Recipe: Maple-Glazed Buttercup Squash

I couldn't resist doing another winter squash recipe. Not only is squash easy to work with, but it's also nutritious because it's high in beta carotene (an antioxidant) and vitamin A (helps form and maintain healthy teeth, skeletal and soft tissue, and skin).

I sure wish it felt like Fall in Florida right now because this recipe screams autumn to me. Nonetheless, it made for a tasty dinner on Sunday night. I had the idea to do the maple-glazed squash after seeing it on Seasons 52's menu a week ago. When I cook I tend to just throw ingredients together without measuring them, but here's what I came up with. And what I got was caramelized yumminess.

Maple-Glazed Buttercup Squash
1 buttercup squash
1 tablespoon maple syrup
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
chili powder, seasoned to your liking
coarse salt
olive oil

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Cut stem off the squash and slice squash in half. Scoop out the seeds using a spoon, and then slice each half into 1-inch sections. Arrange squash on a baking dish and drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with coarse salt.

In a bowl combine the syrup, vinegar, and chili powder. Brush over the squash. Cook squash for 25 minutes. Flip and cook for 5 more minutes.

I served this with a boxed lentil & rice pilaf mixture that I doctored up with 1/2 teaspoon of curry powder, a sprinkling of red pepper flakes, 2 caramelized onions, and 1 sauteed red bell pepper.