Help me with winter vegetables

[Anonymous]

DH is finally taking an interest in his health and has significantly upped his vegetable intake. We were doing the seasonal thing and going to the farmers market every weekend but now that our local one is shutdown for the winter the grocery store is kind of leaving me at a loss. Neither one of us really likes squash that much. We've experimented a bit with kale but the other greens leave me bewildered. I'd love help from more experienced seasonal eaters - what seasonal veggies do you recommend right now and what is your favorite method of preparation.

[Anonymous]

Get a bunch of root veggies (sweet potatoes, turnips, etc) and chop into 1/4 inch pieces with some onion. Toss in olive oil and salt and pepper and roast in a 425 degree oven. I usually add in potatoes too.

If you have Joy of Cooking, the recipes for root vegetable purée and roasted Brussel sprouts in garlic butter are great too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Get a bunch of root veggies (sweet potatoes, turnips, etc) and chop into 1/4 inch pieces with some onion. Toss in olive oil and salt and pepper and roast in a 425 degree oven. I usually add in potatoes too.

If you have Joy of Cooking, the recipes for root vegetable purée and roasted Brussel sprouts in garlic butter are great too.

Yep, it's all about the roasted root veggies for me too! Also veggie soups (i.e. parsnip, butternut squash).

[Anonymous]

I know you said you don't like squash but my favorite veggie right now is butternut squash - cube it up and toss with olive oil, herbs de provence, salt & pepper. Roast in a hot oven - like 450 degrees - until it's tender and golden brown. Shouldn't take more than 20 minutes, depending on the size of the cubes.

[Anonymous]

^^agree with above- yum! I like to add rosemary for extra zip. I serve with roasted chicken, and then turn the leftovers into roasted root veg soup/ chicken stock base.

I also serve Swiss chard and rainbow chard this time of year- remove the center stems/ribs, wash it really well, and sauté like fresh spinach in a little olive oil and garlic.

[Anonymous]

I substitute/supplement with frozen veggies. Not as good as fresh, but still gives us the benefits of veggies that are out of season. Aesthetically less pleasing, but still healthier than just doing winter veggies.

[Anonymous]

brussels sprout make for good roasting and pan frying with oil, salt and pepper. Can mix in chopped nuts such as pecan and almond. Cabbage-so many great ways to have this, sauteed in brown butter for a side, sauteed with eggs and tomatoes over or not as a main (Veggie here). Agree with the root vegetable puree idea. Also celeriac is a wonderful root vegetable with a mild taste and great for roasting, soup and in sautees/stir fries.

GL!

[Anonymous]

This may not be healthy enough (kind of glorified mac and cheese) but this is one of my favorite recipes involving butternut squash:

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/18/health/nutrition/18recipehealth.html?_r=0

I make it with goat cheese instead of ricotta salata.

Another favorite:

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchens/gnocchi-with-squash-and-kale-recipe/index.html

[Anonymous]

Chard is really good, too, in pasta dishes or in soups.

Sweet potatoes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Get a bunch of root veggies (sweet potatoes, turnips, etc) and chop into 1/4 inch pieces with some onion. Toss in olive oil and salt and pepper and roast in a 425 degree oven. I usually add in potatoes too.

Love this.
For Thanksgiving, I am making root veg puree as the main side dish. Parsnips, celery root, some potatoes... yum.

[Anonymous]

Soup! Sauté onions/leeks/garlic until soft. Add thyme. Add in any combo of the following (small diced) celeriac (aka celery root), potato, parsnip, cauliflower. Stir around. Add broth (veggie or chicken). Add a bay leaf. Bring to a boil and allow to simmer 30-40 mins. Remove bay leaf & purée smooth (I use an immersion blender). Adjust flavoring for salt.

So easy. The result is creamy, smooth & savory. You can add a dash of cream, or a few drops of truffle oil if you want to get fancy.

[Anonymous]

Parsnips have a great taste, and relatively easy to deal with, peal or not, roast them, butter, very nice, and we often mix in turnips, beets, rutabaga -- all of which are easy to find at most stores and reasonably cheap too. Rutabaga require some work, but these are all underappreciated. Can also mash them and most people would not be able to tell them from mashed potatoes (unless you include the beets). Swiss chard is very good but beware it goes bad very fast so if you use it, cook it the day you buy it or the day after. And there are tons of good recipes for brussel sprouts, and if you find baby brussels sprouts, they do not have as much flavor, which some people prefer. I don't like squash either and hate the work that is required for winter squash.

[Anonymous]

Baked acorn squash is a favorite around here. Here is a recipe very similar to what I do:
http://whatscookingamerica.net/Vegetables/BakedAcorn.htm

[Anonymous]

roast cauliflower and broccoli in the oven. A bit of olive oil and salt. Totally delicious. You can then make a soup from the leftover cauliflower, just blend with milk and adjust seasoning.