Soo the other day, this happened: Tastegasm. Mind BLOWN. At the SAME TIME. And I’m about to give you that recipe too.
But first let’s back up a bit and I’ll give you the back story. So I was at Trader Joe’s (or affectionately called TJ’s because it’s easier to type and all the cool kids know what you’re talking about. obviously) after a particularly sweaty workout browsing their pumpkin section. Yes, they have an entire section plus displays throughout the entire store with SO many pumpkin things. I love it. Except I can’t eat about ¾ of the stuff in all of it…whomp. Anyway. My stomach really hasn’t been happy with me whenever I’ve eaten nuts lately. Which is really sad because who doesn’t LOVE nut butters? Whether you’re struggling with autoimmune issues like me or just avoiding nuts for whatever reason, it really is a bummer. I used to be a peanut butter fiend back in the day. Thank god for coconut butter. You can make it from scratch or buy it, but it’s pretty expensive. I still have yet to get my hands of a jar of Nikki’s but I’ve heard that stuff is like crack. CRACK. (say crack again. Thank you, Mean Girls.)
We’re getting sidetracked here. Story of my life. My friends and family joke around that I have the mental capacity/short-term memory of Dory from Finding Nemo at times. I just have too many good ideas going around in my head okay?!
Back to TJ’s. So I picked up some of their sunflower seed butter. I was also getting HANGRY (hungry+angry, you’ve all been there. not pretty) at this point, so anything seemed really good. Throwing some lunch together when I finally got home somehow this roasted delicata squash with balsamic-fig drizzle on it ended up next to the sunbutter. It was one of those things that could’ve been totally disgusting or insanely good. So here’s that mind-blowing tastegasm I was talking about: spread a little of TJ’s sunflower seed butter on the leftover delicata squash + balsamic-fig compote. WOW. Do it. Don’t knock it till ya try it.
I’m giving you the recipe, so obviouslyy it must’ve blown my socks off. Life’s too short to eat boring/bland/disgusting food. So I only share things here with you guys that I REALLY like. Promise I won’t share that recipe for cheez-its that I miserably failed on way back in the day. Guess that’s what happens when you try to bake them from the ingredients on the back of the box. It’s not my fault mom and dad weren’t stocking “NIACIN, REDUCED IRON, THIAMIN MONONITRATE [VITAMIN B1], RIBOFLAVIN [VITAMIN B2], FOLIC ACID)…” in our pantry. And that’s only the first few ingredients.)
Divine, I’m telling you. It’s 11am and I want it for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I got the idea for the fig compote from Practical Paleo. The compote is also great on leftover proteins like roast chicken. Or drizzled on apples. Or muffins. You can go sweet or savory with it. Mix it up in mayo and pop it on a burger with caramelized onions, or use it as a dip for roasted veggies.
- 1 delicata squash, halved (or sliced into wedges - see different cooking directions below on step 3)
- 1 Tbsp coconut oil
- sea salt
- ½ tsp cinnamon
- ¼ tsp ginger
- 1 Tbsp fresh rosemary or sage, chopped
- 1 c water
- ¾ c balsamic vinegar
- 8 fresh figs, de-stemmed and quartered (you could also use dried figs or a combination of both fresh and dried)
- optional: 2 sprigs fresh rosemary or thyme
- Preheat the oven to 400. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- For squash halves: Place the squash face down on the baking sheet, and bake for 25 minutes. OR For squash wedges: toss the squash in melted coconut oil. Add the rest of the ingredients. Cook for 45 minutes, turning once halfway.
- That’s it! When it’s fork-able and golden brown (you can also turn it over and broil for a minute to get a crisp on the skin), top each half with cinnamon, ginger, sea salt, rosemary, and a spoon of coconut oil.
- While the squash is baking, make your compote: Combine the vinegar, water, figs, and rosemary in a small skillet or saucepan. Simmer (low heat) for about 20-30 minutes, until the mixture becomes thick. The longer you cook it, the longer it’ll reduce and thicken - just keep checking on it and stirring every once in a while so it doesn’t burn!
- Mash the figs up with a fork so the sauce has more of a jelly-like consistency. Taste and adjust: if it’s too sweet, add a little vinegar. If it’s too thick, add some water. If it’s too tart, reduce it a little more. DON’T stick your nose into it to smell. Just don’t do it. it hurts. Unless you like inhaling vinegar and burning your nose, then by all means go ahead!
- Serve the compote drizzled over the squash. Mmmm.
