Confession time, I am truly addicted to kabocha squash. Seriously, people, this is going to be a problem! I know I mentioned on here a long time ago that I used to have an addiction to pumpkin. Since some of you are newer readers since that time, I will tell you...it was bad. So bad, in fact, that I got sick with an upper respiratory infection, ended up at the doctor's office and they thought I was jaundice. I also ended up dehydrated from a horrible colonoscopy incident that put me in the emergency room. They thought the same thing. Yeah, not jaundice at all...just a nice winter glow from all the beta carotene I was ingesting.
I decided at that point that it was time to give it a break. I now only buy whole pumpkins during the fall, roast them and then freeze bags of them to take out occasionally. That way pumpkin oatmeal, pumpkin rice pudding, pumpkin pancakes, pumpkin chia pudding and pumpkin muffins were treats (see, I get carried away)! I've been so good!
For years, I've watched bloggers talk about kabocha squash. I love buttercup, which is very similar except the skin is not so good to eat. I've been eating it here and there...nothing overboard. I've been such a good girl! Then, after all these years of looking...
I FOUND KABOCHA! Yep, there is now a problem! Sunday, I ate an entire one in one day. No, I'm not proud (eh, I kinda am), but here me out. When roasted at 400 degrees for about 30 minutes, these babies are buttery smooth on the inside, slightly sweet, crispy on the outside from the skin and really just all around heavenly. You can not blame me!
So, the day I got these, I knew right away that I had to get one in the oven because this was gonna be my dinner. Forget side dish, this was gonna be the showcase of my meal. I haven't played in the kitchen in what seems like forever. I miss making my fun foods with crazy toppings. As soon as I tasted one piece from the oven, I knew exactly what I wanted to do and I knew it would be perfect for Sprint 2 The Table's Strange But Good post!
I don't normally do sweet salads. However, I shocked myself with a strange craving for a sweet salad. I LOVE romaine lettuce since it's so crispy and neutral in flavor. This mixture was a nice mix of textures and flavors that perfectly complemented each other. Let's talk topping, shall we? The first thing that came to mind was my coconut cream. I'm really into peanut butter and coconut together lately and that's exactly where I headed with this one.This topping was creamy, sweet, rich and luscious (think similar to a sweetened cottage cheese)! Absolutely perfect for this sweet salad!
Coconut Peanut Butter Cream
1 TBSP Peanut Flour
1 TBSP Coconut Flour
2-5 TBSP Coconut Milk or water (go with the lower amount and add as you need)
Mix everything together and enjoy!
I felt like my old self back in the kitchen with my strange concoctions! Now, I need to stop eating all the squash before I can make more recipes with it!
Labels: breakfast, dips, gluten free, main course, muffins, quick bread, vegetables |
i'm the same way with sweet salads, but this one looks savory too, which i LOVE!!!