Baked Chayote Squash ‘Apples’
9 ingredients · 60 minutes· 6 servings
It’s hard to believe this is not apple. Chayote squash is crisp when raw and becomes tender and juicy when you bake it, making it an amazing low-carb swap for apples. You’ll get 3 grams of fiber in 100 grams of chayote squash, and only 5 grams of carbohydrates, making this a ‘volume food’.
Volume foods help to keep you full with little calories. They help to satiate you by stimulating satiety hormones that are triggered when your gut reaches a certain volume. You also have satiety hormones that are triggered by chewing. So when you eat a larger portion of food, it helps to signal to your brain that you are full.
In addition to that, fiber-rich foods help to control your hunger and cravings by blunting the blood sugar response you get from eating carbohydrates.
Volume foods are very helpful if you are trying to lose weight because being hungry is HARD. If you struggle with cravings, are eating in a caloric deficit to lose weight or are trying to increase your fiber intake, you’ll want to try these Baked Chayote Squash Apples.
Directions for Baked Chayote Squash Apples:
Preheat your oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
Toss the diced chayote, lemon juice, spices, stevia, salt and butter together in a medium bowl to evenly coat the chayote.
Add the water then the chayote mixture to an oven-proof dish.
Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes.
Uncover and cook for another 30 minutres, or until just tender and a little golden.
See Notes for ways to eat these tasty ‘apples’!
Ingredients
2 chayote squash, peeled, cored & diced
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
¼ cup filtered water
1 tsp cinnamon
½ tsp stevia, to taste
¼ tsp sea salt
⅛ tsp nutmeg, freshly ground
⅛ tsp cloves
1 tbsp butter, melted
Notes
How to Serve - Serve over vanilla ice cream, with yogurt, as a side to your favourite pork dish, toss it with some chopped walnuts or pecans, or use it as a base for ‘apple’ crumble - use any way you would baked apples!
