Roasted Butternut Squash Recipe: Immune Booster and Tasty Wonder Food

Why not preheat the oven? It saves energy (gas or electricity pending on your source) and it’s going to cook just fine without a preheat.
Why wait on adding the garlic (for both the squash and the seeds)? Garlic has a tendency to burn faster than the squash/seeds and causes a bitterness you want no part of; so if you wait, you’ll get all the delicious garlicky taste you want without the burn.

Want to boost your immune system? Who doesn’t, right? We’re in the middle of a pandemic, but every day is a good day to protect yourself from viruses and diseases.

First, step far away from animal products, because they are harming your endothelial system (<—crucial for immune health) and causing widespread harm to your body (I've previously listed out healthier/kinder alternatives); and then go get ye some squash!

Why squash? First, they are delicious! Secondly, check out these stats for 1 cup of squash per your daily recommended values:

• Vitamin A - 457% (<—HOLY MOLY! And that’s not a typo!!!)

• Vitamin B6 - 13%

• Vitamin C - 52%

• Vitamin E - 13%

• Vitamin K - 3%

• Thiamin - 10%

• Folate - 10%

• Calcium - 8%

• Iron - 7%

• Manganese - 18%

• Magnesium - 15%

• Potassium - 17%

Squash are also flush with beta-carotene; and foods high in Beta-Carotene, Vitamin C, and Vitamin E make an immune boosting power trio. Why? Because:

Beta-carotene: is a powerful antioxidant that can reduce inflammation and boost immune function by increasing disease-fighting cells in the body. It’s even linked with preventing cancer.

Vitamin C: helps to destroy free radicals and support the body’s natural immune response.

Vitamin E: is essential for many processes in your body including maintaining healthy vision, and ensuring the normal function of your immune system and organs. It even aids in the proper growth and development of babies in the womb.

We all want robust immune systems (ESPECIALLY AMIDST A PANDEMIC!), eyes that see clearly, and well-grown babies, eh? If so, read on and see how you can use up a whole squash (seeds and all) and feast kindly.

First step: go get some squash. On a budget? We love Aldi’s.

I find it easier to tackle peeling the squash if I divide it in half and handle the rounded bottom separately.
Throw the skins into the compost or reserve for a veggie-scrap broth.

Scoop out the seeds, but KEEP THEM and put them into a separate baking dish. We use a glass loaf pan.

Chop that sweet, buttery flesh into roughly 1in/3cm cubes. (If making a scrap broth, combine those skins with whatever other compost items you have, throw it all into a pot, salt it, add some garlic (and herbs if you have any handy), and boil ‘em down until you have a delicious elixir.)

Add all the squash to a pan, drizzle with the tiniest amount of your preferred veg oil, stir to coat, then season to taste.
Why not as much oil as I want? Oil is delicious, but it is processed and coming at you hot without any fiber attached to it, so the nutritional docs are recommending that you limit ravenous consumption of oil, and state it’s best to get it when you’re eating whole-foods (ie the oil found in a nut, avocado, etc).

Finished roasted Squash Seeds
As seen above, season the seeds with salt (no oil needed) and then add them to the un-preheated oven with the squash. Flip them at 10 min, and then throw back in for another 10. Seeds are silly. Sometimes they are done after those combined 20, sometimes they must have more water weight and they take a little longer. Take them out when they are at your desired level of crunchy and season with paprika and garlic powder while they are still piping hot so they seasonings stick. This only makes a few, but it is a great way to use up as much of the squash as possible, and they are delicious and super nutritious! <3

They are done in about 40 minutes, or when they are soft and slightly caramelized. Enjoy however you desire, but they always taste great with black rice, next to mashed potatoes, with easy avocados (<—also a nice Vitamin C source), on a kale and quinoa salad, the possibilities are endless. :-)

They are even kiddo approved. :-)

Live and feast kindly, Folks! <3