Free Diet Menu: Fallen Acorn Squash
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Because it also contains a good amount of dietary fiber as well as protein, it holds some impressive satiety powers, meaning that it will combat hunger as time progresses until your next scheduled meal arrives.
To prepare this recipe, you'll need to cook the specimen first.
Take note that all winter squash have very hard exteriors, making it difficult for the cook when slicing them in half or quartering or so forth. Be sure to wash the specimen before preparing to cook.
One never knows what little Johnny or Susie might have had on their hands when they played with the foods in the vegetable section while mommy shopped and chatted aimlessly on her cell phone, paying little heed to what her kids were doing, right?
The warmer the squash, the easier it will be to slice them - so as a cooking tip, I pierce the squash with a sharp knife - very carefully in a few spots. The piercing keeps the squash from exploding. I place it into the microwave and stand watch, checking every 20 seconds or so. My microwave takes about a minute to heat this vegetable to a temperature where I can cut it in half easily.
One slip - and you'll have a very nasty cut. I experienced this many years ago with a jagged bread knife and it's something that I'll never forget. So be careful when working with all fruits and vegetables with tough skins - including watermelon, cantaloupes, honeydew and all the different varieties of winter squash.
Now that the specimen is cut in half, scoop out all the seeds using a teaspoon. Be sure to remove the fibrous strings because these are tough to the taste and will ruin the flavor of the completed recipe - and no one likes to discover those little buggers while eating.
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Next, give it a quick rinse and place it face-down (flesh-down) in about an inch of water. Cover with a sheet of heavy plastic wrap. Place into the microwave.
The powerfulness of your microwave will determine cooking time; in ours - it takes about 8 minutes for a medium sized specimen to cook. It should be very tender when done - but not mushy, nor should the peel be hard and shriveled. If this happens, you can still use the meat or flesh of the vegetable it's just preferable that the flesh remain tender than over-cooked where texture is concerned.
Once it has fully cooked, remove the plastic wrap very cautiously as the steam will burn the skin quickly if you're not careful.
Place into a serving dish and top with the following ingredients OR you can choose to remove the cooked flesh and add them as you would to mashed potatoes. If you decide to use the mashing method, add 1/4 cup of your favorite coffee creamer (reduced fat) to the mixing bowl.
A great flavor which compliments this dish is the Sweet Italian Creamer by Coffee-Mate.
1/2 cup of cooked acorn squash
(if you plan to mash)
Light, Reduced Fat Margarine OR Parkay no calorie butter spray
Splenda
or you can use a bit of brown sugar for 11 calories per unpacked teaspoon
Ground Cinnamon, amount used is optional
Serves 1 for about 60 calories when prepared with Splenda and Parkay zero calorie spray.
Nutrients |
Units |
Value per |
1 cup, cubes |
1 specimen |
Calories, Energy |
kcal
|
40
|
56
|
172
|
Protein |
g
|
0.80
|
1.12
|
3.45
|
Total lipid (fat) |
g
|
0.10
|
0.14
|
0.43
|
Saturated F at |
g
|
0.021
|
0.029
|
0.091
|
Cholesterol |
mg
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
Carbohydrates |
g
|
10.42
|
14.59
|
44.91
|
Fiber, total dietary |
g
|
1.5
|
2.1
|
6.5
|
Calcium, Ca |
mg
|
33
|
46
|
142
|
Iron, Fe |
mg
|
0.70
|
0.98
|
3.02
|
Potassium, K |
mg
|
347
|
486
|
1496
|
Sodium, Na |
mg
|
3
|
4
|
13
|
Vitamin C, total ascorbic acid |
mg
|
11.0
|
15.4
|
47.4
|
Carotene, beta |
µg
|
220
|
308
|
948
|
Vitamin A, IU |
IU
|
367
|
514
|
1582
|
Lutein + zeaxanthin |
µg
|
38
|
53
|
164
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