I’ve been eating a lot more veggies on this Elimination Challenge, some new for me and some I just don’t eat all that often. I have nothing against acorn squash, it’s just that when I’ve made it in the past, it’s been doused in butter, brown sugar and rosemary. Mmmm.

I had seen this recipe on Smitten Kitchen, and it fit in well with the rules – I just had to leave out the chili. It tasted great, but the strange thing is I actually hated the way you cut the squash in small slices and the vinaigrette kind of runs off. If I made this again, I would just cut it into wedges (which I reflected in the Directions below). This went very well with some more tilapia and leftover mango salsa.

Acorn Squash with Cilantro-Lime Vinaigrette

Source: Adapted from Smitten Kitchen, where it was actually Chili-Lime Vinaigrette

Ingredients:

2 acorn squash

1/2 tsp black pepper

1 tsp salt

2 tbsp + 1/4 cup olive oil 

1 garlic clove

1 1/2 tbsp fresh lime juice

2 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 425.
  2. Halve squash lengthwise, scoop out the seeds, and cut squash into wedges.
  3. Toss squash with pepper, 3/4 tsp salt, and olive oil in a bowl, then arrange in a baking dish.
  4. Roast squash until tender, 25-35 minutes.
  5. While squash roasts, mince garlic and mash to a past with remaining 1/4 tsp salt. Transfer paste to a small bowl and whisk in lime juice, cilantro, and remaining 1/4 cup olive oil until combined.
  6. Transer squash to a platter and drizzle with vinaigrette.

Serves 4