Falling for Fall Vegetables
Falling for Fall Vegetables
Now that fall is right around the corner, we are looking forward to getting our hands on fresh fall vegetables (root vegetables and squash). They make cold days feel warmer and are packed full of the nutrients your body craves. What is in season this fall? We’re glad you asked!
Pumpkin – Pumpkins = Fall. Pumpkin spice everything is everywhere, and people have very strong opinions on whether or not they like the pumpkin spice flavor. However, you can also use pumpkin to flavor other things, or to make something that people also have strong opinions about: pumpkin pie. Here's a great recipe from PaleOMG that uses pumpkin, curry, and ground chicken to combine some fun flavor profiles for fall:
http://paleomg.com/chicken-pumpkin-curry-sliders-paleo-recipe/
Butternut Squash – You can either buy butternut squash whole (in which case this is super helpful: http://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-peel-and-cut-butternut-squash-cooking-lessons-from-the-kitchn-65196) or cubed, which is much easier and saves prep time. You can use butternut squash to make soup, to replace cream in certain recipes, or just roast it in some ghee to make an incredibly tasty side dish or snack.
Acorn Squash – These aren’t just to be used for decorations – they make a great addition to many fall recipes and are packed with Vitamin C. This recipe: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/acorn-squash-with-kale-and-sausage-51203850 is totally going in our meal plans for this month.
Sweet Potatoes – We can’t say much about sweet potatoes that you don’t already know, but bake them, fry them, spiralize them, sauté them, they are the perfect food year round.
Potatoes – This one may seem like common sense (as do sweet potatoes), but we love potatoes (especially Yukon golds!) for a quick and easy side dish for any meal. Slice them up into fries, toss them in some olive oil, season how you like and bake at 450 until they are done – that is our favorite way to make them.
Beets – We are literally eating beet noodles as we type this. They are such a versatile little veggie and they are full of natural energy. If you don’t like the taste of beets but like the health benefits, throw them in a smoothie with some other fruits/veggies. You’ll notice a difference in your energy levels and be glad that it’s beet season!
Turnips – This vegetable isn’t one you hear talked about very regularly, but they’re incredibly good this time of year. Here is a simple way to enjoy them (and use ghee to make them paleo/whole 30 friendly!): http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/nancy-fuller/roasted-turnips-2775836
Brussel Sprouts – Gone are the days that brussel sprouts were more of a threat than a side dish. Grab some fresh ones from your local farmers market, and try making them like this: https://therealfoodrds.com/roasted-brussels-sprouts-with-bacon/. You’ll thank us later!
Parsnip – This is another one that, like turnips, is totally underrated. Here is a super simple recipe that will make you love parsnips (like we do!) http://meljoulwan.com/2015/06/01/herb-parsnip-fries/
Fall is a great time of year to try new things – pick a fall vegetable you’ve never tried from this list and give it a go. You won’t regret it!