Sauteed Kabocha Squash

The past few weeks, I've been trying to add more vegetables to our meals.  My kids for the most part, eat every vegetable I give them, but there are some they either don't care for, have never tried or don't want to try.

As with any other kid, and I say lightly because my son is turning 17 next month and my daughter is turning 21 next month, as well, I sometimes need to push them to eat veggies.  In other words, if I don't make it, they won't ask for it.

Typically I always add at least a salad to every meal, but that becomes a bit boring, and the extent of my veggies used to be steamed broccoli or cauliflower, or mixed vegetables.

It became quite boring, so I've been on a mission to add different vegetables that I normally wouldn't serve.

One vegetable we all love, is squash.  I bought a Kabocha Squash when I went grocery shopping, and aside from roasting it in the oven, I hadn't made it any other way.  I decided to sautee it and threw in a little of this and a little of that.

The result?  Absolutely delicious, kids and hubby scarfed it down and my son even claimed it may just be his favorite now.
 

Sauteed Kabocha Squash

1 kabocha squash, peeled and cut into 1 inch chunks (I use a potato peeler to peel the squash, you don't have to remove the skin completely, you can leave some behind)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon minced garlic
chili flakes, to taste
salt and pepper, to taste
2 tablespoons chopped parsley and cilantro
1 teaspoon paprika
boiling water


Wash the kabocha squash, cut in half and remove all the seeds.  Using a potato peeler, peel as much of the skin as you can, but don't worry about getting it all as it is easily cooked and very tasty.   Be careful however, if you've never cut squash, it is extremely hard and quite difficult to cut through.
Cut into 1 inch chunks.

In a saucepan add oil and garlic.  Fry garlic for a few seconds, constantly stirring. 

Add the kabocha squash, and then season with the remaining ingredients.  Stir well to combine, and sautee for 3 to 5 minutes stirring often so it doesn't stick.  Add boiling water until it covers squash about an inch above.

Pop the lid on and cook for about 10 to 12 minutes, on medium heat, until fork tender.