Need recipes for fall veggies PLEASE!

LoriT129

I grocery shop for my family once a month and have been issued a challenge to eat at least 5 fruits and veggies a day. I am falling waaaaaay short on that goal but one of the reasons is that I avoid buying a lot of fresh veggies because they go bad by the end of the month and I hate to buy canned veggies because of all the sodium. I use frozen but have realized that I am bored with the same ole, same ole. It was pointed out to me that it is time for the fall veggies and they last a lot longer than most. Problem is, I don't have many recipes for these wonderful veggies. I can honestly say that the only time I have used pumpkin in a recipe is to make pumpkin pie. As for yellow squash, I saute' it with onions. That's about it. Sooooo...to increase my veggie intake I am going to buy some of those fall veggies: pumpkin, yellow squash, spaghetti squash, zucchini, etc....and I NEED some recipes! Please share!!

wyld4eva

Try going on eatingwell.com or allrecipes.com they should have plenty of recipes. Just type in the veggie that you want acorn squash, spaghetti squash, ext. and you should come up with some great ones. I believe eatingwell also provides nutritional values.

Clew

I *LOVE* spaghetti squash. Try making some cooked squash shreds in a casserole with some tomato sauce and cheese. Yummmmm ... or just heat it up on a plate like spaghetti.

I have a great recipe for cucumber jicama salad. Not necessarily fall veggies but very interesting, very good and very low cal. I have teh recipe at home if you'd like to try it, remind me if I don't get back to you :flowerforyou:

LoriT129

Great idea! I've not used the eatingwell site and love that it has nutritional values included!

LoriT129

Jicama is something I have never tried! Please share the recipe!!

Clew

It has a flavor and texture similar to a radish but not as bitey. I make this salad all the time in the summer I'll be happy to share!

Nikiki

one of my alltime faves:
(recipe for 2 but can easily be doubled, tripled ect...)

take one large-ish acorn squash and cut it in half (through the middle horizontally) scoop out seeds and all the stringy ooky stuff and place cut side down in a deep baking dish filled with about 1 inch of water. Bake at 375 for 40 minutes. while its baking brown 2 links of hot italian turkey sausage, crumbling it up as it cooks. Once squash is done (you should be able to pierce it easily with a fork) take them out (carefully cause they're hot!!) turn the cut side up and put 1 tsp brown sugar & a little cinnamon in the bottom, fill with sausage and put 1 tsp brown sugar & more cinnamon on top. put it back in the oven until the brown sugar melts a little and gets darker (about 7-8 minutes)

this is really filling and can be a full meal. If anything I only add some steamed veggies on the side or maybe a salad with a light vinaigrette style dressing, nothing too heavy because the squash will fill you up!

Nikiki

and two more (sorry they're from a blog so you'll have to read for the recipe, lol but they're worth it! my nephews LOVED it)
http://craptofixifyouaintmartha.blogspot.com/2009/10/nikkis-savory-sausage-squash-casserole.html
http://craptofixifyouaintmartha.blogspot.com/2009/11/nikkis-belated-apple-squash-bake.html

Nelski

I have found some good recipes on sparkrecipes.com, they even have the nutritional value. I just made butternut squash soup yesterday from a recipe I found on there, it turned out good!

LoriT129

one of my alltime faves:
(recipe for 2 but can easily be doubled, tripled ect...)

take one large-ish acorn squash and cut it in half (through the middle horizontally) scoop out seeds and all the stringy ooky stuff and place cut side down in a deep baking dish filled with about 1 inch of water. Bake at 375 for 40 minutes. while its baking brown 2 links of hot italian turkey sausage, crumbling it up as it cooks. Once squash is done (you should be able to pierce it easily with a fork) take them out (carefully cause they're hot!!) turn the cut side up and put 1 tsp brown sugar & a little cinnamon in the bottom, fill with sausage and put 1 tsp brown sugar & more cinnamon on top. put it back in the oven until the brown sugar melts a little and gets darker (about 7-8 minutes)

this is really filling and can be a full meal. If anything I only add some steamed veggies on the side or maybe a salad with a light vinaigrette style dressing, nothing too heavy because the squash will fill you up!

OHMYSWEETGOODNESS! That sounds soooo good! I think my teenagers would even eat this!

Nelski

I have also found that a good way to 'sneak' veggies in is to add pumpkin puree or shredded zucchini to tomato sauce for pizza and pasta. Zucchini bread is delicious too(also found a recipe on sparkrecipies.com that I use).

melodyg

I LOVE butternut squash and pumpkin! I have not cooked with real pumpkin (only canned) but that is one of my goals for this fall. Bumping so I can reply with a great butternut squash soup recipe when I have more time. Butternut squash is also great just roasted and then mashed.

akaDumbo

There are about a dozen squash recipes here: http://www.abelandcole.co.uk/recipes/squash and there are plenty of other veggie recipes on that site too

Voncreepy2

Here is a recipe my vegetarian friend gave me. She does this for dinner.

Zuccini casserole
3 sliced zuccinis
2 sliced tomatoes
1lb bag of mozzarella
salt pepper
oregano

In casserole dish , layer sliced zuccini and tomato. sprinkle with m ozzarella cheese until covered top by sprinkling with 2 tsp salt and pepper, oregano to desire, (Repeat. 2-3 layers is ideal)

Bake uncovered @350 for 30-45 minutes until top layer of cheese is golden brown.

I have not plugged this into the calorie counter and as with anything you can make your own adjustments. Hope you enjoy.

jam0525

We shred zucchini with a cheese shredder and add tomato sauce, bread crumbs, mozzarella cheese and if you want to either browned beef, sausage or chicken. Mix it all up and bake it for about 30 minutes at 350. It can either be a side dish or a main dish. Sometimes we add other veggies too like bell peppers, onions, or yellow squash. It had no name and is just something we'd do if we have too many zucchinis in the garden and they get too big before getting picked.

Jeannie

NutritionDivaRD

Sweet potatoes are FABULOUS as a side dish to just about anything, my friend. Just pop them in the oven (be sure to put foil under them as they make a mess) and bake them. Then you can sprinkle them with a tiny bit of sugar and cinnamon. You are getting fiber, vitamins A and C, plus it is the best source of beta carotene! Here is a favorite recipe of mine:

Sweet Potato Soup
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 large sweet potato, diced
1 stalk celery, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
2 carrots, thinly sliced
4 cups vegetable stock or water
1 1/2 tsp coriander
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp salt
3/4 cups evaporated skim milk
Chopped cilantro for garnish

1. In a soup pot, heat oil and saute potatoes, onions, celery, and carrots until softened, about 5 min
2. Add vegetable stock or water, coriander, and thyme and bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer, covered for about 1 hr
3. For a chunkier soup, puree only half the soup in a blender or food processor before simmering, for a creamy soup, puree all the soup
4. Return to the pot and add evaporated skim milk. Garnish with chopped cilantro.

I'm not sure of how many servings the recipe makes but I know a serving size is one cup (8 oz). I may have to make a pot soon and I'll figure out the serving sizes so I can enter the recipe here and get the calories. But I'm fairly certain its not bad! Enjoy!

~Angela

bowerstm3

bump!

LoriT129

Love sweet potatoes! These recipes are great. I am making my grocery list and we will be trying all of these! Any more??

Nikiki

one of my alltime faves:
(recipe for 2 but can easily be doubled, tripled ect...)

take one large-ish acorn squash and cut it in half (through the middle horizontally) scoop out seeds and all the stringy ooky stuff and place cut side down in a deep baking dish filled with about 1 inch of water. Bake at 375 for 40 minutes. while its baking brown 2 links of hot italian turkey sausage, crumbling it up as it cooks. Once squash is done (you should be able to pierce it easily with a fork) take them out (carefully cause they're hot!!) turn the cut side up and put 1 tsp brown sugar & a little cinnamon in the bottom, fill with sausage and put 1 tsp brown sugar & more cinnamon on top. put it back in the oven until the brown sugar melts a little and gets darker (about 7-8 minutes)

this is really filling and can be a full meal. If anything I only add some steamed veggies on the side or maybe a salad with a light vinaigrette style dressing, nothing too heavy because the squash will fill you up!

OHMYSWEETGOODNESS! That sounds soooo good! I think my teenagers would even eat this!

haha it is amazing!!!!!!!!!!! this was the dish that single-handedly that transformed my husband from white bread/meat/potatos and thats it to more adventurous, he found it online and it involved sausage (first time we made it was with pork italian sausage but it was too greesy) and its become a staple. I can't imagine anyone not liking it!

Nikiki

for the sweet potatoes: slice sweet potatoes into cubes, put them in a dish with a little water and microwave until they just start to soften (stirring them a few times to evenly cook) then put a drizzle of olive oil in a non-stick pan and dump the sweet potatos in with chopped onions salt and pepper and cook until they start to brown on medium-high heat. don't be afraid if they start to look a little burnt, they'll taste fine

this dish my dad & his gf make almost every saturday

Nikiki

oh and another! since you said you have teenagers you probably need to be sneeky with the healthy foods you give them right? if you take pureed butternut squash (either canned or slice the squash in half, longways, clean it, put cut side down in a baking dish with 1 inch of water and bake at 375 for 45 minutes or until easily pierced with a fork, allow to cool and scoop out the meat and puree it your food processor (or blender) and sub out the squash for half the cheese in any mac & cheese recipe (or any recipe that calls for cheese) to significantly cut down the fat & calories and adds more fiber so less will fill them more. the color is so similar to the cheese and the creamy texture blends right in, the flavour is very light so they wont even know its in there!

fresh squah & pumpkin puree keeps in the fridge for about a week and freezes VERY well, I use those little glad & ziplock storage containers that hold about a cup, fill them up (leaving a little room for expanding) and stick them in the freezer. if you plan to freeze them for a long time i'd suggest putting a layer of plastic wrap on top the squash, pressing it down into the puree before lidding it to keep it from getting freezer burn

jam0525

I'm going to try the sweet potato puree for mac and cheese. It sounds wonderful and sneaky! JAM

tessjordan88

One of my favorite for zucchini and squash is this:

Equal parts zucchini &, yellow squash (cut into 1" cubes), grape tomatoes, and bite-size broccoli florets (about a cup each)
Spread all veggies on a large cookie sheet. Drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil, salt & pepper. Bake at 400 degrees F for about 15-20 minutes, or until tender, and the tomatoes start to burst. Yum!!

tessjordan88

Oh, and my father-in-law likes to stir-fry pumkin with a little butter, brown sugar, & cinnamon. Mmmmmmm...

tessjordan88

Get the dried cranberries (Ocean Spray Craisins or generic) and add them to sweet potatoes as they are boiling.

Or baked sweet potatoes! Just add a tiny but of low-calorie margarine and a dash of cinnamon. Mmmmmm....

sandra80

not exactly fall veggies but i use a recipe that's on foodnetwork.com, look up ellie krieger 3 bean chili. it has lots of carrots and red pepper in it and i have added zucchini and squash and potatoes and cauliflower depending on what i have just to up the amount it makes and i divide and freeze it (won't go bad that way and it's a night of not having to come home and cook yay!) it's just a really chunky stew at that point and omg is it goooooood!

becomingsara

BUMP!!!!!

LoriT129

Ahhh! YAY! Look at all the yummy ideas! This is great! I'm gonna have fun with these.

LoriT129

I am thinking of using Spaghetti Squash for our spaghetti this week. How do you cook the "noodles"? Just boil in water like pasta spaghetti?

Nikiki

cook it like any other squash, either poke holes in it with a fork (all over like you would pierce a potato) and bake it at 375 for about 45-50 minutes (until you can easily pierce it with a fork) then let it cool, spoon out the seeds and use a fork to scrape out the "noodles" (the fork will help break them up) or cut it in half an scrape out the seeds and bake cut side down in 1inch water, again 375 but for 40-45 minutes. scrape out with a fork. Personally I like the second method because I dont usually have the time to let it cool before cutting it in half (you WILL burn yourself if you try cutting it hot, take it from me!!! lol)

a word of advice though: you will notice the difference between actual spaghetti and spaghetti squash and so will your kids, its a little crisper, doesnt have the same texture although its virtually flavourless. After eating it as spaghetti a few times and not being happy my husband and I have turned it into a greek pasta salad, cook the squash and remove the noodles, in a big pan sautee minced garlic & onion (to your own taste, we like a lot!) in a little olive oil until the onion starts to get translucent, add sliced tomatos and the noodles, heat through and toss with feta or gorgonzola cheese, basil, salt, pepper & balsamic or red wine vinegar to taste. its pretty tasty and good cold too for leftovers

flwyland

bump!