I got a new toy today, fresh from Amazon.com – a cast iron grill pan! While watching “Chopped” the other day, one of the contestants grilled butternut squash. It looked super tasty and inspired me to give it a try, and pushed me over the edge on finally getting a grill pan. $24 bucks? Sold. This pan is hefty, gorgeous, and can be used as a weapon.

I was also getting tired of broiling my rib eye; can’t wait to try grilling some rib eye on my new pan.

My first inclination was to try to make a ‘bun’ out of two slabs of butternut squash, but it became quickly apparent that wasn’t going to work (slippery lil devils). Therefore, the butternut squash is used as a ‘platter’, and it workes out deliciously great….or is that greatly delicious?

I cut the butternut squash into 1/2″ thick slices, gave them a light coating of olive oil, and grilled on both sides until tender (about 5 minutes per side, depending on thickness). I was able to get four slices at a time in the cast iron pan. Concurrently, I sauteed up some sweet Italian sausages.

Serve with cut sausages on top, with preferred salt and pepper and a side veggie, and you got yourself a super easy, hearty dish that looks impressive. HOW EASY IS THIS? RIGHT?

Honestly, one slab is INCREDIBLY filling. Butternut squash is a bit higher on the carb scale, with one slab being 3.5oz in weight, which is about 10g of carbs. I try to eat under 30-40g of carbs per day, so I budget for yummies like this; my intention was to eat two slabs but one was so filling that I stopped after that. The sausage is pretty much 1 g of carbs and the veggies were null.

Speaking of veggies, the vegetable I had was luffa aka Chinese Okra aka Vietnamese Gourd. It is part of the cucumber family (Cucurbitaceae) and has been used as a natural remedy for jaundice. I saw it at the Farmer’s Market last week and the nice guy at the stall gave me a few to try out when I asked questions about it. It tastes like a more tender version of a cucumber and I really like it. YAY for trying new things!

I leave you with this picture of a cat nesting in a dryer. In my haste to get to work on time, I left the dryer open. My cat figured this was the most effective way to get fur on the most clothing at the same time. I found her because her snoring echoed loudly from inside the dryer. So cute but ERGH!