October - Butternut Squash w/ Pomegranate, Feta, & Parsley

Ingredients:

• 2 densely packed cups of kale (thick center stems removed)

• 1 med to large butternut squash

• 1-2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

• 1/3 cup feta cheese (crumbled)

• 1/2-1 tbsp fresh parsley (finely minced)

• 1/2 cup fresh pomegranate seeds

• salt, pepper, and garlic powder to taste

Optional Ingredients:

• cinnamon

• honey

• balsamic reduction or glaze

Method:

• Preheat your oven to 400F

• Prepare your butternut squash as follows:

  • cut off both ends then cut in half or quarters

    *I chose to cut across its width (rather than its length) to make for smaller/easier to handle section. If you choose to cut the same way I did then proceed to cut each of the halves one more time to get quarters

  • with a peeler remove the outer skin from all sections

  • remove all the seeds and pulp from the center of the squash

  • cut the “meat” of the squash into relatively even-sized cubes (3/4-1” is a good size)

• Drizzle the olive oil on a cookie sheet then toss the cubed squash in that to coat all sides

• Season with salt, pepper, and garlic powder to your taste

• Roast that off in the oven on the middle rack for about 25mins (just keep in mind, that time might vary depending on the size of cubes you have cut, smaller will cook faster, and larger cubes may need a few additional mins)

• Once the squash is cooked to your liking (fork tender, but not mushy) add the pomegranate seeds to the roasting pan and return to the oven for just a few (3-5) mins. This is just to warm the seeds a bit so they play nicely with everything. I feel like it also enhanced their flavor a bit, but maybe that was in my head haha.

• Now remove the pan from the oven. If you want to try the recipe with the addition of some cinnamon this is where you would do that, just sprinkle over the roasted veg and give a gentle stir before transferring to your serving dish. I would suggest starting with a small amount as to not overpower anything else (perhaps like 1/4 tsp to start). I didn’t use any cinnamon in my initial trial run but thought since its a seasoning that pairs great with squash and gets a lot of play during the holidays some of you might be interested in incorporating it.

• If you are not using cinnamon then you simply transfer the roasted squash and warm pomegranate seeds to your serving dish skipping the previous step.

• Sprinkle the feta & parsley over the top of your serving dish

• I let people take what they wanted of the dish and put honey and balsamic glaze on the table for them to drizzle over top as they wished. I tried mine with a bit of both together and it was outstanding.