Farmers Market Kabocha

Penne with Kabocha Squash with Goat Cheese

If you are looking for a healthy, colorful, pleasing not only to the eyes but your health recipe, well this one is sure to please!

I love going to the Union Square Farmers Market in New York City. There is always something new that I find and can create a wonderful new recipe with. Squash is actually in season now and in abundance. But I wanted to try a different type of squash and create a delicious, creamy and crunchy meal with it. So as I was walking around in the market I came across this  beautiful and very colorful “Kabocha” squash. It is actually an Asian squash, commonly called a  Japanese pumpkin. It is very sweet and has a very bright orange inside. It is usually found with a dull green skin but I was lucky to find this beautiful and bright orange skin.

Kabocha is a low carbohydrate alternative to butternut squash. A single cup of kabocha squash has only forty calories per cup compared to butternut squash, which has 60 calories. It has less than half of the carbs of butternut squash. Even though these are very healthy calories, for those that are on a strict caloric intake this makes a difference.

Despite its lower calorie and carb count, kabocha squash is an excellent source of beta-carotene, which can be converted to vitamin A in the body. Vitamin A is important for healthy white blood cells, for good immunity and for healthy night vision — and a serving of kabocha squash provides 70 percent of the day’s recommended requirements. It also helps to keep skin and hair healthy. Remember, the brighter the color of the vegetable the more nutrients it contains.

Beta-carotene is a powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory and is a good source of iron, vitamin C and some B vitamins. In addition, it contains fiber, which most Americans don’t get enough of. To boost the fiber content even more, cook it with the edible skin still on. But for this recipe I opted to remove the outer skin.

For some interesting texture and flavor I toasted some walnuts and added them in. Walnuts are enriched with many health-benefiting nutrients, especially omega-3 fatty acids that are essential for optimum health. So eat up and as always, Enjoy!

For this recipe and more please go to my website   http://www.yvettesgourmetkitchen.com