10 ways to eat orange vegetables

Carrots, squash, pumpkins, sweet potatoes’they’re the hearty vegetables of fall, and they’re delicious to eat. Here are 10 ways to cook and enjoy these orange vegetables

10 ways to eat orange vegetables

Source: Best Health Magazine, November 2011

Fresh brunch option: Grate raw carrot into a frittata or quiche before cooking. Serve with some sweet-potato hash browns on the side.

Mexican night: Add small cubes of cooked kabocha or butternut squash to meat or bean taco filling.

Need a colourful side? Roast chopped sweet potato and carrots in oven until tender. Purée or mash together and serve with chicken, white fish, pork chops or tofu.

Super orange soup: In a large pot, sauté an onion, garlic clove and curry powder in olive oil. Peel, chop and add a large sweet potato, two large carrots, half a butternut squash and two pears. Add enough broth or water to cover, and simmer until tender, about 20 to 30 minutes. Cool slightly, then purée. Reheat and serve garnished with slivers of ripe pear.

Add cubed acorn squash, pumpkin or sweet potato to stews, casseroles or curries’especially good in those made with a little coconut milk.

New twist on shepherd’s pie: Make it with ground turkey and top with mashed sweet potatoes or canned pumpkin (don’t use canned pie filling by mistake). Sprinkle with chopped pecans, then bake until heated through.

Winter salad: Place warm roasted acorn squash slices on a bed of half baby spinach and half arugula. Crumble blue cheese overtop, and drizzle with a white wine vinegar and olive oil dressing.

Sweet side: Place peeled sliced sweet potatoes in a single layer on a baking sheet. Brush with olive oil and bake, turning once, until tender and browned. Serve with roast chicken, or grilled steak or salmon.

Veggies for breakfast: Mix fresh carrot juice in equal amounts with orange juice for a sunny start to the day.

Great for guests: Halve an acorn squash or cooking pumpkin. Scrape out seeds and bake, cut side down, until soft. Stuff each half with cooked quinoa or brown rice mixed with diced apple, grated cheddar and walnuts. Bake until heated through.

This article was originally titled "Orange power" in the November 2011 issue of Best Health. Subscribe today to get the full Best Health experience’and never miss an issue!