Fall Is a wonderful time to experiment with cooking squash.  If you are one of those people who are terrified to use a large chefs knife to hack through an acorn or Butternut, then Delicata is the way to go!  The big bonus, the skin is soft enough to eat;no peeling involved.   A good chefs knife will slice it very easily.   One of the  simplest preparations is just roasting the slices in a bit of olive oil, salt and pepper.  The high temperature of roasting, caramelizes the squash, creating that lovely sweetness we crave as the weather cools down.

Delicata Squash is good for you too!  Don't tell your kids! With just 30 calories in a 3/4 cup portion, it packs in Fiber, Vitamin C and Vitamin A. 

And..the raw whole squash looks great right in a bowl on your Kitchen table!

Last Thanksgiving I made a wonderful Salad! 

 Serves 4 to 6

1 Medium Delicata Squash, halved lengthwise , seeded and cut into 1/3 inch slices. 

2 TBSP plus 1/4 cup extra virgin Olive oil, divided

sea salt

Freshly ground pepper

4 tsp apple cider vinegar

1/2 cup cooked Wheat berries, cooked, drained and cooled

 4 cups loosely packed baby arugula

1/4 cup thinly sliced shallots

4 ounces shaved parmesan cheese

1/4 cup roasted pepitas

Preheat oven to 400F.  Lightly oil  a Large Pampered Chef Bar Pan. Place sliced Delicata on the pan.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Place in oven and roast for about 40 minutes until tender and lightly browned. Set aside to cool.

Whisk  apple cider vinegar Vinegar, 1/4 cup oil, 1/4 tsp salt . Divide into 2 portions.  Stir in Wheat berries into half of dressing.

On each plate, spread arugula , top with wheat berries, Delicata squash, shallots, Parmesan cheese and Pepitas  .  Drizzle with remaining dressing.

Delicata squash can also be stuffed!  So many options on that..coming soon!!