Baked Butternut Squash with Cranberries (Low-fat; Low-carb!)

Colorful, healthy, flavorful...this recipe has it all. Beautifully orange butternut squash surround sweet-tart, freshly cooked cranberries as they sit atop a pat of buttery goodness. Voila! You have Butternut Squash with Cranberries. This dish is so simple that you really don't need a recipe...but I've written one for you anyway. It takes very little preparation and is pretty enough for company. At the same time you get lots of fiber and antioxidants. Try it for your next healthy Southern (or any kind of) meal.


Butternut Squash with Cranberries
Butternut squash, washed, halved length-wise and seeded (leave peel in place)
water
non-stick cooking spray, such as Pam
1 bag of fresh cranberries (12 oz), washed and picked through
sugar substitute equal to 1 cup sugar, such as Splenda granular
1 cup water
1/4 teaspoon salt
juice of one orange
1 t. buttery spread, such as Smart Balance (or butter), per squash half

Preheat the oven to 375. Spray a casserole dish or other appropriate baking dish with cooking spray. Add about 1/4 inch of water to the pan. Put squash in pan, cut side down. Bake for 30-45 minutes, until squash is very tender. The squash should be soft enough that you could easily scoop it all out (but don't). While the squash is baking, combine the washed, sorted cranberries, water, sugar substitute, salt, and orange juice in a sauce pan. Cook over medium heat until the berries burst. Then cook another 5-10 minutes until the berries are the consistency you desire. When squash are done, remove from water and drain. Add 1 t. of buttery spread (or butter) to the indentation in each squash where the seeds used to be. Fill with cooked cranberries. Serve.