With just a few simple ingredients, this recipe for an Easy Cucumber and Tomato Salad is the perfect way to enjoy summer produce!

*Originally published July 2015. Updated July 2022*

Hi Friends!

This easy tomato and cucumber salad is super simple, but it’s full of flavor. There’s something so refreshing about a veggie-packed summer salad like this one topped with a fresh, flavorful dressing.

The best time to enjoy this salad is the middle of summer when there’s an overabundance of cucumbers and tomatoes that need to be used up. Since it gets better the longer it sits, you can make a big batch and enjoy it all week long. It’s the perfect addition to your sunday food prep. Want to learn more about meal prep? I have a whole course to teach you. Check out Mastering Food Prep to learn all my best tips and tricks!

Tomato and Cucumber Salad with Italian Dressing

My mother-in-law has been making a similar salad using Italian dressing for years and my husband loves it. To make that version, simply slice up some tomatoes, cucumbers and red onions and then drizzle with Italian dressing.

While I love that version as well, I decided I wanted to put my own spin on it with a homemade dressing. If homemade dressing intimidates you, don’t worry! You probably have all the ingredients you need right in the pantry. Here’s what you need:

Cucumber Tomato and Onion Salad Ingredients

• Cucumber – I prefer English cucumbers because they’re less watery. You can also use regular cucumbers and scoop out the seeds.
• Tomato – Any kind works. I typically use cherry tomatoes and quarter them.
• Red onion – Optional but adds some flavor
• Oil – Any mild-flavored oil like avocado oil works well.
• Red wine vinegar
• Sugar – To add a bit of sweetness.
• Black pepper – freshly cracked is best!

The dressing adds a light summer flavor while still letting the tomatoes and other produce shine!

Here’s how you make it!

Cucumber and Tomato Salad Recipe

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Easy Tomato and Cucumber Salad

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★★★★★

5 from 2 reviews

With just a few simple ingredients, this recipe for an Easy Tomato and Cucumber Salad is the perfect way to enjoy summer produce!

• Author: Lindsay L
• Yield: serves 4

Ingredients

Scale1x2x3x

• 1 English cucumber, sliced and halved
• 1 pint cherry tomatoes, quartered
• 1/2 cup thinly sliced red onion
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
• 1 tsp sugar, more if desired
• freshly cracked black pepper

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Instructions

1. Combine tomato, cucumber and red onion in a bowl.
2. Drizzle with oil, vinegar and sugar and stir. Taste and adjust if needed, adding more vinegar or sugar if desired.
3. Top with freshly cracked black pepper, cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving.

What to serve with cucumber tomato salad?

While this salad tastes great by itself, you can also use it in other ways:

• Throw it in a wrap or pita with some grilled chicken and feta
• Serve it over chicken – I love this Simple Chicken Marinade for Meal Prep
• Serve it as a side dish with burgers – try these Avocado Chicken Burgers
• Stir in some leftover cooked pasta or orzo and some white beans or chicken sausage.

Enjoy!
–Lindsay–

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This recipe for Crispy Green Bean Fries is a fun way to change things up at dinner! They’re easy to make and kid-friendly too!

*Originally published April 2016*

Hi friends!

These Green Bean Fries just might be your new favorite dinner side dish! I made them for the first time almost 4 years ago and they’re still one of my go-to recipes. Let me start by saying that green beans and Italian dressing is pretty much my fav combo ever…so that’s what I used for dipping. But you could totally eat these without a dip or use some yogurt mixed with thai chili sauce and sriracha for a sweet and spicy version!

While it does take a little time to make these, once you get in your groove, it’s not bad. And these are actually great for letting kids help in the kitchen! They might even be tempted to take a bite of a veggie! Watch my oldest helping me make them in the video above. He was about 2 years old at the time.

To make it even easier, I just hold each bean by one end, run it through the hummus and roll it in the breadcrumbs. I leave the end I’m holding plain and don’t worry about trying to cover the entire bean. It’s much less work…and less mess 🙂

Green Bean Fries

You only need 4 ingredients and one of them is optional! Green beans, hummus, panko breadcrumbs and parmesan cheese (optional). Use whatever flavor of hummus you’d like. I’m a huge fan of Supremely Spicy from Sabra.

Here are your directions:

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Green Bean Fries

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This recipe for Crispy Green Bean Fries is a fun way to change things up at dinner! They’re easy to make and kid-friendly too!

• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 15 minutes
• Total Time: 25 minutes

Ingredients

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• 1 pound fresh green beans, ends trimed
• 1/3 cup hummus
• 3/4 cup panko breadcrumbs
• 1/4 cup grated or crumbled Parmesan cheese (optional)

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Instructions

1. Place hummus on one plate.
2. Mix breadcrumbs and parmesan (if using) together on another plate.
3. Holding onto one end a bean, run it through the hummus to coat, then roll in breadcrumb mixture.
4. Place on a greased, foil-lined baking sheet.
5. Repeat with remaining beans.
6. Bake at 400 degrees for 12-15 minutes or until beans reach desired level of doneness.

See? Super easy right?

The beans may stick a bit to the pan so make sure your foil is well-greased, but it should be fairly easy to dislodge them with a firm scoop of a spatula.

Enjoy!
–Lindsay–

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This Lemon Roasted Broccoli recipe is a simple, healthy dinner side dish. Ready in just 10 minutes and made with only 3 ingredients, this recipe is sure to be a hit!

Hi friends!

I know some of you have been waiting for this recipe for a while now, so I apologize for that! I first shared this on social media almost two months ago I think, and since then I’ve made it at least 10 times. My husband has even specially requested it a few times. So you know it’s good.

It’s literally so easy I hesitate to call it a recipe, but I’m sharing it because I am not a broccoli lover and I LOVE it when it’s prepared this way.

The secret is this broccoli is to not crowd the pan.

If you crowd the pan, you’ll get broccoli that’s more steamed than roasted. It needs room to breathe!

Lemon Roasted Broccoli

After just 10 minutes in the oven, you’ll end up with perfectly roasted broccoli. A squirt of lemon juice and a touch of salt takes the flavor to the next level! Even the little ones gobble it up!

Here’s the “recipe”:

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Lemon Roasted Broccoli

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★★★★★

5 from 2 reviews

This Lemon Roasted Broccoli recipe is a simple, healthy dinner side dish. Ready in just 10 minutes and made with only 3 ingredients, this recipe is sure to be a hit!

• Author: Lindsay
• Prep Time: 2 min
• Cook Time: 10 min
• Total Time: 12 minutes
• Yield: serves 2

Ingredients

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• 1 head of broccoli (2–3 cups)
• juice from 1 lemon
• generous sprinkle of sea salt

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Instructions

Remove broccoli stems and separate into similar-sized florets. 

Spread out on a foil-lined baking sheet. 

Squeeze lemon juice over broccoli and toss to coat. 

Sprinkle with salt and roast at 400 degrees F for 10 minutes. 

Notes

You can also toss in a little oil if desired. 

See what I mean? Hardly a recipe but definitely worth trying!

[clickToTweet tweet=”This Lemon Roasted Broccoli is the perfect dinner side dish!” quote=”This Lemon Roasted Broccoli is the perfect dinner side dish!”]

Enjoy!
–Lindsay–

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Want to prepare vegetables for kids that they’ll actually eat? These kid-friendly vegetable recipes are healthy, quick and easy. Serve them as a side dish for dinner or for a healthy snack!

Hi friends!

Let’s talk about vegetables for kids. If you’re a parent, you’ve probably struggled to find vegetable recipes for kids…ie vegetables kids like and vegetables kids will eat! If you’re tired of serving vegetables that get thrown away, I hope this post will spark some ideas for you. 

We all know vegetables are important. They offer a wide variety of vitamins, minerals and other nutrients. But when you find a veggie your kid will eat, it’s easy to fall into the habit of serving that and only that…because it’s easier than fighting with them to try something new or dealing with them spitting it out all over the place. But it’s so important to expose young kiddos to a wide variety of foods and flavors. My goal is always to try to serve them twice a day whether it’s at meals or snacks. Does that always happen? No. But I try!

To help myself out (and you!) I rounded up some kid-friendly veggie recipes that I’m looking forward to trying, plus a few of my favs from the blog. Hopefully you see something that sparks some new vegetable ideas for kids!

Vegetable Recipes For Kids

My kids love french fries. And while he certainly prefers regular french fries or sweet potato fries, the similar shape and the crunchy coating on these green bean fries are sometimes enough to get him to eat a few. When in doubt, add ketchup. Added bonus- they’re fun for kids to help make!

Green Bean Fries via The Lean Green Bean

Kids like fun food. Kabobs are fun. Added bonus – they’ll love helping you assemble these, which makes it more likely they’ll eat a few veggies along the way!

Rainbow Veggie Kabobs via Two Healthy Kitchens

Add some extra flavor to the veggies with a marinade. It’ll make them taste less veggie-like, which kids will love! If your kids don’t like steamed veggies, try serving them raw in a salad like this! They may like the crunch!

Marinated Vegetable Salad via Iowa Girl Eats

These can cook all day in the crockpot and be ready to serve when you get home!

Slow Cooker Mashed Potatoes via Baked By Rachel

Finger foods are fun! These balls are easy to make and if you serve them with a tasty dip, the kids just might look past the green color!

Easy Spinach Balls via The Lean Green Bean

Kids like sweet. Most vegetables are not sweet. Caramelizing veggies adds a sweetness factor that will up their chances of being consumed!

Caramelized Butternut Squash via Yummy Healthy Easy

When all other veggies fail, try sweet potatoes. Especially this way. They’re hard to resist.

Melting Sweet Potatoes via Dessert For Two

Roasting carrots brings out their natural sweetness, which is enhanced with a little extra maple syrup. Pair that with bacon, which everyone loves, and these won’t last long on their plate!

Maple Bacon Roasted Carrots via The Lean Green Bean

Almost all kids love pizza! Swap the crust for some zucchini rounds, top with sauce, cheese and pepperoni for a home run!

Broiled Zucchini Pizza via Kalyn’s Kitchen

Do they typically turn their nose up at things like broccoli? These nuggets can be dipped in bbq sauce, ketcup, etc which usually helps!

Veggie Nuggets via Real Mom Nutrition

Did any of these ideas catch your eye? Pin this post to try them soon!

Kid-Friendly Vegetable Recipes

Does your kiddo have a favorite veggie recipe? Leave it in the comments!

Enjoy!
–Lindsay–

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This Broccoli Pesto Pasta Salad makes the perfect summer side dish. An easy way to add some extra vegetables to the dinner table.

Hi Friends!

Happy Monday. Today I’m thrilled to introduce you to Christina from The Blissful Balance! I was introduced to Christina several months ago when she and Georgie founded the Bloggers Gonna Blog Community. If you’re a blogger and haven’t checked it out yet, go do so immediately. I’m all about forming connections with other bloggers and I absolutely love the community these ladies have put together.

Hey, everyone! I’m so excited to be guest posting today on The Lean Green Bean! This is actually so crazy for me because Lindsay’s blog was one of the first blogs I fell in love with a few years ago when I first began following food blogs, before I had even thought about making my own. I met Lindsay through the BGB Community (a community of food and healthy lifestyle bloggers), and I just feel so honored to be working with her now to bring you guys a yummy recipe of my own!

Broccoli Pesto Pasta Salad

So I have a confession to make: I do not, whatsoever, in any way, get enough vegetables into my diet. I love vegetables, don’t get me wrong, but vegetables are sort of like yoga for me.

It takes so much to get myself to go to yoga. I’m much more into workout classes that are high intensity, music blaring, random yells of encouragement from classmates…the whole nine. So for me, yoga can be pretty boring (don’t hate me). However, once I do get my butt into yoga, I feel so refreshed, happy that I went, and I almost always say “I need to do this more often”. It’s just the getting myself to go part that’s difficult.

It’s the same thing with vegetables: it takes a bit of effort to get myself to eat them, but once I do, all I can think about is how yummy they are, and how “I need to do this more often”. I love vegetables, but for some reason, I simply don’t crave them!

But I have found a little way around this issue: sneaking vegetables into food that isn’t… a vegetable… if that makes sense…

For instance, I love, love, love to make cauliflower rice. Rice ain’t no vegetable, but here I am taking the liberty of saying “today, rice is a vegetable”. Then, when I make cauliflower fried rice, almost my entire meal is made up of vegetables, yet my brain thinks I’m eating fried rice, which my brain likes better. Are you following me?

So, what I’ve done here today is I’ve added broccoli into a food that is not only not a vegetable, but doesn’t normally contain any vegetables (unless you consider Parmesan cheese a vegetable, because… why not?). I love experimenting with pesto. My thought process when doing so is: what is green that I can stuff into this food processor and enhance this pesto? *light bulb* BROCCOLI. And it worked so, so well.

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Broccoli Pesto Pasta Salad

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Ingredients

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• 2 cups broccoli florets, steamed and cooled
• 2 cups fresh basil
• 2 cloves garlic
• ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
• ¼ cup Parmesan cheese
• 1 box orecchiette pasta, boiled
• 1/3 cup crumbled feta cheese
• ⅓ cup pine nuts

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Instructions

1. In a food processor, add in cooled, steamed broccoli. Process until mixed well.
2. Add in basil, garlic, Parmesan, and olive oil. Process until paste-like pesto texture is formed. Add more extra virgin olive oil as needed, depending on how liquidy you prefer your pesto.
3. In a large bowl, pour in pesto. Add in boiled orecchiette pasta and toss together until well-combined.
4. Add in crumbled feta cheese and pine nuts. Mix well.
5. Serve alongside grilled chicken for the perfect cookout side dish!

This Broccoli Pesto Pasta Salad contains such a burst of flavors – it makes for the perfect side dish to a weekend, summertime barbecue. The combination of pesto with tangy feta cheese and crunchy, nutty pine nuts is perfection nestled between orecchiette pasta that serves almost as little bowls for the mixture.

Huge thanks to Christina for stopping by today!

[Tweet “This Broccoli Pesto Pasta Salad from @leangrnbeanblog makes a great summer side dish!”]

Enjoy!
–Lindsay–

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This recipe for Maple Bacon Roasted Carrots is made with just three ingredients and makes the perfect sweet and savory side dish.

Hi Friends!

Super easy recipe alert! In fact, I hesitate to even call this a recipe because it’s just so darn simple! It’s literally just 3 ingredients. Chop, shake, roast, eat. That’s all there is to it.

I made these to go with the Crockpot Cheesy Chicken and Potatoes we ate the other night. They’re great straight out of the oven but they also reheat well. I love the subtle sweetness from the maple syrup…and we all know everything tastes better with bacon! Next time, I might add a little cayenne pepper to give them a little sweet & spicy kick!

Here’s how you make them:

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Maple Bacon Roasted Carrots

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★★★★

4 from 1 review

This recipe for Maple Bacon Roasted Carrots is made with just three ingredients and makes the perfect dinner side dish.

• Prep Time: 5 minutes
• Cook Time: 25 minutes
• Total Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients

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• 2 pounds carrots
• 1 – 2 Tablespoons maple syrup, depending on sweetness preference
• 2 strips bacon, diced

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Instructions

1. Peel and chop carrots into one inch long chunks. Try to choose carrots that are similar thickness so that they cook evenly. If parts of them are much thicker, you may want to cut those chunks in half lengthwise.
2. Add maple syrup, bacon and carrots to a large bowl and shake or stir until well-coated.
3. Place on foil-lined baking sheet and roast at 400 degrees F for 20-30 minutes, stirring once. Check after 20 minutes to see if desired tenderness is reached. If not, return to oven for another 10 min.

Notes

Feel free to add some cayenne pepper if desired!

That’s all there is to it!

Let’s chat:

Are you a carrot lover? What’s your favorite way to eat them?!

[Tweet “Serve these Maple Bacon Roasted Carrots from @Leangrnbeanblog with dinner tonight!”]

Enjoy!
–Lindsay–

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Bursting with flavor, these Ginger Garlic Roasted Green Beans with Cranberries make a great holiday side dish or a simple addition to your weeknight dinner table. 

Hi friends!

Just popping in to share my favorite new side dish. I really can’t believe that I’d never tried roasting green beans until I posted this One Pan Roasted Chicken and Vegetables last month. Guys, it’s a total game-changer. Clearly I love green beans. See name of blog. But I tend to always prep them the same way.

In an effort to be a bit more adventurous, I changed things up big time by adding some seasoning AND changing my prep method. Double whammy of deliciousness.

If you’re a green bean casserole lover, you should def try my Greek Yogurt Green Bean Casserole for Thanksgiving. If you’re not, you should probably make these.

They’re quick, easy and festive. Plus they’re bursting with flavor thanks to the ginger and garlic. And fresh cranberries are just a fun addition.

Here’s how you make them:

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Roasted Ginger Garlic Green Beans With Cranberries

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Bursting with flavor, these Roasted Ginger Garlic Green Beans with Cranberries make a great holiday side dish or a simple addition to your weeknight dinner table.

• Prep Time: 5 minutes
• Cook Time: 15 minutes
• Total Time: 20 minutes
• Yield: serves 2-4 1x

Ingredients

Scale1x2x3x

• 1 pound green beans, ends trimmed
• 1 tsp grated fresh ginger
• 2 tsp olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 3/4 cup fresh or frozen cranberries

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Instructions

1. Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix to combine.
2. Spread on a foil-lined baking sheet and roast at 425 degrees F for 15-20 minutes, stirring once.
3. Enjoy.

You could double the recipe but I’d roast them in 2 batches. Don’t want to crowd the pan! I used Garden Gourmet Ginger Paste instead of fresh ginger the second time I made these. Both work great.

[Tweet “Add these Roasted Ginger Garlic Green Beans w/ Cranberries from @leangrnbeanblog to dinner tonight!”]

Enjoy!
–Lindsay–

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This Chili Lime Corn is the perfect balance of sweet and spicy. A fun way to jazz up your corn on the cob!

Hi Friends!

It’s Recipe Redux day again! This month’s prompt was an easy one:

Fresh from the Garden: The season of bountiful produce has arrived. Whether your produce comes from the farmers’ market, a CSA share, or a plot of dirt out back, show how you are using fresh July fruits or veggies. 

I honestly could have made 100 different things since we’ve been enjoying ALL the veggies lately…but I decided to bring back an old favorite! Hubby and I used to make our corn this way all the time…and then for some reason we totally stopped doing it for a couple of years.

Travesty!

Well this year I brought it back into the rotation and it’s just as good as I remember it!

There’s nothing fancy about this “recipe”. It’s pretty much just like it sounds.

Step 1: Cook your corn however you like to. Throw it in a pot, into the microwave or onto the grill.

Step 2: Let it cool enough to handle it, then cut a lime in half and rub over the ears while squeezing to release a little lime juice.

Step 3: Sprinkle with chili powder. Don’t go overboard! Just a light dusting will give you the perfect amount of spice to balance with the sweet corn.

Step 4: Enjoy!

Let’s chat:

Do you season your corn on the cob? What’s your favorite flavor combo?!

Enjoy!
-Lindsay-

Check out all the other delicious ways to use summer veggies via the link below!

An InLinkz Link-up

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Brussels Sprouts with Pomegranate Seeds make beautiful holiday side dish. Bright red pomegranate seeds make these delicious, crispy caramelized Brussels sprouts pop with festive flair. 

Hi Friends!

Time to introduce you to another lovely RD friend of mine! Kara blogs over at The Foodie Dietitian where she shares delicious recipes and great posts on mindfulness, yoga and more! Check out her blog if  you’re not already familiar with it- she runs her own business and also recently became a yoga instructor! She’s here today to share a quick, delicious recipe with you guys!

————–

Hey ya’ll! I’m Kara, a dietitian nutritionist and yoga teacher who believes that the secret to being holistically happy is nourishing the mind, body, and spirit. I blog over at The Foodie Dietitian where I share delicious, seasonal, vegetarian recipes and simple strategies to bring more mindfulness and yoga into your life. I’m so psyched to share a deliciously simple holiday side dish with you today and grateful to my pal Lindsay for letting me hang out over here. J

Is anyone else still at square one for holiday menu planning or is it just me? I mean, helloooooo, did we not just finish planning our Thanksgiving menus? I’m still hanging onto that cranberry sauce in the fridge! It’s just too hard to say goodbye. Plus, I love topping my morning oatmeal with it 🙂

But really, I think we all deserve a little day of R&R to take a breather, reset, and recharge to move onto the next holiday. So go, get your R&R on. Do a little deep breathing, maybe some meditation, take a yoga class, go for a walk in nature, practice gratitude journaling. Whatever it takes. #treatyoself

Ok. Wonderful. Now that you’ve recharged the old batteries, I’m here to help make your holiday menu planning a wee bit easier. With a side dish that’s so beautiful, your guests will be saying caroling “Martha, who?”

Do you like Brussels sprouts? If the answer is no, have you tried roasting them? Many of my nutrition clients come to me saying they hate vegetables, especially Brussels sprouts. Brussels get a bad rep. But the rep is not justified. After a little digging, I find out that my clients are preparing these guys all wrong. They’re boiling them. YUCK! I would hate vegetables too if I could only eat them boiled. But I haven’t eaten a boiled veggie since the 90’s and neither should you. I always recommend to my clients to roast their veggies in the oven (hint: you can roast fruits too!) to bring out a delicious nutty, caramelized flavor. Brussels sprouts are transformed when you roast them. And when they’re all browned and crispy, some (or maybe just me) might even go so far to call these sprouts sexy.

Okay, maybe sexy is a stretch, but these guys are a nutritional powerhouse. I just wrote an article in my latest monthly newsletter about Brassicas – the type of vegetable category that our friends, the Brussels, belong to. Also known as cruciferous vegetables, Brassicas are packed with vitamin C, fiber, and cancer-fighting antioxidants.

I always try to cook with the seasons, making recipes that highlight the produce that is abundant that time of the year. During winter (and especially during the holidays), I love using pomegranate seeds. Not only are they deliciously juicy and packed with antioxidants, they’re so bright and festive, adding flair to any holiday dinner table.

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Brussels Sprouts with Pomegranate Seeds

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4 from 1 review

Brussels Sprouts with Pomegranate Seeds make beautiful holiday side dish. Bright red pomegranate seeds make these delicious, crispy caramelized Brussels sprouts pop with festive flair.

• Yield: serves 6-8 1x

Ingredients

Scale1x2x3x

• 2 lbs Brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved
• 1 1/2 tsp apple cider vinegar
• 1 tbsp maple syrup
• 1/2 tbsp olive oil
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 3/4 of a large pomegranate (about 1 cup pomegranate seeds)
• 1/2 cup chopped hazelnuts
• Salt and pepper to taste

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Instructions

1. Directions:
2. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
3. In a medium bowl, add Brussels sprouts and toss with apple cider vinegar, maple syrup, olive oil and salt.
4. Transfer Brussels sprouts to the baking sheet, in a single layer, cut halves facing down. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until tender and browned.
5. In the meantime, toast hazelnuts in small frying pan over low to medium heat, for about 5 minutes or until lightly browned and fragrant.
6. Toss Brussels sprouts with pomegranate seeds, hazelnuts and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Notes

Note: Pomegranates are easy to de-seed under water. The skins float to the top and the seeds stay at the bottom of the bowl. You can pick off the pieces of skin that floated to the top and then drain out the water using a colander.

I hope you all have a nourishing holiday season. For more holiday recipe inspiration, follow my blog.

————-

[Tweet “So festive! Brussels Sprouts with Pomegranate Seeds from @karalydonRD and @leangrnbeanblog!”]

Enjoy!
–Lindsay–

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This Curry Roasted Acorn Squash is a simple, flavorful Fall side dish.

Hi Friends!

Today is the first in a series of amazing guest posts I have lined up for you over the next few weeks.  I reached out to some of my fav bloggers to see if they wanted to stop by and introduce themselves to my readers while I take a little break. They have a wide variety of posts to share include recipes, workouts and nutrition info and I couldn’t be more excited!

We’re kicking things off with the lovely Katie from Healthy Seasonal Recipes. I’ve gotten to know Katie over the past several months thanks to Recipe Redux. She posts amazing recipes, takes incredible photos, is a master food-styler and is even working on a cookbook! Plus she’s down to earth, genuinely nice and always upbeat and positive! If you haven’t checked out her blog, be sure to do so immediately! Today she’s sharing a squash recipe that’s right up my alley. I LOVE curry powder!

———————

Hi green bean lovers!

I’m one too (I especially love the especially the lean variety) so I am super glad to meet you all. And I am beyond flattered that Lindsay asked me to be here today. I am sure she is thankful to have a bit of a rest while she is in baby zone these days, so I am happy to help out.

I have been kind of obsessed with squash this fall. Really, come into my kitchen, and you will think I am a squash loving doomsday prepper of sorts. I’m not, I assure you, I just love me some squash. All kinds, spaghetti squash, pumpkin, butternut and acorn. You name it.

I have always loved acorn squash with a capital L. My mom used to make it, and I’d squeal with delight. She’d roast the halves and then fill the cavity with butter and brown sugar, so how could I not love it? I strategized as I ate my squash half with a spoon, to make sure that I had a little bit of the brown sugar and butter mixture for each bite of squash. For the record that’s also how I ate my apple and peanut butter. Oh wait I still do that.

When I was dreaming up ideas for what to share here on the Lean Green Bean I thought about that recipe of my mom’s and wanted to do something equally as simple, but healthier. As you probably know when you take away fat you run the risk of taking away flavor, so I added in a big hit of flavor in the form of curry powder. I used coconut oil instead of butter too since I think the flavor of coconut and curry are awesome together.

Here is what I did: I roasted the squash cut-side down on a sheet pan (lined with foil or parchment for the love of not scrubbing dishes.) Then I melted the coconut oil. I did this in the microwave, but you could also do it in a jar in a hot water bath or in a small saucepan. Then I swirled in some curry powder. I used British curry which is not as firey as madras curry, so it is more kid friendly. I only used 1 tablespoon of brown sugar for six servings, but you really won’t miss it. The natural sweetness of the squash is plenty, and the flavor of the coconut and curry really make up for any lack of sugar.

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Curry Roasted Acorn Squash

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• Author: Author: Lindsay L
• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
• Total Time: 1 hour 25 minutes
• Yield: 6 1x

Ingredients

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• 3 medium acorn squash, cut in half seeds and pulp removed
• 2 tablespoons coconut oil
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 11/2 teaspoon curry powder, hot if desired
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

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Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment or foil.
2. Place squash cut-side down on the baking sheet. Roast until the squash flesh is tender when pierced with a fork, 45 minutes to 1 hour. Flip all the squashes cut side up.
3. Melt coconut oil and brown sugar in a small dish in the microwave, about 30 seconds. Alternatively heat over medium low heat in a small saucepan until melted. Stir in curry and salt. Brush curry mixture over all the squash flesh and return to the oven until the curry mixture is bubbling and browned, 10 to 15 minutes.

Thanks so much all. Hope you enjoy the recipe. Please come visit me at Healthy Seasonal Recipes.

Happy Cooking!
~Katie

[Tweet “Need a dinner side dish? Try this Curry Roasted Squash from @healthyseasonal and @leangrnbeanblog!”]

Questions:
Do you stock up on squash?
Did you eat acorn squash when you were a kid?
Do you do the rationing out of the peanutbutter for each slice of apple thing?

Enjoy!
–Lindsay–

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