Simple Butternut Squash Breakfast Muffins

These simple butternut squash breakfast muffins are SO EASY to make- 25 min. to roast the squash + 20 min. to bake the muffins-YOU ARE READY TO EAT!

If you enjoy eating pumpkin and sweet potatoes, then there's no reason for you not to use butternut squash, too.  The taste of roasted butternut squash lingers between these two gourds. I believe that where ever a recipes calls for either pumpkin or sweet potatoes, you could definitely substitute with butternut squash.

The other day, I baked up a batch of Pumpkin Cranberry Muffins and they were VERY GOOD!  I've been working on a healthy, energy boosting, breakfast muffin that will keep us going to lunch time.

I believe this is THE RECIPE.

These butternut squash muffins becomes sweeter and moister the longer they sit out.  After they have cooled, store them in a resealable container and be ready for the most scrumptous treats.  Let's get baking, shall we?

HERE'S WHAT YOU NEED

• 1 small (7 inch long) butternut squash
• canola oil

Preheat oven to 400F degrees. Use whatever nonstick pan you have that will fit the squash.  Pour a tablespoon or two of oil in the pan to create a thin film. Cut the butternut squash in half, scoop out the seeds (save them for roasting, too), and place each half flesh-side down. Bake squash until VERY tender, 25 to 35 minutes.  Allow to cool enough to handle.  The skin will easily come off without a mess.

dry ingredients

• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 cup old fashion oats, coarsely ground
• 3/4 cups brown sugar
• 1/2 cup old fashion oats, left whole
• 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup chopped pecans
• 1/4 cup dried cranberries, rehydrated in warm water
• 1/4 cup golden raisins, rehydrated in warm water

wet ingredients

• 1 1/4 cup roasted butternut squash
• 1/2 cup healthy egg substitute or 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup all natural applesauce or canola oil
• 1/4 cup orange juice or water

Set oven to 350F degrees.  Grease and flour 12 count muffin pan.

Baking tip for the dried cranberries & raisins.
Place the cranberries and raisins in a microwave safe bowl and cover with warm water.  Microwave on HIGH for 1 minute.  This is a speedy way to rehydrate the dried fruit. Drain off the water from the dried fruit.  The rehydrated fruit won't burn when it's exposed at the top of the baked item.

Run that first cup of old fashion oats in a 1 cup food processor until it's ground to a coarse cornmeal consistency. (We working to raise the level of soluble fiber while retaining a tender texture.)

In a large mixing bowl, combine ALL the dry ingredients, along with the pecans, rehydrated cranberries and raisins.  Mix well.

In a small bowl, stir together all the wet ingredients. The squash should be so tender that it stirs into the wet ingredients easily.  If you happen to have a firm squash, then give it a spin with a mixer or food processor until it is smooth.

Always adding the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, use a rubber spatula and fold the wet into the dry ingredients.  Do not over mix here.  Go slowly allowing the flour a chance to absorb the moisture. Make sure all the flour is moisten.

Use either a 2 inch scooper or a large spoon to fill the muffin pan.  I filled each muffin cup to the top.  These are dense muffins so you can sorta heap the batter.

BAKE for 20-25 minutes.

No matter how you slice it, this is a VERY GOOD breakfast to take on the go or sit down and enjoy with your morning cup of Joe.

Toasted Butternut Squash Seeds

I was prepping a butternut squash and couldn’t bare to toss the seeds.  Especially after the experience of toasting the pumpkin seeds, I couldn’t help wonder if the butternut seeds would be any different or the same. I also wondered why we don’t already eat butternut squash seeds.

So I followed the Roasted Pumpkin Seeds recipe.  I did the same cleaning steps, baking temperature, salted the heck out of them, but only baked them for 5 minutes.

Be warned, they POP!  I think my temperature was a little high. I’m going to knock it back to 300º with this next batch.

To answer my own questions:
Is there any difference?
YES OH YES they ARE tastier than pumpkin seeds! Way better.

Why is it that we don’t eat them all the time already?
I'm guessing it's because we don’t get that many to eat from one squash.

But you know what?  From here on out, I’m taking the extra steps.  It only takes a couple of minutes to heat up the oven and it only takes a minute to rinse them off and salt them down.  AND, And it only takes 5 minutes to toast up this very delicious, overlooked snack!

We have been missing out folks! Well, I.  I've been missing out.

Maybe you’ve known this all along and you were just keeping this secret to yourself.
Is that it?  Is that how you like to play? Oh, I see how it is.  ; )

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

First I want to thank my dear friends, without them this post would not be here.

To Kim, for text messaging me and putting me up to the challenge of roasting pumpkin seeds.  To Kelly of Sass & Veracity and Judy of No Fear Entertaining for answering my call for help on Twitter.

Kelly, your EXTREMELY SIMPLE technique was SPOT ON! Thank you, thank you.

So, let's get down to thrashing a pumpkin for its seeds.

First, cut out the top of pumpkin.  Look at the stringy, web-like action going on in there.  This is where I discover another place God is so COOL! Look at that beautiful creamy orange color. The center mass looks like an explosion and the seeds are just hangin' out on the sides.  There are so many hidden places where God tucks His coolest artwork.

Next, get a couple of cool kids that drive you crazy from time to time.  Tell them you've got something REALLY COOL to show them, but first! they have to close their eyes.  Guide their arms over the pumpkin opening, then tell them "Dig down for the surprise!" (Be sure to have your camera ready, teeheehee)

After you have them scrape the seeds out into a bowl on the side, then let them go to town carving it up. Don't try to tell them how to do it, they "KNOW ALREADY."

As for the seeds, fill a large bowl with water and give the seeds a good swishin' around.  The stringy stuff sinks to the bottom and the seeds float.  Proceed to skim the seeds off the top with your hands and move them to a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.  Allow them to dry just a bit and they'll get sticky.

Now in Kelly's words, "Salt the heck out of them." I used table salt.

Heat the oven to 350F degrees.
Kelly's directions: "Bake, stir, bake, stir - golden, done. Eat."

Simple and very accurate.  It doesn't sound like enough information, but it doesn't take any time at all to roast pumpkin seeds.  It might have taken 7 to 10 minutes and 10 minutes is pushing it.  I set the timer for 5 minutes, then came back to stir them.  They were already tanning up very well.  I gave them one stir with a spatula and stood there a couple of minutes and they were done.

I immediately moved the seeds off the sheet and allowed them to cool.

Just beautiful.  They even tasted brown.

Butternut Squash Chili

Being completely honest here, I wasn't too sure about making this recipe.  I've been trying new flavors on my family and it's been hit and miss.  Naturally, I spare you of my misses and only post recipes that go over well.  If my family tells me they wouldn't ask for it, it doesn't make it to this blog.  So, with that being said, this recipe is a winner!

The original recipe was torn out of a Southern Living magazine some time last year.  Butternut squash is a totally new flavor for us.  I had no idea this fruit was delicious, because I didn't know how to use it.  Last night, I had more butternut squash than the recipe called for, so I baked the rest in a little butter, brown sugar and cinnamon.  It was similar to eating candied sweet potatoes.  Raw, it tastes like an orange gourd until the end when it reminds me of watermelon.  Not the sweet part, but that grassy taste near the rind.  It's not bad at all raw.  If I were on some desperate to lose weight raw diet, I would eat it.  Am I being too honest?  Let's get on with Butternut Squash Chili recipe, shall we?

The original recipe calls for cooking lean ground beef and bell pepper in a dutch oven first, before adding all the rest of the ingredients.  I was out of ground beef, so I left it out.  It was still very filling, says my husband.

HERE'S WHAT YOU SEE IN THE PICTURE

• 1 small onion, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 (15oz) can Mexican style stewed tomatoes
• 1 (16oz) can dark kidney beans
• 1/2 small butternut squash, peeled & cubed to make 1 1/2 cups
• 1 cup beef broth
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 cup frozen corn

Cook onion in a little oil in a large pot until translucent.  Add in tomatoes with their juices, beans, squash, broth and spices; bring to a boil over medium high heat.  Cover, reduce heat to medium low, and simmer, stirring occasionally, 15 minutes.  Stir in corn, recover, and cook 15 minutes or until squash is tender and chili is thickened.  It does thicken more after it cools down.

TIME TO EAT!