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Butternut Squash

         It's usually a fall vegetable, at least locally. But they were on sale today, so I got the smallest one they had. I looked up recipes, and I was surprised to find one that didn't involve soup or sugar and cinnamon. In fact, it called for black pepper and minced garlic cloves.

         I've also read recently about the health benefits of coconut oil. I had always thought it was bad for you, but apparently in moderation, it has some good properties. You can't fry with it because is smokes more than other oils. It's supposed to have an amazingly long shelf life once it's opened. At room temperature, it hardens like wax. Does that sound like it's good for you? You're supposed to melt just a little and add it to your salad dressing? It's not a saturated fat, and not a trans. . . I can't remember. Anyway. . .

         My squash recipe called for baking with 2 tablespoons of oil, so I melted some white coconut oil. I peeled the squash. Do you know how hard that is? It's a really thin peel, and it's firmly attached. You have to use a sharp knife and the accidents are just waiting for someone like me. I usually use recipes that call for boiling or baking the squash with the skin on, and the pulp just slides right out. I managed without drawing blood, cut it into 1 inch cubes and dipped into the oil with kosher salt and pepper. I like mincing garlic cloves; it's sort of a stress reliever. All chopping and kneading kind of take out the tension. Peeling, not.

         The result: absolutely delicious. A high fiber side dish that was garlicky, yet naturally sweet. We like fixing our own food instead of opening cans or freezer bags, when we have time. I like not adding mushroom soup or other comfort foods that are full of sodium and hidden fats, sugars and artificial things. To make the meal healthier, we had chard and escarole in the salad. Yum.