Twice-baked butternut squash with toasted coconut

A side built to belong at the holiday table: the twice-baked idea borrowed from the potato, built instead from a real, whole vegetable, finished with warm spice and toasted coconut. Set it next to anything.

Butternut squash is a source of beta-carotene, which the body converts toward vitamin A, supporting the immune and mucosal lining. Cinnamon and mace bring warmth on their own, and toasted coconut adds richness and a little fat to carry the flavor.

Take care with the second bake, the moment the top browns and the kitchen fills with the smell of warm spice. Plate it with a little beauty, even at a crowded table. Before you eat, take a breath and feel the gratitude in real food, grown and roasted, set down in front of you.

Ingredients

• 1 butternut squash, halved lengthwise and seeded
• 1.5 tbsp maple syrup
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp ground mace (permitted on AIP; do not substitute nutmeg, which is a seed spice and excluded)
• 1/8 tsp sea salt
• 1/4 cup unsweetened shredded coconut

Method

Heat the oven to 350 F. Set the squash halves cut side down in a baking dish and roast for sixty to ninety minutes, until the flesh is soft enough to scoop easily with a spoon.

Scoop the flesh from both halves, keeping one shell intact with a thin layer of flesh left inside so it holds its shape as a serving vessel.

Blend the scooped flesh with the maple syrup, ginger, cinnamon, mace, and salt until you have a smooth puree.

Spoon the puree back into the reserved shell and scatter the shredded coconut over the top. Raise the oven to 425 F and bake for five to ten minutes, until the coconut is toasted and the top browns. Serve warm.

*Adapted from a-clean-plate*