{"id":1154,"date":"2014-03-02T09:00:38","date_gmt":"2014-03-02T14:00:38","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/safaraf.com\/?p=1154"},"modified":"2014-03-02T08:52:40","modified_gmt":"2014-03-02T13:52:40","slug":"butternut-squash-3-ways","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/safaraf.com\/?p=1154","title":{"rendered":"Butternut Squash 3 Ways"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>As we step into March, the winds of change are coming to greet us as we witness the soon to be seasonal new beginnings.\u00a0 These next few weeks are a chance to say thank you to a season of winter that has provided the necessary opportunities to be mindful.\u00a0 It is also a chance to enjoy the final seasonal delights of the winter harvest.<\/p>\n

One such is the butternut squash; a delicious hearty vegetable that along with other winter squashes like acorn and spaghetti make for wonderful dishes throughout the season.<\/p>\n

Butternut squash is a naturally sweet squash, subtle in flavoring and smooth texture to the palate.\u00a0 It is a squash that lends itself nicely to soups, puree and as a side vegetable to a dish abundant in leafy greens.<\/p>\n

A note on preparation of butternut squash:\u00a0 Many people shy away from such vegetables because of the preparation.\u00a0 We look at the large rounded vegetable with tough skin and it seems too much of a hassle to prepare.\u00a0 One method I learned about from my dear mother-( an outstanding healthy cook :)) is to steam it in hot water before cutting it open.\u00a0 This can be done by placing it in a large heavy pot with a lid.\u00a0 The skin will become nice and soft and easy to remove along with the seeds and stem.<\/p>\n

Soup- Butternut squash- once prep, butternut squash can be added along with bay leaf (or kombu), onions, leeks to create either a base to a soup or added to an already prepared soup.\u00a0\u00a0If you skip the prep and decide to start from\u00a0uncooked simply add it to\u00a0the pot once\u00a0you have\u00a0put in the\u00a0other ingredients. \u00a0One nice combination I have enjoyed is to combine it with potatoes and springs of parsley or basil and celery.\u00a0 Simple and delicious.<\/p>\n

Puree- Butternut squash-once prep, butternut squash is easily ready for a puree.\u00a0 Take butternut squash once cooled and transfer to a blender or a food mixer.\u00a0 To enjoy as a mashed variety to your meal as would a potato, you wont need to add much to make it taste, and I myself like it plain.\u00a0 You can add left over beans, vegetables as well to make it hearty and use this as a thick sauce for a pasta dish.\u00a0 If you eat fruits with your meals, add some cooked fruits like apples or pears; will enhance its already sweetness or provide a\u00a0tart complement to its flavoring.<\/p>\n

Side Vegetable- Butternut squash-once prep- butternut squash can be cut into half-moon pieces.\u00a0 With the seeds scooped out, it is ready for you to enjoy.\u00a0 Drizzling a bit of umeboshi paste mixed with water and flax or any other nut or seed oil makes a delicious buttery topping.<\/p>\n

So enjoy yourself to a nice bit of butternut squash or any other variety as a tribute to the season.\u00a0 You’ll be happy you found a sweet opportunity to do so.<\/p>\n

In health,<\/p>\n

Safara<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

As we step into March, the winds of change are coming to greet us as we witness the soon to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[6],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/safaraf.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1154"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/safaraf.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/safaraf.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/safaraf.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/safaraf.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1154"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"http:\/\/safaraf.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1154\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1163,"href":"http:\/\/safaraf.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1154\/revisions\/1163"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/safaraf.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1154"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/safaraf.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1154"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/safaraf.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1154"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}