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Everyone knows that winter squash should be baked.
This is true, but what if you want something home-made and fresh for lunch? With a little preparation at time and a microwave at school or work, you're set! You'll also have the rest of the building or lunchroom drooling!
You'll have to tailor this recipe to suit your tastes, as always, but I have the basics to begin upon here.
Microwave Winter Squash Lunch
Makes enough for 1 person.
Time: 15 minutes preparation, 8 minutes cooking.
Ingredients:
One small winter squash, softball size or appropriate to your appetite.
Filling:
Whatever strikes your fancy. My favorite choices are below
1. Cranberry
2 tbsp dried cranberries
1 tbsp honey
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
cloves
2. Sausage Rice (sweet with brown sugar or savory with seasonings)
1/4 cup of your favorite breakfast sausage, cooked.
1/2 cup cooked rice
seasonings (salt, pepper, sage) (optional)
brown sugar (optional)
Instructions:
@ Home
1. Gather your filling ingredients. You can mix them all together in a sandwich bag (cranberry) or microwave-safe container (sausage) and store it in the refrigerator.
2. give your squash's skin a scrub. (Generally a good policy no matter who you got it from!)
@ Work
3. With a knife, stab the squash so that steam can escape.
4. Microwave the whole squash for about 4 minutes, turn it over, microwave for 4 more minutes.
5. CAUTION! HOT! Let the squash rest for a few minutes until you can cut it open without burning your hands on the steam.
6. with a spoon, scoop out the seeds and toss (or compost!) them.
7. if you chose the sausage filling (or something similar), reheat it while your squash is cooling.
8. Mix and Enjoy! if you have extra room in your container for the sausage filling, scrape the squash from it's skin into your container. If you just had your squash and your sandwich baggie of yummies, you'll have to scrape the squash filling loose and mix with your filling in the skin.
YUM!
Please share in the comments your favorite filling for squash, baked or microwave!
