Recipe: Roasted Cinnamon Butternut Squash and Pear

Sweeten your roasted vegetables with not only a juicy fruit, but cinnamon too!

INGREDIENTS:

Yield: 8 servings (4 oz per serving = ½ cup)

2 cups of butternut squash, chopped

2 pears, chopped

½ yellow onion, chopped

1 Tablespoon of olive oil

2 tsp of cinnamon

DIRECTIONS:

Pre-heat oven to 350 º F. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil or spray a baking sheet with olive oil cooking spray. In a large bowl, add all the ingredients and mix well to coat the butternut squash, onion, and pear with the olive oil and cinnamon. Spread out mixture onto the baking sheet. Roast mixture for 45 minutes (stir every 15 minutes).

Nutrition Information Per Serving:

Food weight: 0.5, Calories: 65 kcal, Fat: 2 g, Cholesterol: 0 mg, Carbohydrates: 13g, Dietary Fiber: 3g, Protein: 1g, Sodium:  3mg

Power up with PUMPKIN!

‘Tis the season of eating everything Pumpkin!

Pumpkin is naturally orange in color, which contains large amounts of vitamin A to sustain sharp eyesight, the antioxidant beta-carotene to fight cancer, and vitamin C to maintain a healthy immune system, just like the orange sweet potatoes and carrots.

When you think pumpkin, it may conjure up thoughts of warm and delicious pumpkin lattes, pumpkin bread, pumpkin cookies, and many other sweet pumpkin goodies. Expand your nutrition repertoire by incorporating the versatile pumpkin superfood into savory dishes such as soups and sauces.

Recipe: Creamy Pumpkin Pasta Sauce

Creamy pasta sauces don’t have to be loaded with high fat cream and butter like most alfredo and ala vodka sauces. Try pumpkin, butternut squash, or cauliflower puree with white beans to create a rich and creamy low calorie pasta sauce!

INGREDIENTS:

Yield: 8 servings (1/2 cup, (4 oz) per serving)

Ingredients:

Pumpkin Sauce

·         2 shallots, minced

·         3 cloves of garlic, minced

·         1 tsp of olive oil

·         1-15 oz can pumpkin puree

·         ½ -15 oz can of cannellini beans

·         1 Tablespoon of oregano (or mixture of Italian spices)

·         1 tsp of cracked black pepper

·         1-15 oz can of low sodium vegetable broth. 

DIRECTIONS:

In a small saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium-low heat and cook the shallots until soft and translucent for about 10 minutes. In a blender, add the cooked shallots and the rest of the ingredients in the recipe. Blend sauce until is a smooth puree.

Your pasta sauce is ready to mix amongst a cup of pasta, your favorite cooked vegetables, and lean protein to create a filling and balanced portioned meal!

Nutrition Information Per Serving (pasta sauce only): Food weight: 0.5, Calories: 63 kcal, Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 0 mg, Carbohydrate: 12g, Dietary Fiber: 3g, Protein: 3 g, Sodium: 158 mg

Winter squash --a nutrition bonanza

Fall is officially here!

If you haven’t noticed yet, the grocery stores are stocked with those oddly shaped squash, which happen to be members of the winter squash family.

Just like summer squash, there are many varieties of winter squash. The most popular winter squash are butternut squash, acorn squash, and spaghetti squash. Winter squash is eaten cooked (steamed, baked, or roasted), not raw, and can be prepared as either a sweet or savory dish. Include these super nutritious vegetables in your meals over the fall and winter months to not only warm your belly, but decrease inflammation as well. Brimming with a nice amount of B vitamins, vitamin C, vitamin A, and dietary fiber, this is one food that deserves a place on your fall/winter plate.

Recipe: Baked Acorn Squash Broccoli Quiche

Acorn squash creates the perfect size bowl for a cup of soup, chili, oatmeal, and quiche! 

INGREDIENTS:

Yield:  2

 ·         1 acorn squash

 ·         Broccoli Quiche:

o   1 cup of broccoli, chopped

o   1/3 yellow onion, chopped

o   4 egg whites

o   1/2 cup of skim milk

o   2 cloves of garlic, minced

o   1/4 tsp of black pepper

o   1/4 tsp of oregano

o   1 Tablespoon of asiago/parmesan cheese, grated

DIRECTIONS:

Bake Acorn Squash:

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F. Cut the acorn squash in half and scoop out the seeds, but save the seeds to make toasted seeds. In a baking pan, place the acorn squash halves with the flesh facing down and add 1/4 inch of water the pan. Bake for 40 minutes.

Prep the Broccoli Quiche:

While the acorn squash is baking, mix all the broccoli quiche ingredients in a medium bowl. After the acorn squash is done baking, keep the oven on 350 degrees, but remove the pan from the oven, drain the pan’s excess water, and flip over the acorn squash halves. Scoop out just enough flesh to fit half of the quiche mixture prepared  (about 1 cup) in both of the acorn squash bowls.

Bake Broccoli Quiche in Acorn Squash:

Place the quiches in the oven and bake for 40 minutes until there is no more liquid in the quiches. During the last 15 minutes of baking, rinse the seeds, dry in a kitchen towel or paper towel, mix the seeds with ½ tsp of olive oil and 1 tsp of a salt free seasonings (herbs/spices), spread the seeds out onto a baking sheet or sheet of aluminum foil, and toast the seeds until the acorn squash quiches are done.

Take out the quiches from the oven and sprinkle them with few toasted seeds! Serve immediately. Grab a spoon and scoop into your acorn squash broccoli quiche!

Nutrition Information Per Serving:

Food weight: 2.0, Calories: 180 kcal, Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 3 mg, Carbohydrates: 33g, Dietary Fiber: 5g, Protein: 14g, Sodium: 196 mg