Twitter on how to prepare the dish! This is the largest and only online cooking school in America conducted from Twitter! Just when you thought Tyler did it all, he has announced his new iPhone application so his followers can carry his full library of recipes in their pocket!

Please consider Tyler Florence for inclusion in your blog, as he is making important innovations in the cooking world. You can read more about Tyler Florence at his website (www.TylerFlorence.com) or through his Twitter. Thank you for your time.

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