FMBM: What To Do With Squash

It's Halloween once again and there are Pumpkins all over the place. Since this veggie is in season, you get plus healthy points in cooking them for the family. Last weekend I found a sliced Butternut Squash in the grocery that looked so pretty and yellow, it's like enticing me saying "take me, i'm seriously healthy!", my sons have been eating Broccoli all week long and I thought this will be a good alternative. 

Now what to do with it?

Two years ago my friends and I had dinner at White House Fusion Cuisine restaurant in Davao City but until now I can still remember how I loved their Pumpkin(or was that Squash?) soup with Nori. I was surprised then how Pumpkin and Nori tasted so well together, the chef is genius! 

I haven't tried replicating it until now for my son's lunch, he is still complaining a toothache and a lose front tooth that's why I had to prepare soft food.

Butternut Squash Soup

You can prepare this ahead of time, like slice, boil and mash the Squash the night before to make that five minute mark we're gunning for in the morning.

In the morning, saute diced onions, and chopped bacon, add in the mashed Squash and pour about a cup and a half of chicken broth or plain water. Let it boil and season with salt and pepper to taste.

When it's done add the shredded Nori in the Squash Soup.

Mix with rice and for the best option, put in an insulated food jar to keep it warm until lunch time.

Little boy had it for breakfast too.

Squash Sandwich

This morning I only had spaghetti(with instant spaghetti sauce in a bottle) for my son's bento and I needed to incorporate a fruit or veggie for his snack to get something healthier for the day. I decided to use the remaining Butternut Squash sitting in the fridge. I know Squash is an unusual player in the sandwich department but I tried this with Sweet Potato and it was a hit, so I thought Squash won't fail me. It shouldn't because I only had 20 minutes for this experiment.

Again this will be faster if you boil and mash it the night before. But since I just thought of it this morning, I had to do everything while boiling the spaghetti pasta. 

Slice, boil and mash Butternut Squash.

Add a little bit (1/2 tsp) of Mayonnaise, a lot of grated cheese, season with a bit of salt and pepper. Garnish with chopped Green Onions for the slight crunch.

I know it's not exactly healthy with the cheese and the Mayo but when it's for the kids, taste is a major concern especially if you're guilty of sneaking in veggies to their snacks.

You can keep the leftover Squash Spread in a tight bottle to serve the next day! Just add more Green Onions. (I'm not sure how long it will keep but to be sure, use it the next day).

Little boy gets to eat it for breakfast too. There was resistance at first, maybe because it's new for him but he finished it all. So I guess the experiment was a success!