Friday's Fixin's: Kobocha Squash Salad

Happy Friday, everyone!  Did this week fly or is it me?  I mean, really. Zippety-doo-daah.  I’m super excited to share this week’s recipe. It is another collaboration with the über talented Chef Mailie Halme. Oh dear heavens is it ever AMAZING.  When you look at this recipe, I know it looks like a lot of steps, but you know me well enough by now to know that I am not going to share anything that isn’t easy and delish.

Squash

The finished product!

I am super grateful to Maili for introducing me to Kobocha squash, a kind of Japanese winter squash.  I had never heard of it until now. Here are a few food facts about it:

1. A single cup of kabocha has forty calories compared to butternut squash’s 60, and has less than half of the carbs of butternut squash (7 grams vs. 16 grams).
2. Kabocha squash is an excellent source of beta-carotene, owing to it’s bright orange flesh, which can be converted to vitamin A in the body. Vitamin A is important for healthy white blood cells, good immunity and for vibrant eyes, skin and hair. A single serving of kabocha squash provides 70% of the day’s recommended requirement!
3. Kabocha is also a good source of iron, vitamin C and some B vitamins.
4. It is a great source of fiber (and we can all use a little more of that in our diet!).
5. It is versatile! Kabocha can be roasted in the oven simply (perhaps with a dusting of cinnamon) or can create a creamy base for any soup.

Hope that you enjoy this as much as I do!