Winter Squash: Fall Comfort Foods

As the weather becomes cooler, one thing you might see in your grocer's produce aisle are the winter squash varieties.  Butternut and acorn are two of the most common and two of my favorites to cook with in the Fall and Winter. 

Squash in both its winter and summer varieties, have many health benefits.  Winter squash specifically is high in Vitamin A (as are sweet potatoes), which support lung health.  A cup of winter squash also contains 15% of your daily value of folate, which prevents birth defects and

Folate also works to prevent heart attacks by working against elements that break down blood vessel structures in your body. There is also a correlation between folate intake and reduced incidences of colon cancer.

Read more: http://www.livestrong.com/article/2701-facts-health-benefits-squash/#ixzz2CPfplTIe


I have added diced squash to soups, chilis, and stews for an added dose of color and vitamin boost. The squash pretty much adopts the flavor of whatever you are cooking it with, and it looks very pretty.  This is a little labor intensive in that you've got to do more cutting up of the squash when it is raw, so I typically do this with acorn squash as it's a smaller variety.  Halve the squash and remove seeds.  Then quarter and cut off the outer skin, and dice into cubes.  It is an excellent addition to chili- either with meat or a vegeterian chili- soups, or stews.  Unless you are adding the squash to a crockpot dish, add it about halfway to three quarters of the way through the overall cooking time to avoid mushy cubes.

Baking is the easiest method to make winter squash, and it's also a great way for this veggie to shine in all it's glory.  All you need to do is halve your squash, remove seeds.  I like to add to the hollowed center a little olive oil, salt, pepper, and garlic powder.  Butter is nice for a special occasion, but it's not the healthiest option and quite honestly, the squash itself will taste great even if this is omitted.  Cover the halves with foil and place on a baking tray or in a shallow baking pan.  A typical acorn squash will take about 30-40 minutes to bake through in a 375 degree oven. 

Lately I've been baking acorn squash and then stuffing it to make a complete meal.  You can get creative with this!  This week I used a stuffing made from ground chicken, italian seasoning, chopped mushrooms, spinach, and topped with a little parmesan cheese.  Pictured below I used tomatoes, Morningstar farms soy sausage patties (crumbled), zucchini and wisconsin cheddar. While your squash is baking make your filling separately, remove the squash about 10 minutes before done and add your filling- top with cheese if you like, and serve right in the shell of the squash.  A salad makes a nice side dish.

 

Leftover baked squash can be scooped from the skin, pureed and made into a delicious soup. Skip the cream and use 2% milk at the end of the cooking process (ie, stir in while soup is hot), or use greek yogurt.  Squash soups can be made sweet (try cooking in green apples) or savory with traditional spices or even curry.  

I would love some more every day  recipes that are healthy involving squash.  What kinds of squash do you like to eat, and what is your favorite way to prepare it?