You will LOVE Maple Glazed Butternut Squash Orzo with Rosemary and Goat Cheese

My husband is a total trooper when it comes to eating. He will try all sorts of crazy things that I make and when we go out to eat--Think quail eggs and Ethiopian....But he is strangely picky about a handful of things. He hates berries-I am talking about all berries even strawberries. He can't stand tomatoes and he won't think of putting a sweet potato anywhere near his plate. The weirdest thing? He hates cheesecake. I have always thought to myself, "Who hates cheesecake?" So, I tried to pull one over on him and made a chocolate cheesecake that I simply called a chocolate cake sure that he did really like cheesecake, he just didn't know it. He took one bite (which he promptly spit out) and said, "This is not chocolate cake. It is cheesecake!" I guess he really doesn't like cheesecake. So you can imagine my delight that Andy cleared  his plate declaring, "This is so good," while eating this Maple Glazed Butternut Squash Orzo with Rosemary and Goat Cheese, since butternut squash is also on his list of "hates." He said the combination with the goat cheese made it special and good. Boo ya! So excited about this magical combination...Hope you like it to!

Here's What You Need: (3-4 sides)**
2 cups of cubed butternut squash*
1TBS of 100% maple syrup (Do not use the fake stuff!)
Salt and pepper
Low sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup of orzo
1 tsp of extra virgin olive oil
1-2 tsps fresh herbs (I used rosemary, but thyme would work too)
2 TBS of crumbled goat cheese (plus a little extra for topping)

Here's What You Do:
Preheat the oven to 450. Toss the squash with the olive oil and maple syrup, covering each piece and then season liberally with salt and pepper. Roast for 15-20 minutes, tossing a few times until the pieces are soft. Meanwhile, make the orzo according to the package instructions, substituting the broth for the water. Toss the orzo with the goat cheese, herbs, and butternut squash. So warm and seasonable!

*I cheat and buy the butternut squash that is already cubed in the produce section at my grocery store. One of my favorite shortcuts ever!
**You can easily make this into a whole meal, which is what I did. Toss boneless, skinless chicken breasts with about 1tsp each of dijon mustard, maple syrup, and extra virgin olive oil (per breast). Marinate for at least 15 minutes. Pan sear over medium high heat for about 7 minutes per side. Cut into strips and serve over the orzo. You can also add a little of the broth to the pan and deglaze it by stirring up the little bits that stick to the bottom. Reduce the liquid down and pour over the chicken or toss the chicken in the juices to make it really tender and good.

Kid Tip:If you can get your kids to try this they will like it! Roasting the squash with the maple syrup really sweetens it up. You can leave off the rosemary if that is too strong for them as well as the coat cheese. (I personally cannot wait until my little guy is old enough to bargain with so I can get him to try more things. The kid lives off of string cheese and fruit these days...ay ay ay!)

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