So wha’d’ya do when allergies won’t allow indulgence? That’s what I’ve been asking myself for four years now -- especially on Thanksgiving! But on this early November Sunday morning . . . tada: Craving Satisfied! A simple series of unplanned, impromptu day-by-day choices did the trick. Here’s how it all happened:
Mid-week, I'd stuck a whole, large butternut squash in the oven for an hour. A friend had given me one from her garden, and the time had come to use it up. “I’ll just poke it a few times and stick it in the oven while I’m teaching for the next hour.” No particular plans for it yet, I just cooked it.
When the squash was soft, I removed it from the oven and sliced it. Never did that before, but it seemed like the thing to do. It was large. Looking for a container large enough to put the 7 disks in, I finally remembered a pumpkin jar I have, put away for the holidays. “Hey, the holidays are here; I’ll just put these slices in the pretty glass pumpkin and keep them in the frig. Maybe I’ll eat one slice a day!” (Hang on; I really am getting to the cinnamon roll part!)
So, I’ve been eating a slice every day for a while now. Cold snack . . . warmed up alongside some meat . . . mixed in with some veggies . . . whatever. I was happy with that because I realized recently that squash should be part of my diet a LOT more often. It is PACKED with more nutrients than most veggies!
But this morning when I woke up -- maybe it was the time of year or perhaps my Thanksgiving breakfast tradition or the crisp fall air or the extra hour of sleep thanks to Daylight Savings Time or maybe even that pretty pumpkin jar itself that made me think of sweet things -- for whatever reason, I suddenly wanted . . . you guessed it: cinnamon rolls. Haven’t had one in over 4 years. Don’t want the reaction. I JUST WANT A CINNAMON ROLL! And the craving would not go away.
I decided to behave myself and eat something sensible instead like . . . butternut squash! And THAT is when the idea hit me: Make today's disk into a cinnamon “roll”. No allergic reaction. No guilt. No hours of baking. Just a healthy "cinnamon roll."
Want to try one? Here are some pictures to show how it happened:
Just bake a whole squash for an hour and cut into slices; keep refrigerated. Pumpkin-shaped jar not required, but it is fun!
Using a sharp knife, score a slice of squash in a criss-cross pattern, and fry in coconut oil (M-m-m, good! And so good for you!) It takes just a few minutes on each side. After cooking the first side, turn it over and spread with butter and sprinkle some cinnamon and sugar on top. I used organic maple sugar. It’s a little pricy, but for the amount of sugar I consume (almost none) it’s a special treat when I do!
I poured just the TINIEST bit of real, genuine local maple syrup on top – just a drizzle to make it moist. Okay, and yes, I admit: The white stuff on the strawberries? It's frost; they were hard frozen. (And you thought that was sugar, didn't you!) I just figured I should enhance the picture with strawberries but was so eager to eat my cinnamon roll! I couldn't wait for strawberries to thaw! Then I ate the berries too – frozen and all!
Hey, looks like I'm back to enjoying a hot "cinnamon roll" for Thanksgiving breakfast! :-) After all: Tis the Season!