Egg-Free Winter Squash Muffins

Goodbye tomatoes, hello winter squash.

Thanks once again to Angelic Organics, we have red kuri squash and pumpkin soup tucked away in the freezer, spaghetti squash salad with feta cheese and oregano vinaigrette in the fridge, and for that sweet little delicata? How about some squash muffins?

As usual, my muffins are egg-free to accommodate Roo's allergies. I used delicata squash because that's what I had left over after the soups were made, but most winter squash will work here...butternut, red kuri, hubbard, kabocha, pumpkin, pretty much anything but spaghetti squash. 

Egg-Free Winter Squash Muffins
adapted from The Divvies Bakery Cookbook

1 small winter squash (I used delicata, but butternut, red kuri, kabocha, or pumpkin will also work) 
1 & 1/2 tsp salt, divided
3 & 1/2 cups flour
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1 cup pear puree (baby food pears work well, or you can substitute applesauce)
1 cup canola oil, plus 1 tsp for rubbing squash
1/3 cup water
3 cups sugar

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Slice squash in half lengthwise and scoop out seeds. Rub cut sides with 1 tsp canola oil and sprinkle with 1/2 tsp of the salt. Place squash cut side up on a baking sheet and roast until soft, about 30 minutes. Allow squash to cool to room temperature. Scoop out flesh and reserve. Discard skins.
2. Reduce oven to 375 degrees. Spray 2 muffin tins with cooking spray. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, remaining 1 tsp salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and ginger.
3. In a separate bowl, beat the cooked squash with an electric mixer until pureed and smooth. Add the pear puree, 1 cup canola oil, water, and sugar. Continue to mix until the sugar has dissolved.
4. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and beat on medium speed until well-combined, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl periodically.
5. Scoop batter into the muffin tins, filling each about 3/4 of the way full. Bake for approximately 25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from oven, cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes, then remove muffins from tins and allow to cool completely.

Makes 24 muffins.

These are fantastic spread with a little cream cheese, or if you're feeling truly decadent, you could whip up some lemon cream cheese icing to drizzle on top.

I wasn't sure how the idea of squash muffins would go over with my roasted squash-loathing children so I did what any good parent would do. I kept my mouth shut. Instead I let the cinnamon-y fresh baked bread aroma do the talking until the inevitable happened.

Looly: "Can I have a muffin?"

followed shortly by...

Bean: "Me too! Why does she always get to have muffins and we don't!"

Bean will make a masterful dissident one day.

45 seconds later two crumb-faced girls were back for more, so it was time for the cold hard truth. There's squash in there!

I then proceeded to ask Looly if she liked the muffin so many times she finally locked her eyes on mine with the concern of a child whose parent has suddenly lost their mind and very calmly touched my hand and promised, "Yes, mom. I liked it. I really really liked it. It was yummy. I thought it was a banana muffin."

Score!

On the flip side, Roo, the perpetual bread-avoider declined to try a bite but promised me that if I make pumpkin muffins next time, he's game.

Spaghetti Squash Three Ways

Riding the current from our Meyer lemon experiment and Grapefruit Three Ways challenge, we took on yet another sunshiny-hued edible this week - spaghetti squash.

Since Mufasa has a family history rife with Diabetes and has been deemed pre-Diabetic himself, I am constantly on the lookout for lower-carbohydrate substitutions in our everyday cooking.  With just 8 net grams of carbohydrates per one cup serving, compared to about 40 grams in a cup of cooked spaghetti pasta, spaghetti squash is a great option for our family. But you'll be surprised to hear, Looly, Bean, and Roo are not huge fans.    

My favorite way to eat spaghetti squash is cold, tossed with some Kalamata olives, feta cheese, garbanzo beans, grape tomatoes, chopped cucumbers, artichoke hearts, fresh oregano, and bit of red wine vinaigrette. Fortunately, Mufasa also enjoys this preparation. On such occasions, the kiddos prefer macaroni and cheese from a purple or blue box, exclusively.

For this challenge, I roasted two medium spaghetti squash, scraped out the "noodles" and prepared as follows:

1. Spaghetti squash topped with plenty of butter and Parmesan cheese - my safety net preparation for the 5 and under set
2. Spaghetti squash with Italian sausage, garlic, oregano, marinara, and a little mozzarella cheese
3. A desserty version tossed with maple syrup, butter, and brown sugar

No blue dress this time, but do note the bright orange hair ornament

Since I've attempted spaghetti squash before without much luck, my confidence was wavering on this one. So I made "regular" dinner too and served each child a spaghetti squash sampler plate on the side. I explained that no one had to eat the squash, but that in order to participate in The Family Vote, they must try one bite of each type. After tasting each variety, the kids were allowed to express their opinion in one of three ways: smily face, frown, or comically stoic glare indicating they neither loved nor detested it. Happily, everyone was eager to participate.

To complete the exercise we created a chart. Here are our somewhat surprising results.

The butter-Parmesan version was not the hit with the kids as I'd expected. Instead we were all in agreement that the Marinara-sausage version was the standout. And the maple syrup version? Not making that again. Ever.