Thursday, July 14, 2011

Squashtillas!

July is nutrition month. At Ella's school, parents were asked to present how to prepare any nutritious food in class yesterday. It was a good thing that the event fell on my rest day so I agreed.

Drew and I had chicken soup in mind. However, when I asked the teacher what the other mom is going to present, she said it was soup. I don't know what else to make that would have veggies in it but would still be a hit to 3-4 year olds. Big thanks to Jamie who suggested that we make pastillas out of squash!

Squash pastillas??? Well, here's how:

Ingredients:

2 rinds of squash, cut into squares
3 cups of evaporated milk (I used Carnation evap because it's thick)
2 cups brown sugar (wash)
2 cups powdered milk (I used Alaska powdered milk)

1. Steam the squash. It retains the nutrients better compared to when it's boiled. Another thing, it makes the squash soft with less water in it.
2. Completely mash the squash and place in the saucepan. Add evaporated milk and 1 3/4 cup of brown sugar.


3. Cook in low fire until mixture is pasty. Stir constantly. Be careful not to stop stirring because as the mixture boils and thickens, it can spatter so far that it can reach you. Believe me it reached and burnt my right eyelid. Let the paste cool.




4. When paste is cool, add 1 1/2 cup of powdered milk. Mix thoroughly.
5. Using 2 spoons, get bite size servings of the squash paste and roll in a mixture of 1/4 cup brown sugar and 1/2 cup powdered milk. Cover with cellophane and store in the fridge or freezer.



Cool huh?! And the best part is, it's ACTUALLY delicious! The kids loved it so much that almost everyone asked for more after being given a piece. Moms should try this!

your every woman,