Coo Coo for Coconuts

I love coconut. It has to be one of my absolute favorite flavors. Coconut dessert is tops in my book. I'm not sure what about coconut I love so much. It's tropical, sweet, and the aroma is so yummy. I have come to realize you either love or hate coconut, nothing in between. I'm definitely on the LOVE side of the spectrum. I am also in love with coconut water, but only the Taste Nirvana brand. I've tried other brands like VitaCoco and Zico, but they all have a bizarre sour flavor. Taste Nirvana is just a tad sweet and oh so refreshing and crisp.

Every so often they have some cooking demos at CSA. This week, Rachel Yaseen from The Organic Kitchen had some samples of sweet potato patties, braising greens, and a butternut squash crisp. She is a fellow coconut lover and the crisp had a great coconut flavor. It was subtle, but definitely there. I got a butternut squash this week and though it would be great to try out this recipe. Butternut squash has such a distinct flavor that can be translated into both sweet and savory dishes. Surprisingly, this dish does not taste anything like butternut squash. It almost reminds me of peaches or mangoes. You're expecting butternut squash flavor, but you get something very different.

The crisp/crumble topping has a wonderful coconut flavor and it's way healthy too! I had no idea coconut could come in so many different forms, but almost every kind is in this crisp. I got to experiment with coconut flour, coconut palm sugar, coconut oil, and shredded coconut. You'd think this would be coconut overload, but it's actually pretty subtle. Mixed in with the sweet butternut squash, it's a great combo.

The original recipe on the website uses almond flour. Since JC is allergic too all things almond, I substituted coconut flour. I had no idea how this would turn out, I've never worked with the stuff before. I found it while wandering the bulk foods section at Whole Foods trying to find something to substitute for almond flour. I think it turned out pretty well, and it smells so amazing. The recipe also called for agave nectar. I am not a huge fan of the flavor, so I used honey instead. The only spice is cinnamon, but I think it would be great with a bit of nutmeg and cloves to create more of that rich allspice flavor that goes so well with butternut squash.

This dish ended up being nearly all organic and it utilizes some really great low glycemic index foods. It's a great dessert and goes perfect with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Butternut Squash Crisp
adapted from The Organic Kitchen

For the butternut squash:

• 1 butternut squash, peeled, cored, diced into small pieces
• 2 Tbsp honey or agave nectar
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2 Tbsp coconut flour

For the crisp topping:

• 3/4 cup coconut flour
• 3/4 cup rolled oats
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2  tsp salt
• 8 T butter and/ or coconut oil (use less for a less decadent dessert)
• 1 cup coconut palm sugar
• 1/2 cup shredded, unsweetened coconut

For butternut squash mixture, just mix all the ingredients together. Place on a cookie sheet (that has a lip) or in a baking pan, greased. Then mix the topping ingredients together (use cold butter cut into pieces and use your fingers to mix it into the rest of the ingredients). Then sprinkle over the butternut squash. Bake on 375 for 30-40 minutes or until top is slightly brown and crisp. Serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.