Spring is here (sort of) and I’m posting about squash, a winter vegetable.  I guess this just goes to show you how slow things are moving around here with two kids.  I’ve had this recipe sitting on my computer for a few months now.  Better late than never I say, and as luck would have it our farmer’s market has seen a new crop of butternut squash the past few weeks so you may still be able to find them at your local market.

Our family food routine has seen more than a few changes in the past 6 months between the birth of our daughter, Caroline, and also the birth of my husband’s obsession with low carb diets.  I swear some days I feel like I’m high on postpartum  hormones when I walk into the kitchen and find my husband digging in the fridge for a protein snack (to balance his blood sugar he says) before his morning cup of coffee.  Huh? He never used to eat before drinking coffee… no matter how much I lectured him. 🙂  On top of that, our house has smelled like bacon for the past 2 months straight.  Not that I don’t love a good piece of bacon from time to time, but at this point I’m seriously considering my life as a vegan.

Honestly, I don’t disagree with my husband’s new found love of all things bacon protein.  Like any diligent Virgo, he’s done a lot of research on the matter (here and here for starters).  And you know I’m a big fan of blood sugar control, so most days we’re on the same page.  It’s fun to have him speaking my nutrition language.  However, it’s not so fun when he tells me I have to read this amazing article because it will change my life….only to find that I sent him the same AMAZING article 6 months earlier and it went unread.  Nice, honey.

I’m trying to support him by experimenting with Paleo-friendly recipes and in general we are eating more vegetables than we did before.  And I can’t lie, the man is looking good.

There’s only one tiiiiiiiiiiny problem.

I don’t have much time to cook these days.  Both kids demand a lot of attention so I have to meal plan efficiently and cook at the speed of light.  My son loves carbs despite my best efforts to encourage balanced meals.  My husband loves veggies and protein.  So the other night I tried to please both of them by whipping up a batch of butternut squash hash browns (with the beloved bacon!).  Turns out my husband wouldn’t touch them due to the carb content and my 3 1/2 year old wouldn’t touch them because he’s an insane 3 1/2 year old.

So I told them both I was finished trying to please so many different dietary preferences and I ate them all by myself.  And let me tell you these are good, good, good.  I’ve made them 3 times since then and I don’t have to share with anyone.

Enjoy!

Butternut Squash Hash Browns

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Butternut Squash Hash Browns (Gluten-free, Dairy-free, Egg-free)

Course: Breakfast

Cuisine: Dairy Free, Gluten Free

Author: Kula Mama

Ingredients

• 1 butternut squash peeled and shredded in food processor
• 1/2 onion finely chopped or shredded
• 5-6 strips pork or turkey bacon
• 1 tablespoon coconut oil
• 1 tablespoon maple syrup
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder or more to taste
• 1/2-1 teaspoon sea salt or more, to taste
• 5-6 drops fresh lemon juice

Instructions

1. In a frying pan, heat the oil and add bacon.  Fry bacon until cooked through (4 minutes, or so, per side) and remove to a separate plate.  Keep the bacon grease in the pan.  DO NOT REMOVE THE GREASE!  Your taste buds will thank you later!
2. Add onion to pan and cook 5 minutes until tender.
3. Add squash to pan, along with spices and and saute for 20 minutes or so, until done. Add maple syrup and stir to combine.
4. Taste.
5. Add 5 drops of lemon.
6. Taste again.
7. Add more salt, syrup, lemon...whatever it needs until it is perfect.
8. Crumble bacon on top and enjoy.