Growing up we never cooked with yellow squash, I mean besides the ‘turia’, ‘dudhi’, ‘kadu’ and all sorts of green squash, my Mum did not use pumpkin or yellow squash/gourds.  My only memories of any gourd like vegetable was associated with a toy.  

My Aya/nursemaid was from the Kondoa District, so naturally when she went for her annual leave; she would come back with these hollow gourd or calabash percussion instruments, covered on the outside with fancy beads and shells. 

These Macarena-like shakers produced a loud sound as beads moved from side to side inside the hollow casing, and I know it drove my Mum absolutely mad as we ran around the house shaking those fancy dried gourds. Probably why she never cooked with them, and the first time I ever ate ‘not Indian squash’ was when I moved to the US.

It was kismet that I would fall in love with this deep honey colored gourd, October rolls around and its means roast butternut squash, every week; golden brown discs, caramelized, and seasoned with salt and pepper, it has a addicting sweet and salty taste and buttery texture- we love it as a butternut squash risotto, or roasted with butter, maple syrup, cinnamon and brown sugar with vanilla ice cream!  

Here is how I roast my butternut squash, it is super easy – it requires four ingredients -squash, salt, pepper, and olive oil. Its vegan, Gluten-free and so good served with Trader Joe’s Spicy Cashew Butter Dressing (it’s vegan!)

Ingredients:

• 1 butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and sliced thin
• Mixed greens/ spinach leaves
• Olive oil
• Salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 3 tablespoons pomegranate arils
• 1/4 cup toasted, salted pumpkin seeds/pepitas
• ¼ cup dried cranberries.  
• Trader Joe’s Spicy Cashew Butter Dressing

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Cut ends from the butternut squash then using a potato peeler and work downwards from the stem, peel off the skin.
3. Cut the squash in half lengthwise.
4. Scoop out the seeds and stringy bits.
5. ·Flip each half over so that it is cut-side-down and cut the squash into slices (¼-inch).
6. Drizzle or brush parchment lightly with olive oil and sprinkle the oil with salt and pepper.
7. Arrange winter squash slices in one layer on parchment. Drizzle with more oil, salt, and pepper.
8. Roast squash for 25 minutes, flipping the squash slices halfway until both sides are evenly golden brown.
9. In a large wide salad plate, lay the greens and arrange roasted squash over the surface of the salad, sprinkle with pomegranate arils, pumpkin seeds/ pepitas and cranberries.