Delicata Squash with Kale and Potatoes

Happy New Year! This is my first post of 2012! As much as I love the holidays, I am excited to take a break from excessive celebrating and get back to some healthy eating! I have dubbed this week the week of kale. Since kale is one of my favorite veggies and an incredibly versatile ingredient, I wanted to show you some unique ways to prepare and enjoy it. Personally, I usually like it raw, but it's a bit of an acquired taste. So I decided to kick off a healthy 2012 with some new and interesting kale recipes.

This dish is a hodgepodge of incredibly vitamin rich ingredients. You start with roasting some creamy delicata squash and fingerling potatoes and then toss that with crunchy kale and radicchio. The heat of the roasted squash will wilt the greens, making a warm, flavorful salad that I top with a light lemon vinaigrette. Radicchio has a slight bitterness, which is offset nicely by the sweet and creamy squash. This dish is light and flavorful while also being absolutely packed with fiber and vitamins. Most importantly, it's simple and easy to prepare.

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South American Squash and Quinoa Soup

As you know, I love squash. Although I hate cold weather, I welcome the many tasty varieties of squash that appear and enjoy developing new recipes that feature this incredibly healthy veggie. Recently, we found this gorgeous Abobora squash at the store. Turns out, Abobora is the most popular variety of squash in Brazil. It was grown here in Massachusetts through a fabulous collaboration between Brazilian and Massachusetts farmers which seeks to research growing and farming conditions, as well as make Brazilian produce locally available here. I was psyched to try out this exotic squash and decided to create a South American inspired soup around it.

This soup is simple, healthy and incredibly flavorful. It features roasted squash with healthy and filling quinoa and some tasty spices. Simple and healthy with a bit of exotic flair. Abobora squash is a Japanese hybrid that has deep orange flesh and a slightly sweet and creamy taste. If you can't find this squash in your hometown, you can substitute Kabocha or Butternut squash.

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Squash and Quinoa Chili - Cooking for the Week

After all the overindulgent holiday eating, it can be nice to enjoy something warm and filling, yet light. Looking at all the gorgeous fall squash still at the store, I wanted to create a healthy vegetarian chili highlighting this yummy veggie. I used quinoa, since it is packed with protein and fiber and has a lovely chewy texture that compliments the chili well. Add some beans, veggie broth and spices and you have a simple dinner that takes approximately 35 minutes to put together.

This is the first recipe in a series I'm calling "Cooking for the Week." It's a simple recipe that you can put together Sunday night and get a whole bunch of meals out of all week. I plan on taking this for lunch every day this week. The leftovers are delicious (the flavors intensify in the fridge) and are so easy to heat up and enjoy. It can be so challenging to prepare a meal every night after coming home from work, this is a simple solution that ensures you have something healthy and filling to reach for.

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Thanksgiving Menu: Roasted Squash Salad

With Thanksgiving coming up this week, I wanted to share a healthy and simple salad recipe that will compliment any menu. This salad combines lots of fabulous fall produce for a colorful and impressive starter. It features my favorite, delicata squash. This creamy, slightly sweet variety tastes fabulous roasted with some olive oil. Here, it is the centerpiece of an arugula salad topped with some fresh pomegranate seeds and walnuts. It is a colorful, flavorful and most importantly healthy way to start your holiday feast.

This recipe is featured in my new holiday cookbook, Gen Y Foodie Holidays, which is currently available on Amazon. 


You can get some more details about the book here.

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Delicata Squash Rings

I LOVE delicata squash. It is everywhere this time of year and there are many delicious ways to enjoy it. It is also called the sweet potato squash, because of its creamy, sweet texture. I like it best totally plain, just sliced into rings and roasted with some salt and pepper. It has edible, thin skin which crisps beautifully in the oven. Just slice, toss with some olive oil and serve. It is a great seasonal side dish and so incredibly simple and quick to whip up.

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Roasted Garlic and Butternut Squash Soup

Butternut squash soup is a versatile fall staple. Simple to make, low in calories and incredibly comforting, it's a great dish to make ahead and enjoy throughout the week. Butternut squash is a fall staple - you can find it everywhere. There are tons of different ways to make this soup. I prefer roasting the squash as it gives it a really rich, creamy flavor. With the squash I roasted some garlic and leeks, which add a ton of savory flavor without adding calories. Some low sodium veggie broth and herbs complete the simple, tasty dish. The recipe will yield about 4-6 servings, so you can freeze the leftovers or just bring some for lunch.

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Sausage Stuffed Squash

With fall arrives my absolute favorite veggie: squash! I love all varieties and will be cooking probably every single one in the coming weeks. This dish combines the sweetness of roasted sweet dumpling squash with spicy sausage, breadcrumbs, and parmesan. I always scoop out the flesh of the squash and mix it with the stuffing mixture, it adds flavor and really helps to intensify and highlight the fresh squash.

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