Low Calorie Acorn Squash
Recipe for Dieters

Written by Sky Taylor, Diet Bites

A diet recipe using winter acorn squash.


Acorn Squash, Healthy Choice for Dieters, Low Calorie, Low Sodium, Low Fat

Acorn squash is naturally low in caloric and dietary fat values.

A large winter specimen that is about four inches in diameter contains less than 200 calories and contains a plethora of servings.

The total fat content of the entire specimen is not even one-half a gram.

The acorn squash is indeed a super food and mined with the other nutritional values based on one four-inches in diameter raw squash: almost 50 mg of Vitamin C, 6.5 total dietary fiber grams, 3.45 protein grams, 1,496 potassium mg, 172 total energy calories and 1,582 IU of Vitamin A.

It's also minimal in sodium content - and contains zero cholesterol. An entire pound of acorn squash has about 250 calories.

Butternut & Spaghetti Squash

If you enjoy this winter specimen, you may also enjoy others such as butternut and spaghetti squash.

Our Diet Acorn Squash Recipe

You will need the following recipe ingredients to prepare Sky's Acorn Squash:

1 acorn squash (172 calories)
2 Tablespoons brown sugar (40 calories) or sugar substitute (zero)
Dash of ground cinnamon (zero)
No calorie butter spray (fridge type, zero) or reduced fat margarine (40 calories a serving)


How to Prepare This Diet Recipe

Wash the pretty squash then place into the microwave for about a minute on high taking care to pierce a hole into the squash before loading it into the microwave so that it can vent and won't explode.

Use this method at your own discretion and check the squash after 30 seconds; if it feels very warm - then remove.

This technique will assist in making the outer skin of the specimen softer so that it can be cut in half.

Also keep in mind that microwave cooking temperatures vary - so make certain that you don't create an explosion rather than a simple softening of the outer layer of your squash.

When you cut the specimen in half - be very careful as to how you hold your knife. Never grip the handle and hold the knife by the top - pointed straight downwards because if your grip slips, you risk serious injury to your hand.

We say this because winter squash are very difficult to work with due to their tough outer hull. Also, the flesh is very hard on many of the specimens. At times, we've felt like dragging out the chain saw to cut ours in half - but then again, we don't own a chain saw. Perhaps a hack saw.

Nonetheless, remove the squash from the microwave and cut in half. As noted, that short time in the microwave should make it easier to slice. Seed the halves and wash each half thoroughly, removing any visible membrane or loose seeds.

Next, place the halves into a large, flat-bottomed microwave safe pan with the cut areas facing downward against the bowl. Add about one to two inches of water to the pan.I sat on a stinking onion.

Cover loosely with plastic wrap and cook on high for about 5 minutes, or until it reaches desired tenderness.

Serving Suggestions

Serve warm with the reduced calorie butter spray or the reduced fat margarine. Dust with ground cinnamon and the brown sugar.

You can add blue, yellow or pink packets of zero calorie sweetener or low calorie syrup for added sweetness if you don't want to use the brown sugar - or you can use the low calorie version of brown sugar by Splenda.

This acorn squash recipe serves two extremely generously and is filling, healthy, low calorie and very satisfying to your taste buds. View another squash recipe.

 

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