Fall Roasted Vegetables

With the abundance of fall vegetables I decided to try something different this time. I never really knew what to do with acorn squash, other than cut it half, seed it and microwave it for 10 minutes (as you noticed in my Fall Squash Vegetable Soup post). I never came across a sweet potato squash, other than sweet potatoes. Or parsnips. I never liked parsnips when I was young. As with butternut squash or spaghetti squash, I never knew it existed. Not till I began experimenting, for quite some time now, with all the fall vegetables that are abundant this time of the year in the Northern part of the US. I usually roast sweet potatoes in the oven, so I thought that this time I will roast the fall vegetables. And for a change, I will throw in the mix the parsnips too. I had my real testers taste this recipe and came through with flying colors. My family is very picky when it comes to food. They will be more than happy to tell me if they don’t like something. And this is really what I’m looking for. I don’t want any compliments just truthful statements if they would make it themselves and if they will eat it if I make it again. And I have made this dish more than twice so far. So rest assured, it is tasty. Enjoy!

Makes 8 servings of approximately 7 oz each

4 cups butternut squash
4 cups sweet potato squash
3 cups parsnips
¼ cup olive oil
2 tbsp chopped parsley
1 tsp chopped garlic
1 tsp coarse salt
1 tsp freshly ground pepper
1 tsp paprika
½ tsp chili powder

Preheat oven to 425° F. Peel, seed and wash the squashes. Set aside. Peel and wash the parsnips. Chop the squashes and the parsnips into 1-2” pieces and place them in a bowl. Pour over the olive oil and toss to coat well. Add the parsley, chopped garlic, coarse salt, ground pepper, paprika and chili powder. Toss till all the vegetables are well coated with the seasoning. Spread them out in a cookie sheet and place them in the oven on the 2nd rack from the top, and roast for 30 minutes or until the vegetables are tender.  

Nutrition Facts
Serving Size
1 serving (186.0 g)
Amount Per Serving 
Calories 146
Calories from Fat 59
Total Fat 6.6g
Saturated Fat 0.9g
Cholesterol 0mg
Sodium 249mg
Total Carbohydrates 22.5g
Dietary Fiber 4.8g
Sugars 6.0g
Protein 2.1g

 

The vegetables right out of the oven

 

 

Serve with roasted pork tenderloin or a turkey dinner just in time for Thanksgiving.  Enjoy!!!

 

If you try the recipe and like it, please comment below. If you like the blog please feel free to follow it.  Thank you.
 

Fall Squash Vegetable Soup

I made this soup for dinner tonight, and it turned out so well, that I had to post it. It was a cold and rainy day so it was most appropriate for a nice hot bowl of soup. The chili powder and the freshly ground pepper gave the soup an extra kick which also contradicted with the sweetness of the squashes. It was a nice combination of spices and sweet and savory. Serve with a grilled cheese sandwich and you have yourself a meal. Enjoy!

Makes 12 cups

4 cups cooked butternut squash
3 cups cooked acorn squash
1.5 cups cooked sweet potato squash
1 cup cooked buttercup squash
¼ cup olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
1 tsp chopped garlic
2 cups skim milk
6 cups chicken stock
2 tsp paprika
1.5 tsp chilli powder
1.5 tsp freshly ground pepper
1.5 tsp salt
1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley
1 cup water (optional)

Preparation:
If you are making this soup from scratch here are the directions:

Butternut squash: wash, peel, seed it and cut into cubes. Microwave for 10 minutes till soft.
Acorn squash: wash, cut it half, seed it and place it in a microwavable dish and microwave for 10 minutes till soft. When cooked, scoop out the filling and discard the skin. 
Sweet potato squash: wash, peel, seed it and cut into cubes. Microwave for 10 minutes till soft
Buttercup squash: wash, cut in half, seed it and place it in a microwavable dish and microwave for 15 minutes till soft. When cooked scoop out the filling and discard the skin. 

Peel, wash and chop the onion. Set aside. Peel and chop the garlic. Set aside. In a Dutch oven, over high heat, pour the ¼ cup olive oil. Add the chopped onion, garlic and sweat it till the onion is transparent, but not burned.   Add the cooked squashes and the milk. Lower the heat. With a hand held food blender, smash the squashes into a creamy texture. Add the chicken stock, paprika, chili powder, salt and pepper. Turn the heat up to medium high and heat through. If it becomes too thick add a cup of water. Heat through. Remove from heat. Add the chopped parsley, stir, and serve.  

Notes:
1) You can substitute any of the squashes with sweet potato, carrots, parsnips, or pumpkin.
2) If you don’t want to make the soup from scratch, you can buy canned/cooked squash.
3) It freezes wonderfully for any leftovers you might have. 
4) You can also cut the recipe in half. The above ingredients make 12 cups. 



Nutrition Facts  Serving Size 1 serving (254.3 g)
Amount Per Serving
Calories 105
Calories from Fat 37
Total Fat 4.1g
Saturated Fat 0.6g
Cholesterol 1mg
Sodium 604mg
Total Carbohydrates 16.4g
Dietary Fiber 2.5g
Sugars 5.1g
Protein 2.9g

Greek Style Chili with ground turkey and vegetables

On a cold, snowy day, I decided to make something that will keep us all warm.  This chili is a combination of a Greek bean soup (that is very popular in Greece, that recipe at another post) and the Mexican chili.  Greeks make their own version (shall I call it chili?) of a bean soup but they use pork pieces or just plain beans.  Since we all love chili in our family, this dish combines Greek spices, like ground cumin and ground coriander, which are also popular in Mexican cooking, along with vegetables and a better-for-your-heart version, by using ground turkey instead of ground beef.  Top it with Greek yogurt instead of sour cream and you have another variation of chili.  More like Greek style chili. 

Enjoy!!!!

Greek Style Chili with ground turkey and vegetables 

Ten (10) servings of 15oz each. 

1/3 cup olive oil (enough to coat the bottom of a Dutch oven pot)

¾ cup diced onion

1.5 lbs. ground turkey

1 ¾ cups diced celery

1 ½ cups diced carrots

1 tsp chopped garlic

1 14oz can diced tomatoes

1 14oz can tomato sauce

1 14oz water

2 tsps paprika

3 tsps chili powder

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp salt

1 tsp ground pepper

½ tsp coriander

1 15.5oz can of kidney beans

1 15.5oz can of red beans

1 15.5 oz can of cannellini or great northern beans

 Vegetable preparation

Prepare the vegetables by washing, cleaning and dicing the onions, carrots, celery and garlic.   Pour the olive oil in a Dutch oven.  Turn the stove on.  Saute the onions and garlic till translucent (don’t let the garlic burn).  Add the ground turkey and let it brown stirring constantly (see the picture below).  

Then add the carrots, celery, the diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, paprika, chili powder, cumin, salt, pepper, coriander, and water.  Let it come to a boil stirring occasionally so that it won’t burn.  Lower the heat and simmer for ½ hour to 45 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until the veggies are soft. 

Open up the cans of beans and rinse under cold water to remove any sodium.  Add to the ground turkey/veggie pot and stir.  Heat it through, stirring constantly so that it won’t burn.  Once it comes to a full boil, turn the stove off and remove from heat. 

Serve with Greek yogurt instead of sour cream, mozzarella cheese (mozzarella cheese is healthier than cheddar cheese), and some nice crusty fresh italian bread.

The nutrition facts below do not include the calories for yogurt or mozzarella. 

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size                                         15.62oz (442.8g)

Amount Per Serving

                        Calories                                    536

Calories from Fat                                  232

% Daily Value^*

Total Fat                                               25.8g                           40%

Saturated Fat                                       5.8g                             29%

Trans Fat                                              0.0g

Cholesterol                                           139mg                         46%

Sodium                                                 936mg                         39%

Total Carbohydrates                             28.4g                           9%

Dietary Fiber                                         9.7g                             39%

Sugars                                                 6.3g

Protein                                                 46.4g