The low carbohydrate side to Thanksgiving: Sweet and Spicy Acorn Squash

Low Carbohydrate?!! No sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes or bread stuffing you say?? Before you leave this site, just for a change how about we try an Acorn squash with cayenne and coriander with maple syrup- or Delicata squash pasta made with portobello mushrooms and sage parsley butter. Great alternatives for side dishes.

Delicata Squash is the pretty mottled gourd looking squash that we all walk by thinking it is inedible! But it is a edible winter squash similar to butternut squash. Here’s the facts: 1 cup is 40 kcals, no fat, with 9 grams of fiber and high in Vitamin A. Now that is low calorie and embellishing with some parmesan cheese and olive oil or butter will allow for additional fat grams in your daily diet.

Let’s start with Acorn Squash

This is a  wonder food, at 1/2 cup or 1/2 of  medium acorn squash baked, has approximately 58 kcals, 15 grams of carb and is an appropriate serving of carbohydrate for Diabetics. Also, has 170 mg of omega 3’s (so for fish haters this is a plus). Very low in sodium (4.5 mg). The squash is highest in carotenoids, Vitamin A.

• Sweet and Spicy Acorn Squash
• 1 acorn squash cut in half
• 2 teaspoons of butter
• 2 tablespoons of maple syrup
• 1/8 teaspoon of cayenne powder
• pinch of salt
• 1 teaspoon of ground coriander

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place halved acorn squashes in a baking dish. Pour a 1/2 cup of water along the side of the dish for added moisture while baking. Sprinkle with coriander and cayenne and pout 1 tablespoon of maple syrup over the squashes with a pinch of salt. Dot with butter. Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 15 minutes.
Delicata Squash with Portobello Mushrooms and Sage parsley butter:

• 1 delicata squash
• 2 portobello mushroom
• 2 tablespoons of butter
• 1/4 cup chicken broth
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 tablespoons of minced parsley
• 2 sage leaves thinly sliced
• Parmesan cheese to shave or grated to taste

Peel the outer skin of the delicata squash and with a potato peeler, peel strips or ribbons of squash length wise until you have 2 cups of squash peeled. In a sauté pan melt butter and add the squash, sauté for 5-8 minutes until the squash is soft and add 1/4 cup of vegetable broth or chicken broth, salt and pepper, 2 sage leaves thinly sliced and 2 tablespoons of minced parsley. Mix together and serve immediately  with grated or shaved parmesan cheese.