In between my pumpkin escapades, I’ve been making room for butternut squash too. ‘Tis the season for dulling knives with big, orange beasts from the garden. Luckily the last time I went to my parents’ house, I managed to snatch a few butternuts and acorns perfect for this occasion.
My favorite way to cook up winter squash is by giving them a good roast in the oven. Add a pinch of salt and pepper, and maybe a little cinnamon and honey, and I could easily devour a whole one by myself. However, this time I decided to doctor up my roasted butternut with creamy avocado and fresh cilantro. Avocado and squash is a combination I had yet to try, but oh my god was it good! Something about the sweet starchiness of the squash with the richness of the avocado made for quite a tasty pairing. The complimentary colors are just another added perk.
Peanuts sweep in to finish this dish off with a delightful, salty crunch. Make sure to add them right before you serve the dish so they don’t get soggy.
Ingredients
- -1 medium butternut squash
- -1 Tbsp. olive oil, plus more for lightly coating squash
- -1 lime, juiced
- -2 Tbsp. cilantro
- -Scant tsp. coriander
- -1/8 - 1/4 tsp. cayenne
- -1/4 tsp. smoked paprika
- -1 1/2 tsp. honey
- -1/2 avocado, diced and sprinkled with salt
- -Dry roasted peanuts, handful
- -Salt and pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven 400F. Remove ends from squash. Cut lengthwise, and discard seeds. Slice squash into 1/2-inch circles/semicircles. Season with salt and pepper. Bake 35-40 minutes, until squash are tender but not overly soft/mushy.
- Meanwhile, whisk together oil, lime, cilantro, coriander, cayenne and smoked paprika to make dressing.
- Once squash is finished, remove from oven, and cut into cubes while still warm. Then drizzle honey over top. Toss with dressing and avocado. Sprinkle peanuts on top, and serve.
12 Comments
The Candid RD
November 9, 2011 at 7:34 amSounds fabulous!!! I have never paired butternut squash with avocado….and peanuts. It sounds like an amazing combination. Thanks for sharing. Nick and I have three more butternut squash left from our summer bounty. It will be so sad when they are gone!
lauren
November 9, 2011 at 9:57 amOoh perfect, I was going to cook my butternut squash tonight! And I have some cilantro that needs to get used up.
frugalfeeding
November 9, 2011 at 10:05 amDelicious looking dish. It’s a very accomplish recipe indeed. I did a roasted squash and sweet potato dish not long ago – it tastes so nice and sweet.
A Tablespoon of Liz
November 9, 2011 at 1:13 pmThis sounds and looks amazing! A lot of my favorite things, thats for sure!
Christine
November 9, 2011 at 3:03 pmHi Grace, Your Roasted Dish recipe has been selected by Knapkins to be featured in a Recipe Guessing Game. Please share the following link with your friends and fans. Congrats again!! 🙂 To play, go here: http://knapkins.com/guess_games/463?source=blog
Carrie
November 9, 2011 at 5:46 pmGosh, this really sounds amazing. Avocados and butternut squash are two of my favorite foods….but I’ve never had them together. Something tells me that it would be wonderful! I love all of the seasonings that you used in there, too.
ToFurkey Day 1 | Elite Daily Diet and Fitness
November 11, 2011 at 6:58 am[…] Roasted Butternut Squash with Avocado and Cilantro Vinaigrette by Food Fitness Fresh Air […]
tasha - the clean eating mama
November 11, 2011 at 1:35 pmWow – what a pretty dish!
I wanted to share this recipe on my blog – http://www.thecleaneatingmama.com/2011/11/tofurkey-day-1.html
Keep up the amazing job – I love your fresh and healthy recipes!
XxOo
Tasha
Christine Fisher (@ChristineAriel)
November 14, 2011 at 12:24 pmThis is delicious! And so much easier to make than I thought it would be!
Grace Dickinson
November 14, 2011 at 2:57 pmThanks!
Jarno
October 26, 2014 at 9:12 am“Discard seeds”! And then add peanuts, “for crunch”? You had seeds! Blanche them and sautee them in oil with salt! There is your crunch!
Grace @FoodFitnessFreshAir
October 26, 2014 at 11:18 amI agree! Both would be nice!