It’s finally butternut squash season! I don’t know about you, but this year I’ve developed a major taste for root vegetables and squashes. Not eating grains has forced me to get quite creative with my carbs, and as much as I love sweet potatoes, I try not to eat them more than once a day. So what’s a cyclcing addicted, weight training guru, bikram yogi like me to do for carbs? The answer is squash! This is a butternut squash recipe baked to perfection with an innovative blend of spices and ingredients. You won’t believe a dish this delicious could also be healthy.

Benefits of Eating Butternut Squash and Other Root Veggies

I didn’t know this for a while, but apparently people with autoimmune disease don’t do so well with grains. Given that I suffer from Crohn’s disease and Celiac disease, which are two autoimmune disorders, I decided to give going grain-free a shot. At first, ditching grains altogether was difficult. But as I incorporated other complex carbs like sweet potatoes, butternut squash, and beets into my diet, I discovered a whole new world of gut-friendly carbs!

There a ton of reasons to eat root veggies like yams and beets as well as other veggies like squash. Benefits of eating butternut squash and other root veggies include:

Awesome vitamin A levels— compared to other grains like wheat, barley, and even ancient grains like amaranth, the vitamin A levels in root veggies are super high. Those rich orange and yellow hues you love (and especially love around holidays like Thanksgiving) aren’t just pretty to look at. They’re also loaded with nutrients! High beta-carotene (the substance in plants that the body later converts into vitamin A) is what gives veggies like butternut squash its vibrant orange hue. In an era where more and more people are suffering from micro-nutrient deficiencies, today’s butternut squash recipe can totally help you get your daily dose.

compared to other grains like wheat, barley, and even ancient grains like amaranth, the vitamin A levels in root veggies are super high. Those rich orange and yellow hues you love (and especially love around holidays like Thanksgiving) aren’t just pretty to look at. They’re also loaded with nutrients! High beta-carotene (the substance in plants that the body later converts into vitamin A) is what gives veggies like butternut squash its vibrant orange hue. In an era where more and more people are suffering from micro-nutrient deficiencies, today’s butternut squash recipe can totally help you get your daily dose. Full of Fiber— I know I keep mentioning this, but probiotics LOVE fiber. It’s what helps them grow and multiply. If you’re grain-free, gluten-free, or are simply watching your carbs, you’re missing out on a key amount of fiber. Even if you eat a ton of veggies and fruits, this kind of fiber still pales in comparison to the fiber you can get from root veggies. Keep this in mind as another reason to make today’s butternut squash recipe!

I know I keep mentioning this, but probiotics LOVE fiber. It’s what helps them grow and multiply. If you’re grain-free, gluten-free, or are simply watching your carbs, you’re missing out on a key amount of fiber. Even if you eat a ton of veggies and fruits, this kind of fiber still pales in comparison to the fiber you can get from root veggies. Keep this in mind as another reason to make today’s butternut squash recipe! Curbs Cravings— When you change your eating habits and overall lifestyle, of course things can be a little difficult while you adjust to your new foods and exercise. But what if I told you root veggies can help curb your cravings for junk, sugar, and other processed foods that you might be withdrawing from? When baked a low heat for a long period of time, veggies like butternut squash, spaghetti squash, and sweet potatoes becomes incredibly rich and creamy. They become so satisfying that often I can eat a sweet potato plain without any butter, olive oil, or other add ons that only add empty calories. If you’re struggling to find healthy carbs that taste good and keep you away from the bad stuff, these veggies are your new best friends!

When you change your eating habits and overall lifestyle, of course things can be a little difficult while you adjust to your new foods and exercise. But what if I told you root veggies can help curb your cravings for junk, sugar, and other processed foods that you might be withdrawing from? When baked a low heat for a long period of time, veggies like butternut squash, spaghetti squash, and sweet potatoes becomes incredibly rich and creamy. They become so satisfying that often I can eat a sweet potato plain without any butter, olive oil, or other add ons that only add empty calories. If you’re struggling to find healthy carbs that taste good and keep you away from the bad stuff, these veggies are your new best friends! Less Lectins (If Any)—Come again? Lectins are defined as anti-nutrient properties found in most cereals and grains. Many people can tolerate small levels of lectins in their diet, but we’re learning more and more everyday that lectins can potentially be toxic to us, causing all sorts of health problems. The good news is root veggies and squashes don’t have any lectins, so you won’t have to worry about anti-nutrient properties in these carbs. Learn more about the anti-nutrient properties of plant lectins here.

About Today’s Butternut Squash Recipe

For a lot of my recipes, I definitely improvise, which probably isn’t a good thing for a food blog that reaches a ton of readers. But until an improvised dish goes horribly wrong and practically blows up in my face, improvised dishes like today’s butternut squash recipe are a great place for me to get creative and make some awesome food.

For this butternut squash recipe, I wanted to play around with ‘hot’ and ‘cold’ flavors. That’s a big reason why I combined cinnamon (a hot ingredient with warm/spicy notes) with cilantro (a cooling ingredient). Apparently, this is a very traditional technique in many Asian and Middle Eastern cuisines. The concept of pairing warm and cold seasoning/ingredients together goes back to the Yin-Yang theory and the strive for balance. I have a feeling that the combination of warm and cool notes in this butternut squash recipe is part of what makes it taste so amazing.

Oh, one final note. This butternut squash recipe is both paleo AND vegan. So if you’ve got a bunch of crazy guests coming for Thanksgiving this year, this is a side you can crowd-pleasing side you can serve to almost anyone regardless of their dietary restrictions.

Happy eats!

