I recently learned about kabocha squash through a status that The Fighter Diet posted on Facebook last week. She said " If more people ate kabocha instead of roasted potatoes the world would be less fat".  My first thought...she is hilarious...second thought...I must try this kabocha. I ran out after work that very same night and picked one up at a market. It looks like a cute half-size green and orangish pumpkin. The kabocha squash is also called a Japanese pumpkin, so that might throw you off when looking for it at the store.

Once I got home from the market, I started searching the internet for receipes and also got some very helpful tips from some of my Facebook friends. I was told I could either slice it up into pieces and season or another method was to cut it in half and cook it upside down with a little water at the bottom of the pan. They also mentioned that the skin was very good to eat. Thank goodness they told me this, because I probably would have cut it off before eating and missed out on all that goodness. I tried both options and both came out delicious. The taste is like a mix between the butternut squash, a pumpkin, and a sweet potato, luckily these happen to be three of my favorite things!

I like the squash because it is very filling and it's helped to reduce the grains I was eating in the morning. Instead of oatmeal in the morning for breakfast, I've been eating kabocha drizzled with a little liquid stevia or sugar free maple syrup and walnuts. I also eat just the slices as a snack and used the squash (without the peel) mixed with pumpkin for one of my protein pumpkin loafs.

Here is what I did... I cut the squash half with a heavy duty knife (you will need to use your muscles for this one). I cut one half in to thick slices, sprinkled them with cinnamon, and placed them into 9 x 13 inch pan sprayed lightly with olive oil. I left the other half whole, sprinkled it with cinnamon, and cooked it upside down in a separate baking dish with a little water. Baked for 30 to 35 minutes at 350°F.  Bon Appétit!