Butternut Squash Fries; Meatless Monday

Like anybody else, I like French Fries! Well, who doesn't??? I remember when I was pregnant with my first-born, all I used to crave for was French fries! The best tasting ones were from McDonalds! God knows what they add in there to make it so tasty! Anyways, all that is in the past. Many a water has known under that bridge! Not only do I avoid fried food, I do not eat potatoes anymore! For health reasons of course! That's puts a damper on that! Even before I used to make baked French Fries! Now I do not make them at all! That does not mean that ones in a while I don't crave them.. Well, I do... But I have swapped the potatoes with sweet potatoes! And I like the taste of it. Not too long ago, at the fiesta Friday, I came across butternut Squash fries! You know I had to try them! Especially, since I have butternut squash at home all the time!They looked sooo good! I must say that I tried it and I liked it! Thanks Andrea for sharing such a wonderful recipe with all of us. This one is a keeper! Who knew making fries was this easy! You can find the original recipe here.

Servings: 4-6

Ingredients:

Butternut squash: 1 medium
Corn starch/ corn flour: 2 tbsp
Olive oil: 1-2 tbsp
Salt: to taste
Black pepper: 1/2tsp, freshly ground (optional).

Method:

Peel the butternut squash using a regular peeler, remove the seeds and then cut it into 0.75 centimeter thick sticks/strips.

Preheat the oven to 400 deg F.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or foil and keep ready.

Place the butternut squash strips in a plastic bag/ ziplock bag. Add corn flour, close the bag and shake it well until all the butternut squash pieces are coated with it.

Place the butternut squash strips on the baking sheet in a single layer. DO NOT OVERCROWD. If you overcrowd the strips will not become crisp. You might have to use more than one baking sheet or make more than one batch. I made 2 batches using 2 big sheets.

Lightly brush the butternut squash pieces with olive oil.

Place the baking tray on the middle rack. Bake for 15 mins, after which rotate the tray and bake for 15 more minutes or until the fries are crispy enough for your taste. Don't let them get burnt.

Take the tray out, sprinkle salt and black pepper, toss the fries with it.

The fries will be crispy on the outside and soft in the middle. They shrink significantly upon baking, so you might end up with a much smaller quantity than what you started with.

Serve hot, straight out of the oven with some ketchup.

Enjoy!

Cooking made easy:

Cutting and peeling gourds/ squashes can be challenging.The easiest and best  way to do it is to peel it first using a regular peeler and then slice/cut it any way you wish.

You can also place it for a few minutes in the oven/ microwave and then cut it. This method however does not work for fries!

Tip for healthy living:

Butternut squash  is a very nutrient-rich  food. It is one of the first vegetables that my children stared eating.

Food for thought:

Bring ideas in and entertain them royally, for one of them may be the king. Mark Van Doren

Butternut squash upkari/stir-fry

My kids have liked butternut squash since babies. I used to generally boil them with salt and give it to them with a little butter. To add a little more flavor and to get them into mainstream eating and reduced cooking for me, :) ) I often make upkaris ( stir-fry ) for them. I decided to make butternut squash the way they make pumpkin upkari back home. And it came out delicious! The kids loved it!

Servings: 4

Ingredients:

Butternut Squash :1 medium
Mustard: 1/4 tsp
Chana dal : 1/2 tsp(optional)
Green chili: 1
Asofoetida ( hing): pinch
Coconut oil: 1 tsp. ( you can use any cooking oil of your preference, I use coconut oil in mine).
Jaggery(molasses)/ sugar:1 tsp
Salt to taste.
Fresh grated coconut: 1 tbsp ( optional).

Method:

Peel the butternut squash and dice it into 2 cm cubes and keep aside. Slit the green chillies and keep aside.

Heat a sauté pan/ wok on medium heat,add 1 tsp coconut oil. Now add the mustard seeds. Once the mustard seeds splutter, add the chana dal, then the slit green chillies. Sauté for a minute until the chana dal turns a little golden color.Now add the diced butternut squash & sauté.Add asofoetida( hing), a little bit of salt and 1tsp sugar. Reduce the flame to low, cover the pan and cook until the vegetable is soft enough to eat. Generally takes about 15 minutes. Ensure that you check in between to see if it is cooked. You do not want it to turn into mush!

Garnish with freshly grated coconut. Serve with rice & rasam or dal. You can eat it just like that too.

Cooking made easy:

• This upkari ( stir-fry) can also be made with other types of squash like Acorn or Calabash. 
• The easiest way to cut squash is to first peel it with a regular peeler. The outside skin is tough but the inside is soft and easy to cut.

Tip for healthy living:

Incorporate colors and variety in your diet. Every single day try to eat at least 4-6 different colors of fruits and vegetables. This will automatically ensure that you get the adequate amount of the daily requirement of your vitamins and minerals NATURALLY! 

Food for thought:

Rome was not built in a day ( John Heywood).