Roasted Acorn Squash with Dates, Pecans and Pumpkin Seeds

This squash is a meal in itself or the perfect side to any protein or salad.

Since it’s getting chilly out there, I decided to use some warm spices like cardamom, nutmeg and ginger. The flavors mix beautifully. Sweet, salty and spicy perfection.

Roasting the squash and chopped fillings together caramelizes the dates perfectly. The nuts and seeds give it a nice texture in contrast with the roasted squash.

This recipe serves one or two- depending on if you’ll have this as the main dish or a side (Acorn squash aren’t very big). You’ll be cutting one squash in half, filling the middle and scooping out the flesh of each side.

Roasted Acorn Squash with Dates, Pecans and Pumpkin Seeds

Ingredients:

• 1 Acorn squash
• 1 Tbsp avocado oil for drizzling
• 1 Tbsp pecans
• 1 Tbsp raw pumpkin seeds
• 2 pitted dates
• Flaky sea salt
• Seasonings- ginger, cardamom, nutmeg, pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

Wash acorn squash. Carefully cut in half and scoop out seeds.

Place both halves of squash in a small casserole dish, drizzle with avocado oil (this oil is great to use in high heat cooking because it is stable up to 500 degrees). Season with a small dash of ginger, nutmeg, cardamom and pepper.

Chop up seeds, pecans and dates. Combine and fill center of squash. Salt with the flaky sea salt and put in oven.

Roast for 35-40 min. Squash should be soft enough to scoop out.

Enjoy this warm fall dish!