We seem to be right on the cusp of fall here in Central Texas. Although the stores have long stocked pants, jeans and sweaters, it’s hard to really embrace fall’s arrival until you go through a whole day without sweating. Any day now, right?
Hopefully we can send Mother Nature a message that fall is here by cooking fall-like foods. Today’s recipe for butternut squash kugel comes to us courtesy of Homemade Mommy, a blog written by Austin mama Lindsey, who works full time at a software company and makes it a priority to ditch processed food and cook homemade meals for her husband and three-year-old daughter.
Linsdey started Homemade Mommy in 2009, when she was pregnant with her daughter and she was getting more and more requests from friends and family for her recipes. At the time, she had been a Johnson’s Backyard Garden CSA member and had been changing her diet after her acupuncturist recommended the cookbook Nourishing Traditions. Lindsey noticed her asthma and allergy problems disappeared since changing her diet, and that her family also benefited from being healthier and happier. Although juggling a full-time job, parenting a little one and eating homemade foods isn’t always easy, Lindsey feels it’s all worthwhile.
Lindsey chose to share this recipe because it’s one of her “go-to” dishes during this time of year when butternut squash is plentiful, and because it is an easy and crowd-pleasing side dish. She also shares what she plans to do more of on her blog — posting a recipe with “fake” food and then revamping it to give you ideas on how to make it healthier.
Here is the *original* fake food recipe which Lindsay’s cousin got from a friend’s mother:
“Fake Food” Butternut Squash Ingredients:
1 kilo (2.2 lbs) cooked butternut squash
1 cup sugar
1 cup flour
5 eggs
1 container Rich’s whip
cinnamon/sugar for topping
Boil cubes of squash until tender, add all ingredients (except Rich’s Whip) to food processor (or stand mixer) until smooth. Add the Rich’s whip and blend together for a short time. Pour into a 9 x 13 pan and sprinkle with cinnamon/sugar mixture and cover with foil. Bake at 350 degrees for approx. 45 min or until edges are golden brown.
Now, here’s how Lindsey “made over” the recipe:
Homemade Mommy’s Butternut Squash Kugel Ingredients:
3 large cooked butternut squash
1 tsp ground cardamom
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 cup raw honey or Grade B Maple Syrup
1/4 cup coconut oil – melted
1 cup coconut milk
5 pastured eggs
cinnamon for topping
Peel and dice the butternut squash and place in a pot of water. Bring to a boil and cook until it is fork tender and then drain. Add all ingredients to a stand mixer or mix in a bowl until smooth. Pour into 9X13 pan and sprinkle with cinnamon. Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 40 min until edges are slightly golden.
Thanks, Lindsey for sharing your recipe!
Readers, do you have any recipes you have changed to make them healthier? What substitutes have you found for some of the processed ingredients in recipes?
[author] [author_image timthumb=’on’]http://www.livemom.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/Nicole-Basham-Sara-Marzani-Photography-livemom.jpg[/author_image] [author_info]A native Austinite and soccer-playing mom, Nicole uses her 6-year-old son as an excuse to rediscover her hometown through his eyes. In Thoreau’s words, her mission is to “suck out all the marrow of life”, or in her son’s words, to cultivate in him a love of “advenchers”.[/author_info] [/author]
