Roasted Butternut Squash and Sweet Potatoes
Butternut squash is a vegetable that is always on my menu once a week, when ripe it has a sweet and nutty flavour which is addictive and leaves you wanting more. When made into a soup it lends a velvety texture that is so satisfying and divine. My favourite method of cooking this vegetable is by roasting in the oven, it adds a sweet caramelization which works wonders alongside the added salt.
This vegetable along with the family of winter squash should be part of your weekly diet. It is rich in vitamins C, A which boost the immune system, in addition to improving your skin, and it is a fantastic source of antioxidants. The high content of fibre helps regulate blood and regulate the bowels. It is amazingly filling and low in calories at 45 calories per 100 g, therefore, it aids in weight loss.
As for sweet potatoes they also carry an ample of benefits exactly like butternut squash, but with an added extra, it has a low glycaemic index (GI) therefore it helps regulate the blood sugar in diabetic patients. It also has much fewer calories than the regular potato at 86 calories per 100 g.
If you are a fan of these vegetables, you must try my butternut squash and black bean burrito, pumpkin soup, vegetable chilli with sweet potato wedges and to be published my pumpkin kibbeh soon.
Yield: 1 kilogram
Preparation Time: 15 minutes
Start to finish: 45 minutes
Roasting: 30 minutes
Ingredients:
500 grams sweet potatoes
500 grams butternut squash
2 teaspoons sage
2 teaspoons garlic powder
2 teaspoons onion powder
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon paprika, smoked
4 tablespoons olive oil
Method:
* Preheat oven to 180C fan setting.
* Peel the sweet potatoes and cube at 2-3 cm.
* Peel and deseed the butternut squash and cube the same size.
* Place in an oven proof dish and season with sage, garlic powder, onion powder, salt and paprika.
* Coat with the olive oil and mix well until all the vegetables are coated.
* Bake for 30 minutes or until done.
Tips:
* You can follow the same recipe for pumpkin and even potatoes.
* Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
* Use in salads, dips, soups or accompanying your dinner or lunch.
Per Serving: 1089 Calories; 56g Fat (44.4% calories from fat); 12g Protein; 146g Carbohydrate; 19g Dietary Fiber; 0mg Cholesterol; 4332mg Sodium.