feta cheese

Again linking up with the Veg Power UK campaign, we bring you this vibrant traybake full of flavour and textures.

BUTTERNUT SQUASH & FETA TRAYBAKE

Joanne Iceton

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Course Main Course, Side Dish

Ingredients

  

• 1 butternut squash about 600-800g*
• 2 red onions
• Few sprigs fresh oregano or 1 tsp. dried
• 2 tsp. smoked paprika
• 1 tsp. cumin
• 1/2 - 1 tsp. chilli flakes optional
• 1 tbsp. unrefined rapeseed/olive oil or use whatever oil you have
• 200 g feta cheese
• Handful pumpkin seeds

Instructions

 

• Oven 220c.
• Peel the butternut squash, cut in half and scoop out the seeds with a spoon (reserve these). Chop into 2 cm chunks then throw in a roasting tray.
• Peel and slice the red onions into chunky pieces, add to the squash.
• Rub your fingers down the oregano stalks to remove the leaves and scatter over the veg. Sprinkle over 1 tsp. of the smoked paprika, cumin and chilli flakes if using then mix together. Drizzle with the oil and mix again.
• Wipe over the squash seeds to remove as much flesh as possible. Add to a bowl along with the pumpkin seeds with a drizzle of oil, the other 1 tsp. of the paprika and season. Tip onto a baking tray.
• Pop both the veg and seeds in the oven placing the squash mixture at the top of the oven and the seeds at the bottom and roast for 15 mins stirring both half way through.
• Chop the feta cheese into 2 cm chunks and scatter over the squash. Return to the oven and bake for a further 10 mins.
• Serve scattered with the roasted butternut squash and pumpkin seeds.

Notes

*You can also use sweet potato but the dish will take less time to cook

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Nutritional Benefits:
Butternut Squash: Contains carotenes which help to prevent certain cancers (lung, colon and prostrate), reduce inflammation and protect the skin from sun damage. It is a good source of the antioxidant vitamins A (essential for good eye health and vision) C, E and B vitamins along with calcium, potassium and magnesium. Like all fruits and vegetables, it is a source of soluble fibre.

Squash seeds can be eaten like pumpkin seeds and are nutritional powerhouses rich in protein, zinc (boosting the immune system), iron (important for healthy blood cells and energy levels), omega 3 fatty acids, antioxidants, magnesium, selenium, calcium and many other nutrients . They also contain heart healthy polyunsaturated fatty acids and can benefit your heart, liver and immune system as well as helping to fight the onset of diabetes . They also contain tryptophan; an amino acid which is needed by the body to produce serotonin. This brain chemical helps regulate mood, appetite, digestion, sleep and memory. Low levels are linked to depression

Onions of all types are truly a superfood containing vitamin C and compounds which have anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties, help to reduce the risk of heart disease as well as regulating insulin response (insulin resistance is often a precursor to developing type 2 diabetes).

Cheese is an excellent source of protein, vitamin D, calcium (needed for strong bones) as well as other various vitamins and minerals. There is still a lot of conflicting advice on eating saturated fats in dairy foods but recent research has shown that they have little effect on the heart or risks of strokes and may actually help to prevent type 2 diabetes. Like most foods, they should not be eaten in vast amounts but certainly as part of a healthy diet.