Friday, December 2, 2011

Agave/Balsamic Glazed & Roasted Buttercup Squash

Agave and Balsamic Glazed and Roasted Buttercup Squash



Ingredients
1 buttercup squash, or other winter squash (about 1.5 lbs.)
3 Tbsp Agave Nectar
3 Tbsp organic balsamic vinegar
freshly ground black pepper and Himalayan salt to taste

Recipe

Cut top and bottom end from squash, then sit flat on cutting board and cut in half top to bottom. Use a sharp spoon to scrape out seeds, washing out the inside of the squash if needed. Cut squash into half-moon slices about 1 inch wide. (Any shape of slice will work, but they need to be close to the same thickness...I just cut along the grooves).

Preheat oven or toaster oven to 400F. Spray roasting pan with non-stick spray or olive oil.  I used a 13" X 9" glass pan). Lay squash in single layer on pan. Mix together 2Tbsp of agave nectar and 2Tbs of balsamic vinegar and brush on top layer of squash. (Some will run down, which will coat the bottom as the squash roasts.)

Roast squash 15 minutes, then turn each piece. Brush second side lightly with the remaining 1Tbs each of agave-balsamic mixture. (At this point I made tiny jabs with a knife for the glaze to seep in a little). Roast 15 minutes more. Then light up pieced up right, side by side so they stay up right, bake for 5-10 more minutes or until squash pierces easily with a fork and is lightly browned.

Grind black pepper and Himalayan salt over squash and serve hot. (You could make this easier to eat with a fork by cutting off the peeling before eating, but it makes a nice serving piece to hold and eat too.)
 Cut Butternut squash in half and scoop out the seeds and membrane (stringy part)
 Slice along the grooves
 lay in pan side ways in glass or roasting pan
 Brush Balsamic vinegar and agave onto squash
 I then made little jabs into all sides
 After 15 minutes of baking, turn over and brush with remaining balsamic vinegar and agave
 After 15 more baking minutes lay prices up-right and brush with mixture that remained in pan
 Your squash is ready when it's softe enough
 Yumm
 You can sprinkle some salt and pepper on each piece to your preference, the salt and pepper adds some wonderful contrast to the sweet. But do make note if you're prone to heartburn the balsamic vinegar may affect you.