Butternut Squash for Breakfast

The other day on Facebook, I asked my friends to help me get out of my breakfast rut with some easy vegan and vegetarian morning meals that didn't involve toast.  I got a number of great ideas, including smoothies, veg baked goods and egg dishes.

This morning, I tried out a dish suggested by my friend and fellow yogi Melissa: butternut squash, dried cranberries and pecans with maple syrup.  It was super easy to prepare, thanks to the pre-cut butternut squash I picked up from Whole Food's fresh-cut section.  I did dice the squash up a bit more for faster cooking, but a good, sharp knife helped that go quickly.  It took three minutes for the squash and cranberries to warm up in the microwave, and then I tossed in the pecans and drizzled on the maple syrup.

I love the combination of butternut squash and dried cranberries to begin with, and adding in the maple syrup gave it some nice sweetness that is a real treat in the morning.  The pecans added a nice textural element and some additional protein.