Maybe 2 years ago, my mother-in-law gave me this cookbook, A Harvest of Pumpkins and Squash. I love fall, fall weather, fall foods… so I’ve enjoyed leafing through it and finding inspiration in its pages. Until this weekend though, I’m not sure I had actually made a recipe from the book as it was written! And even then, I ended up changing it a little after seeing how it turned out.
This isn’t a paleo/primal/grain-free cookbook, but several of the entrée, soup, and side dish recipes fall into those categories or can be easily modified.
I decided to make an acorn squash recipe from the book, which included a flavor I hadn’t thought to include yet – orange! The acorn squash is simply baked, and then filled with an orange-pecan-brown sugar mixture and re-baked.
The original mixture was a bit orange juice heavy, and thus very “loose.” There also wasn’t enough of it to fill all 4 squash cavities even half way, so I added more of the other ingredients, re-mixed, and re-filled. The squash was delicious and half of one was a perfect dinner for me. The author suggests serving it with roast pork or turkey, which would also be delicious, but I think it’s fine on its own for a light autumn dinner.
Apparently I like to try recipes with zest…last week’s #MmmMonday post had lemon zest, and this week’s has orange. Maybe next week’s will have lime! (Kidding. Sort of.)
I made two squashes, which is 4 (adult) servings. Ate one (the kids were in bed), put one in the fridge to share with Anneliese, and froze the other two for another time, which Me-of-the-Future appreciates very much.
- 2 acorn squashes, halved, seeds removed
- 6 Tbs butter, room temperature
- ⅕ cup brown sugar, lightly packed
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 Tbsp fresh grated orange zest
- ¼ cup freshly squeezed orange juice
- 1 cup pecans, roughly chopped
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Place squash, cut side down, in baking dishes (mine wouldn’t all fit into one) and add about ½ inch of water.
- Bake about 40 minutes, or until tender.
- Meanwhile, cream together the butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Then add in orange zest and juice, and combine well. Add the nuts and mix again.
- When the squash is cooked, flip it over, cut side up.
- Fill the cavities with the nut mixture, and return to the oven for about 20 minutes, uncovered.
- Serve hot.
Glad I have these two vacuum-sealed and ready for later!
Hi! I'm Emily. I'm a Navy wife and stay at home mom of two beautiful children. I cook simple, delicious, grain-free recipes, do crafts, decorate my home on a budget, and keep a happy household. I tandem breastfeed, babywear, cloth diaper, practice elimination communication, homebirth, and co-sleep, but I'm not a hippie.
Oh thank you! It sounds delicious. I’ll only need my husband to pick up an orange on his way home from work!