Healthy and Comforting Recipes for Autumn

The damp, cold weather has many of us longing for warm and hearty meals. When carefully planned, these meals can provide healthful nutrients as well as comfort. Here are a couple of nutrition filled recipes for you to enjoy!

Stuffed Acorn Squash:

Ingredients:

• 2 acorn squashes
• 1/2 white or yellow onion, diced
• 1 small granny smith apple, diced
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced
• 4 crimini mushrooms, chopped
• 4 leaves of swiss chard or kale, stems removed, chopped
• 4 strips turkey or vegetarian bacon, torn into bite-sized pieces
• 2 tsp salit, or to taste
• 2 tsp maple syrup, divided
• 2 tsp olive oil
• soft goat cheese, optional

Cut the acorn squashes in half through the stem toward the bottom of the fruits. Remove the seeds and string from the center of each half and set aside. Place each half of squash into a baking dish skin-side down and rub the inside of each with olive oil.  In a mixing bowl, combine the onion, apple, garlic, mushrooms, salt, chard, and bacon.  Heap the mixture into each portion of the squash and loosely cover the baking dish with parchment paper and then foil.  Bake at 400 degrees for 55 minutes or until the squash halves are soft. After removing the dish from the oven, drizzle each portion with 1/2 teaspoon of maple syrup and garnish with goat cheese.  Salt to taste. Serve the squash halves in their skin on individual platters.

Squash is high in vitamin A, complex carbohydrates, and an array of minerals. Squash influences the spleen, liver, stomach, and large intestines.

Roasted Winter Squash Seeds:

Ingredients:

• Squash seeds (this recipe is for 1 cup of squash; adjust as needed)
• 1-2 tsp olive oil
• pinch of salt

Optional:

• pinch of kelp flakes
• pinch of garlic powder
• pinch of cayenne pepper

Separate seeds from squash fiber. Toss seeds with olive oil and a pinch of salt. Add a shake of kelp flake, garlic powder, and cayenne, as desired. Spread seeds flat on a cookie sheet or tray and bake at 250 degrees for 45 minutes. 

Don't throw away seeds from any winter squash you cook with.  The seeds are nutrient packed and can be delicious snacks, used in salads, or used as garnish!

These recipes were submitted to the Tai Sophia Institute by Victoria Yunez Behm. 

Karen Giles 

Five Element Acupuncture

www.kgilesacupuncture.com