Published on October 21st, 2013 | by Guest Contributor
05 Quick Tips for Winter Squashes
Winter squashes are one of the most lovely foods of the season, but many cooks are intimidated by these hardy vegetables. But fear not, winter squashes (or pumpkins, depending on your regional nicknames) are easy to cook up in a variety of ways. These acorns, butternuts, kabochas, kuri and others are great for roasting, boiling, mashing and more. Here are our favorite quick tips for winter squashes.
sweet potato (how about pumpkin?) brownies
apple squash soup
1. Roast them! Though it is the most simple preparation for squash, it is often the easiest and most delicious. I’ve never found a squash that didn’t roast well. Rubbed with a little bit of olive oil, coconut oil or butter it roasts up sweet and soft. You can also go crazy with seasonings: dust with a sprinkling of curry powder, cinnamon, sugar, coriander or cumin for a more flavorful finish. Works best for kabocha, kuri, delicata and acorn, since you can leave on the skins, which are edible! No food waste!
2. Mash them! Mashed potatoes are good, but why not swap out some squashes for an orange exchange! Works best with butternut and kabocha, because these have the creamiest flesh. Peel the squashes first to make the creamiest mash. Try these mashed squashes on pizza, in dips, or in this Butternut Squash Galette,
3. Stuff them! Acorn and delicata are super cute little squashes, so why not make them the center of your meal? Try these cute Curry Stuffed Squashes or Stuffed Delicata with Chickpea Gravy
4. Blend them! Soup is the ultimate autumn and winter food; few are more nourishing and warming than a thick squash soup. Just like mashed, soup is best with skinned butternut and kabocha because they have the creamiest insides. Here is my favorite recipe for Red Pepper and Pumpkin Soup, but you can also cook them with lentils, with apples or with curry and coconut.
5. Sweeten them! Have your squashes for dinner and for dessert: try this Kabocha Pumpkin Caramel Cheezecake or these Sweet Potato Brownies with mashed squash instead. Other ideas for squashes: Pumpkin Spice Rice Pudding, Also, why not make your pumpkin pie with a kabocha or butternut this year?
a butternut squash & caramelized onion galette
Raw-Inspired Pumpkin Cheesecake!
*Don’t forget to use your pumpkin seeds! Here is a simple recipe for homemade pumpkin seeds!
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