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Fallen Acorn Squash, a Low Calorie Recipe

This tasty low fat, diet recipe for squash can help you keep from falling off your weight loss plan....

Acorn squash is a winter variety of squash. Often different varieties of squash are grouped together under one umbrella such as butternut, hubbard, turban and acorn which are classified as 'winter squash'.

Acorn squash is so low in caloric and dietary fat content that it makes a wise food for your diet. Because it also contains a good amount of dietary fiber as well as protein, it holds some fine satiety powers.

To prepare this recipe, you'll need to cook the specimen first. 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.

The warmer the squash, the easier the job - 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 the squash every 20 seconds or so. My microwave takes about a minute to heat the squash to a temperature where I can cut it in half easily.

When cutting any type of winter squash, be extremely vigilant as to how your knife is positioned. 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 squash is cut in half, scoop out all the seeds using a teaspoon. Be sure to remove the fibrous strings because it's tough to the taste and will ruin the flavor of the squash at the table - and no one likes to discover those little buggers while eating. Next, give the squash 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 acorn squash 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 of the squash; it's just more preferable that the flesh remain tender than over-cooked.

Once the squash is fully cooked, remove the plastic wrap very cautiously as the steam will burn the skin quickly if you're not careful. Place the squash 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.

Ingredients for low calorie Fallen Acorn Squash

Serves 1 for about 60 calories when prepared with Splenda and Parkay zero calorie spray.