Sweet Roasted Apples & Squash l Cold Weather Recipes

This post was originally published as Day 6: Cold Weather Recipes by Laurel on Health Food blog.

The week’s almost over, and I wanted to fit in something sweet to go with all the savory dishes I’ve been featuring. This simple recipe is easy to tweak if you want to make it multiple times. Try walnuts or pecans instead of the almonds (they’re just what I had in the house), or do a sage and olive oil dressing instead of the apple juice and cinnamon. It all depends on your mood. Tonight I had a sweet craving, and the sweet roasted apples and squash really hit the spot. My roommate’s friend said it smelled like cinnamon raisin bread was baking in the oven. Nice!

Cold Weather Tip: Cinnamon is a great spice for a chilly night. I did a little research and found out that in Chinese medicine, one of the healing uses for cinnamon is to provide warming effects on the body. It is known to help improve circulation to the hands and feet, relieve cold and flu symptoms, and improve digestion.

Sweet Roasted Apples & Squash
(serves 6, as a side dish)

Sweet Roasted Apples & Squash

Butternut squash (2 lbs.)
2 granny smith apples
3/4 cup sliced almonds
1 heaping tbsp. honey
1/4 cup apple juice
1 tsp. cinnamon

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Cut the butternut squash into small cubes, removing the skin and seeds inside. Cut the apples into small cubes, removing the seeds and core. Spread out the squash and apple onto a big sheet pan. Drizzle apple juice on top and sprinkle on the cinnamon. Toss well to coat all the sides. Place in the oven for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Take the sheet pan out of the oven. Drizzle honey on top and sprinkle on the almonds. Place back in the oven for 10 minutes. Serve warm.

Tip: Butternut squash can be time consuming to cut up, so if your store offers pre-cut squash, you may want to try that on a night when you’re pressed for time (or just not feeling up to the hard chopping work).

See also Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, Day 4, and Day 5 of this blogathon. Keep your eye out for tomorrow’s crockpot recipe too.

Roasted apples, squash, and almonds in the pan