Butternut Squash, Onion and Cranberry Bake

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This roasted butternut squash dish is one of my go-to dinners, because 1) It’s delicious. It’s one of those dishes that makes eating your veggies seem like a treat, rather than a task. 2) It smells AMAZING while it’s baking. I love to prepare it while my son is napping, and then when he wakes up, we play in the living room while taking big, deep breaths as the smells of roasting squash and onions fill the room, and 3) It has relatively few ingredients, so it’s easy to whip up, as long as I have a butternut squash lying around. And 4) I’m a fall girl. All year long, I dream of the sunsets and golden leaves in September, October and November, and making this dish always reminds me of autumn.

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Start by washing, peeling, and chopping your butternut squash and onions. This is the most time consuming part of the recipe — once the chopping is done, assembling the dish is a breeze. I generally chop off the top and bottom of the squash, peel the sides with a vegetable peeler, remove the seeds, and then chop. However, I’ve heard some people will first microwave the squash (with some holes poked through) for a couple minutes, which should help make the peeling easier. I might try this next time!neshikot-butternut-squash-casserole-002
Mmmmm…. butternut squash… onions… parmesan cheese… I can smell it already!neshikot-butternut-squash-casserole-003
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Roasted Butternut Squash and Onions [ Recipe by Neshikot.com ]

Ingredients:
1 large butternut squash
1 small onion
1/4 cup garlic olive oil
1/2 cup bread crumbs plus some extra for topping
2 teaspoons garlic powder
5 oz shredded parmesan cheese
1/2 cup dried cranberries (optional, not pictured)

Directions:
Wash and peel butternut squash. I do this by chopping off the top and bottom and peeling the sides with a vegetable peeler. Then, remove all of the seeds and stringy inside material. Then, chop squash into similar sized pieces (roughly 1-2″ cubes). Chop your onion into medium sized pieces.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

In a large bowl, mix together the butternut squash, onion, and dried cranberries (if using cranberries). Then, add in the garlic olive oil, garlic powder, bread crumbs, and shredded parmesan.

Oil a 13×9″ baking dish with some of the garlic olive oil. Pour squash mixture into the baking dish, top lightly with some extra breadcrumbs, and bake at 425 degrees for about 35-40 minutes, making sure to check regularly at the end to make sure it isn’t burning. Rotate dish one time (roughly the 20 minute mark) to ensure the dish is cooked evenly.

Inspired by:
Too Hot Tamale

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Roasted Sweet Potatoes, Carrots, Onions and Cranberries

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This dish is delicious because of the natural sweetness of the sweet potatoes, carrots and cranberries. It’s *almost* like eating dessert for dinner, and it’s filled with so many great nutrients, you don’t have to feel guilty! Between the sweet potatoes and the carrots, it is filled with Vitamin B6, Vitamin C, iron, Vitamin A and many more. It definitely feels like a fall-inspired dish, but I love making it all year round.

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You know this has to be good for you when you see how bright and beautiful your orange veggies are!

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Roasted Sweet Potatoes, Carrots, Onions, and Cranberries [ Recipe by Neshikot.com ]

Ingredients:
2 large sweet potatoes (I find them easier to chop if I look for long, thin sweet potatoes)
4 large carrots
1 onion (medium)
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup garlic olive oil (regular olive oil will work as well)
2 teaspoons garlic powder
2 tablespoons lemon juice
Dash of garlic salt

Directions: 
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Wash, peel, and chop sweet potatoes, carrots and onion. Chop the sweet potatoes into slices roughly 2″ x 1″, and try to make them all roughly the same size. Chop the carrots into pieces roughly 1″ x 1″, again aiming to make each piece roughly the same size. Chop the onion into large slices, about 2″ x 1″. Place them all in a large bowl, and pour in the dried cranberries.

In a bowl, mix together the olive oil, garlic powder, lemon juice and garlic salt. Pour mixture over potatoes, carrots, onions, and cranberries. Mix well to ensure all of the veggies are coated.

Lightly oil a 13×9″ baking dish and pour everything into the dish. Cover with tin foil, and bake at 400 degrees for about 30 minutes. Remove foil from dish and bake another 15-20 minutes, or until the sweet potatoes and carrots are cooked and beginning to look golden, checking regularly to make sure they aren’t burning.

Inspired by:
How Stuff Works and In Sonnet’s Kitchen

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