“Eat your vegetables” they said.

“It will be fun” they said.

I don’t think any of us fell for that as kids. One of my earliest memories is choking down a mushy cooked carrot from my bowl of pot roast that my mom made me eat. If I could have had it my way, I would have easily devoured the flavorful broth, the tender meat, and the savory potatoes. Really anything but the vegetables. Nevertheless, I was bribed with an after dinner cupcake if I ate just one carrot. That sounds like a total steal now, but trust me, to my 4-year-old brain, this was an impossible and cruel demand.

I remember crying my eyes out as my mom dished the single vegetable onto my plate, lamenting about how I would surely die if I took another bite of this soggy carrot. I tried to negotiate my freedom, but to no avail.

“You won’t get a cupcake” my sister taunted from across the table, leading to even more dramatic sobs from me. How could the world be so unfair?

Somehow I pulled through and ate every last bite of that carrot. Twenty minutes of meltdown later I was absorbed in a well-earned cupcake, already forgetting about my trauma that had happened just moments before.

Or so I thought. Fun fact – to this day I still hate cooked carrots. As an adult, I can handle all other vegetables, and I am totally fine with raw carrots. But cook that thing into a stew or roast and I won’t touch it. I still blame you, Mom.

Anyway, I suppose I’m telling you about this because I think that even 4-year-old me would have loved this form of vegetable. Obviously it helps that it’s covered in cheese. These squash bites are a crispy and flavorful snack or side that add a bit of  pizzazz to the normally tedious routine of eating our vegetables. No tantrums necessary with this recipe!

I also would like to start petition where adults can eat our vegetables and then get rewarded with cake. Who’s in?

Ingredients

• 1 acorn squash
• 2 tablespoons of olive oil
• 1/4 cup of fresh shredded parmesan
• Salt and pepper

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 450F.
2. Cut the acorn squash in half and scoop out the seeds.
3. Thinly slice each half.
4. In a large mixing bowl, mix the squash slices with olive oil and a dash of salt and pepper.
5. Spread the squash out on a large baking sheet and cover each slice with a pinch of parmesan.
6. Bake for about 15 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and the squash is soft.
7. Broil for about 3 minutes until the cheese starts to get brown and crispy.
8. Remove from the oven and they’re ready to eat!

If you want to change things up, I have also added garlic powder and herbs to this recipe, and it was so good. Leave a comment if you find another fun new flavor combination!