Simple Summer Squash Sauce

My family has quit eating dairy for a number of reasons.  It gives my oldest daughter and myself a stuffy nose, makes us cranky, and is one of the very few foods we had to actually go to the grocery store for at this point.  We figured by cutting it out we might enjoy better health and have one less thing to rely on The Man for.  We are in the midst of a 30-day clean out, and I have seen real changes in my oldest daughter's behavior.  It's really amazing.  I had realized I was sensitive to dairy after Christmas when the cheese was free flowing and I finally couldn't breath at all.  I thought I'd give quitting dairy a shot and cleaned out my body for 30 days and felt a world of difference.  When I asked my husband if he noticed any difference in me, he avoided eye contact and said "Yes..."
"What is it?"  I prodded, assuming he was just having trouble putting into words the amazing change in my now glowing complexion.
"You're, well..you're nicer."
"What do you mean by that!" I asked (very nicely).

So that's how I learned that dairy gives me a stuffy nose, and possibly makes me cranky. 

This has changed our menu quite a bit.  We don't eat a lot of meat and relied pretty heavily on the creamy, protein-filled goodness of cheese, whole milk and butter.   It's proving to be a bit of a learning curve in the kitchen.  One thing I have noticed recently is that my older girl especially is always hungry. I think she's suffering from a lack of fat in her diet.  I'm trying to step up the fat content of our dinners.  This dish is not an example of that, but I did manage to make a fairly "creamy" sauce for our homemade whole wheat egg noodles. 

Summer Squash sauce

3 Summer Squash  (I used the deep golden summer squash, not zucchini or crookneck.  Either of these could be substituted, but they just won't give the same color.)
1 medium onion
olive oil
2 Tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 cup cool water
1/4 tsp nutmeg
salt and pepper to taste.


Slice up the squash and steam until tender.  While that's steaming, dice the onion and saute in the oil until tender. Puree the squash and add to the skillet with the onions. (You could puree the onions with the squash if you have picky eaters who will let their dinner get ice cold while they carefully pick out all the onion pieces).  Dissolve the cornstarch in cool water and add to the pan.  Cook over med/low heat while stirring until it thickens up.  Add salt, pepper and nutmeg.  Mix in some pasta and enjoy!