Sesame-roasted, maple chipotle delicata squash

Sesame-roasted, maple chipotle delicata squash – crunchy sesame crust, sweet and spicy soft interior, fun looking, and so freakishly delicious, it’s scary – these are your perfect Halloween treat!

It’s code orange in the house! All around – inside and out.  It’s really that time of year, when I am competing with myself, and coming up with more and more pumpkin recipes, to the point of over-exhausting the idea, and over-saturating our household with pumpkin meals.  Now, don’t get me wrong – there’s always a place for one more pumpkin dish in my heart, but I am afraid, that I’ve pushed this theme a bit too hard, and the kids are going to be pumpkin-resistant for the rest of their lives.  Seriously though, how can anyone not love pumpkin in all its sweet shapes and forms, and curries, and pies, and ice creams, and puddings of all sorts, and in its simplest purest form – just roasted?!  So I’ll just follow my soul and dish out some of my favorite recipes here, for all of you, fellow-pumpkin lovers out there.

For this recipe, I’m using one of my favorites – the delicata squash.  It’s a no-peel squash, which is always a great news.  Its fun shape, and its dense, sweetly delicious flesh is perfect for appetizers of all sorts.  After enjoying these roasted delicata squash rings with almonds and garlic for the past couple of years, I decided it’s time to come up with something new.  I thought about Halloween, and I thought about making these for a snack, and then I thought – orange flesh, black sesame! Sealed! Done! Not only they looked good in my mind, but I could imagine the toasted sesame seeds with the sweet squash would go beautifully together…as they did!

So here, I’m dipping these pretty flower-shaped rings, in a maple-chipotle-spiced coconut oil sauce, then I press them on both sides into black and white sesame seeds, and roast them until they get a crispy sesame crust, and are perfectly soft and creamy on the inside.  They are sweet, and spicy, and freakishly delicious!

They look pretty Halloween-ish, so serve as a snack, or appetizer on your Halloween party (or any day this season).

Here are some other creative Halloween snack and drink recipes:

A collection of 50 Halloween party recipes
Oaxaca old fashioned – your Halloweek cocktail, courtesy of Honestlyyum.com
Monster mash cookies from Halfbakedharvest.com

Happy Halloween!

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Sesame-roasted, maple chipotle delicata squash

Prep Time

10 mins

Cook Time

40 mins

Total Time

50 mins

 

Sesame-roasted, maple chipotle delicata squash - crunchy sesame crust, sweet and spicy soft interior, fun looking, and so freakishly delicious, it's scary - these are your perfect Halloween treat!

Course: Side dish/Appetizer

Servings: 3 -4

Calories: 359 kcal

Author: Viktoria

Ingredients

• 2 delicata squashes
• 1/2 cup mix of black and white sesame seds
• 4 Tbs coconut oil
• 4 Tbs maple syrup
• 1 tsp adobo sauce from chipotle peppers, or mashed chipotle peppers
• pinch of cinnamon (optional)

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 425° F.

2. Cut the delicata squash in half, and using a small teaspoon, scoop out the seeds; cut into 1/4 inch thick rings.
3. Mix the coconut oil, and maple syrup with the mashed chipotle pepper, and a pinch of cinnamon if using, until a homogeneous sauce forms.
4. Spread the sesame seeds on a flat surface.
5. Dip each ring in the sauce, and remove the excess, then press into the sesame seeds on both sides.
6. Arrange the rings onto a well greased baking sheet, and drizzle liberally with more oil, or better use an oil spray for easier distribution.
7. Cover with foil, and roast for 20 minutes, remove the foil and roast for another 20 or so, until the squash is tender on the inside, and crispy on the outside.