Have you noticed all the interesting and oddly shaped squash in your supermarket lately? Winter squash is planted in the spring and harvested in early autumn before the first frost sets in, so it’s plentiful now. Brimming with B vitamins, vitamin C, vitamin A and dietary fiber, this is one vegetable that deserves a place on your fall/winter plate. Winter squash can be steamed, baked or roasted and offers a delicious nutty flavor, great for both sweet and savory dishes. Two of my favorite winter squash recipes… 

Baked Acorn Squash with Broccoli Quiche

The shell of the acorn squash creates the perfect-sized bowl for this flavorful quiche! Another fun idea: Use an acorn squash bowl for a cup of chili or soup.

1 acorn squash

For the quiche:

1 cup broccoli, chopped

1/3 yellow onion, chopped

4 egg whites

½ cup skim milk

2 cloves garlic, minced

¼ teaspoon black pepper

¼ teaspoon dried oregano

1Tablespoon Asiago or Parmesan cheese, grated

For roasting the squash seeds: 

½ teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon salt-free herb/spice blend

Directions: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Cut the acorn squash in half and scoop out the seeds (save the seeds for roasting, see below). Place the squash halves with the cut side down in a baking pan. Add one-quarter inch of water to the pan and bake for 40 minutes. Mix all the quiche ingredients in a medium bowl. After the squash is done baking, keep the oven on 350°F, but remove the pan from the oven, drain the water and flip over the acorn squash halves, putting them back in the pan. Scoop out just enough flesh to fit half of the quiche mixture in each of the bowls. Place the bowls in the oven and bake for about 40 minutes more until the quiche mixture has set.

To roast the seeds: During the last 15 minutes of baking, rinse the squash seeds and dry in a kitchen towel or paper towel. In a bowl, mix the seeds with the olive oil and salt-free herb/spice blend. Then spread the seeds on a baking sheet, and roast until the acorn squash quiches are done.

When the quiches are done, sprinkle with the roasted seeds and serve. Enjoy the quiche and even the squash bowl if you like! Makes two servings.

Butternut Squash Fries

This healthy and flavorful version of regular fries is packed with vitamins and is virtually fat-free with a fraction of the calories of the real thing.

2 large butternut squash

Canola oil nonstick cooking spray

1 teaspoon salt

Directions: Preheat the oven to 425°F. Peel the squash with a vegetable peeler. Then cut off the ends of each squash and slice each in half. Remove the seeds and slice the squash into fries. Spray a large nonstick cookie sheet with canola oil. Arrange the fries on the sheet in a single layer, spray them with canola oil and sprinkle evenly with salt. Bake for 40 minutes, turning once. When done, the fries should be crispy and brown at the edges. Serve right out of the oven. Makes four servings.

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