Acorn Squash

For dinner last night I made a Thai lemongrass chicken breast (marinated by Central Market) and baked acorn squash. The acorn squash was split in half, the seeds were scooped out, I put some olive oil in the bottom of a dish and placed the two halves cut-side down on the oiled dish. They went in the oven at 350 for 30 minutes. Then I flipped them over and steadied them with foil rings. I sprinkled salt and pepper on them, filled the cavity with orange juice and crushed garlic and then put them back in the oven for about 20 more minutes. Acorn squash is GOOD!! It has a nutty flavor, and the orange juice added a little sweetness. One whole clove of garlic was overkill. Next time I will use less.

Squash facts:

There are two categories of squash--summer and winter. Acorn squash is a winter squash (along with butternut and spaghetti). Winter squash has a higher carbohydrate content than the summer squash.

Bowden calls acorn squash a "fiber heavyweight" with 9 g of fiber in 1 cup of cooked acorn squash (for only 115 calories). It also has 896 mg of potassium and about 2 mg of iron.

Squash is a good food for weight loss. Foods like squash with a high water content are classified as "high-volume" meaning it is filling and low calorie.


Nutritional Information from:
Bowden, Jonny, and Jonny Bowden. The 150 Healthiest Foods on Earth: the Surprising, Unbiased Truth about What You Should Eat and Why. Gloucester, MA: Fair Winds, 2007. Print.