Green Options

This fast, simple spread will add a kick to your typical hummus, as well as some essential vitamins. Make use of the abundant butternut squash this season and serve it at your next party.

Curried Roasted Butternut Squash Hummus Spread
Recipe courtesy of Celine Steen at Have Cake, Will Travel

2 cups chopped roasted butternut squash [400F oven, butternut squash cut in 8 pieces, brushed with olive oil, sprinkled with fresh milled [...]

Winter veggies usually get short shrift, but there are many reasons to savor them. They add loads of vitamins and nutrients to our diets, do wonders for our immunity, and are wonderfully versatile. Plus, eating seasonally is eating green: as it takes us back to the old days of eating only the freshest available products, it’s a more sustainable eating model and it’s better for reducing our carbon footprints.

Here’s my guide to making the most of these five fabulous winter veggies:

1. Play Squash

I actually look forward to winter just for its squash varieties. Acorn, banana, butternut, spaghetti, delicata, hubbard, sweet dumpling, buttercup, and turban squashes—not to mention pumpkin—add a colorful and sweet accent to your plate. Plus, they are among the healthiest types of complex carbohydrates (the best kind of carbs), with high fiber, vitamin A, and vitamin C content. Roast ‘em, mash ‘em, or slow cook ‘em into a heaping bowl of soupy goodness for the perfect warm winter meal.

Although fall means the end of summer’s abundance of produce, the end-of-season crops are nothing to sneeze at.  Butternut squash, with its earthy sweetness and versatility, can be used in both sweet and savory dishes.  I whipped up this simple, hearty soup from local squash, then froze the extra for quick lunches throughout the season.

What makes this soup extra special is its creamy sweetness and vanilla flavor; it’s practically a dessert soup.  You can alter the sugar to taste, but I like the hint of sweetness that the small amount listed here provides.  Roasting the squash imparts a deeper, richer flavor as well.  The recipe, after the jump…

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When the summer heat breaks and the first cool days arrive, I feel melancholy, because it means the end of our local farmers market is nigh and the variety of summer produce will soon be gone.  While I savor the rest of our ripening tomatoes, my thoughts turn to fall’s produce, with its rich red and orange hues, mirroring the turning leaves.  Fall produce reminds me of rich, hearty dishes that fill you up during the harvest season.  Here are five fall fruits and vegetables (and meal ideas) that are great sources of nutrition and the basis of many delicious dishes.

I am a clearance shopper. I love a bargain, especially when I’m getting a really quality product at a super low price. The challenge of the hunt is a huge part of the fun and there’s nothing better than being rewarded with a new sweater or pair of shoes, or even, say, some eggplant. It used to be that I wouldn’t even think of shopping the clearance cart at the grocery store. I was afraid to buy old food, just this side of moldy.