Butternut Squash Pumpkin Pudding {Crock Pot} + Weekly Menu

Mr. Prevention’s best friend, Jeff, lives in Dallas. I love Jeff, and his beautiful wife, Liz.

 When we lived in Tulsa, we drove to Dallas one weekend to visit Jeff and Liz, and their adorable daughter (and they now have a second…where does time go!?). Liz loves to cook and she is the one that turned me on to Bon Appetit. When we’ve talked food, I’ve been mesmerized. Liz seems to put forth a 4-star meal every night, even with the hustle and bustle of 2 kids.

Rock star mom!

And because Liz makes that effort to make home-cooked meals that are balanced and diverse, her girls have taken to cooking.

Liz shared that her oldest daughter enjoys “shopping” at school when playing with the other kids. Not only that, but she shops with a purpose — buying produce that is on sale and in season. She told another child at school that she couldn’t buy berries because they “aren’t in season”. Too cute. Not surprisingly, her teacher thinks this is adorable. It’s never too early to start teaching the importance of shopping in season and on sale!

When Liz and I last emailed she mentioned this pudding recipe that her whole family enjoyed, to which I quickly responded with a plea for the recipe. Like most moms, I think Liz is happy to sneak in nutrition where ever possible. What better way than dessert?

The original recipe calls for sweet potatoes, but I subbed in a butternut squash that I had laying around.

This pudding was absolutely divine, and just as Liz described, it tastes like the filling to a pumpkin pie! Spring may be right around the corner (and P.S. hope you remembered to spring forward last night – set those clocks ahead an hour!), but pumpkin and pudding are always in season. Thanks, Liz!

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Butternut Squash Pumpkin Pudding slightly adapted from Art of the Slow Cooker by Andrew Schloss

1 3/4 cup (~15 oz) butternut squash
1 can (15 oz) pure pumpkin
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground ginger
pinch of ground cloves
2 large eggs
1/2 cup canned coconut milk (not light*)
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1/2 tsp kosher salt
2 Tbsp whole wheat pastry flour
2 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted

Directions:

Cube butternut squash, place into a microwave-safe bowl drizzled with water and covered with plastic wrap. Microwave on high 5-6 minutes. Mash with the back of a fork and set aside to cool.

Combine all of the ingredients in a food processor or blender and puree until smooth. Pour into a 1-quart ovenproof mixing bowl or pudding mold and cover with foil.

Place inside 3 1/2 quart or larger slow cooker & pour boiling water into the crock so that it comes about 1 inch up the sides of the bowl. Cover the cooker and cook on low for 6-8 hours, or until a tested inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool for at least 30 minutes, and serve warm, at room temperature, or chilled.

Yield: 8 servings (about 2/3 cup each).

Nutrition Information (per serving): 212 calories; 7.4 g. fat; 61 mg. cholesterol; 197 mg. sodium; 36.3 g. carbohydrate; 4.5 g. fiber; 3.5 g. protein

*the cookbook noted curdling when light coconut milk was used.

Result: Sweet, creamy, and full of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. I love that this recipe packs in 4.5 grams of fiber into a 2/3 cup portion. The fact that this is made in the crock pot is fun, though you do need a pretty large crock pot to pull it off…my smaller one wouldn’t work. I’m sure there’s a way to bake this, but I’m not that savvy with recipe adaptations. Definitely a keeper and crowd-pleaser! Enjoy!

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Weekly Menu: March 11th – 15th

• Sunday: Chicken and White BBQ Potatoes with brussels sprouts
• Monday: Crispy Herbed Shrimp with Chive Aioli over Asparagus and Tomatoes
• Tuesday: leftovers
• Wednesday: Tempeh and Broccolini Stir-Fry
• Thursday: out for hibachi

Other than my hockey game this evening, I’ve got another pretty free day. I love weekends! …And I’m so glad I knocked out all of my grading yesterday!

Be well,