Maple Roasted Butternut Squash (and breakfast, too!)

Trader Joe's sells butternut squash by the squash, not by the pound.

This is awesome.  I dig and dig and dig and find the BIGGEST SQUASH EVER there.  And then I only pay $1.99 per squash.  (Obviously I would like to buy them from my local farmers.  But now the farmer's market is over for the season.  So I buy them from TJ's.)

And then we eat copious amounts of this awesome, inexpensive and wonderfully nourishing squash.  I will probably make some sort of variation of this dish for our family's Thanksgiving this year.

I love this dish for dinner, but I also love how easily the leftovers turn into next morning's breakfast.  I'll make hot butternut squash mash once or twice a week (a paleo version of oatmeal); with a bit of pure maple syrup, it's one of our favorite breakfasts.  But it's sort of time intensive in the mornings.  BUT after we have this side dish for dinner, I just stick my immersion blender in the crockpot and puree the leftover squash chunks and I have breakfast done for the next day.

Brilliant!

The Tools:

- 4 qt. crockpot

- 4 T (preferably grass-fed) butter
- 1 medium to huge-ish butternut squash, peeled and cubed
- 1/2 cup maple syrup
- juice of one lemon
- 1 heaping tsp. pumpkin pie spice

The Process:

Turn crockpot on HIGH and add the butter.  Let it melt while you (carefully!!) attack the butternut squash.

Peel and cube the butternut squash.  (I know, I know, it's easier said than done.  Give yourself some time and be careful.)  Add all remaining ingredients to the melted butter in the crockpot and, using a large spoon, mix it well.

Cook on HIGH for 4-5 hours. Mix well before serving.

(There will be quite a bit of liquid on the bottom of the crock.  Go ahead and blend it into your puree if you're making it with the leftovers.  It will give it a creamier texture.  Enjoy!)

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