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Fall Comfort Foods with a Healthy Twist

Shelby Miller, RD from Mercy Health stops by tpo show us how to make fall comfort foods that have a healthy twist.

Fall is in full swing and new vegetables are in season. You can find many root vegetables, squash and apples at the farmers markets and grocery stores. Adding vegetables to meals add many vitamins and minerals.

What's in season? Look for the following produce in September, October and November:

acorn squash, apples, broccoli, brussel sprouts, butternut squash, cauliflower, cranberries, garlic, ginger, grapes, mushrooms, pumpkin, sunflower kernels, sweet potatoes, turnips

Recipes:

Pumpkin Hummus

Ingredients

makes 6 servings

• 1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

• 1 cup pumpkin puree

• 2 tablespoons olive oil

• 2 cloves garlic, minced

• salt, to taste

• ½ teaspoon paprika

• ½ teaspoon fresh rosemary

• ¼ cup lemon juice

Directions

1. Combine chickpeas, pumpkin, olive oil, garlic, salt, paprika, rosemary and lemon juice in a food processor or blender and blend until smooth. Add more olive oil or water as necessary to reach desired consistency.

2. Serve with pita chips or fresh veggies.

*Recipe adapted from Buzzfeed Tasty

Sweet Potato Pizza Bites

Ingredients

makes 4 servings

• 3 sweet potatoes

• olive oil, to taste

• salt, to taste

• pepper, to taste

• ½ cup marinara sauce

• ½ cup pesto

• ½ cup shredded mozzarella cheese

• fresh basil, for garnish

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

2. Carefully slice the sweet potatoes into ½-inch rounds.

3. Transfer the sweet potato rounds to a large bowl. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Stir until well coated.

4. Transfer the rounds to the baking sheets, spacing evenly.

5. Bake for 30 minutes, flipping halfway through, until golden brown.

6. Top the sweet potato rounds with marinara sauce and mozzarella, or pesto and mozzarella.

7. Bake for another 5 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and sauce is warmed.

8. Garnish with fresh basil and serve.

*Recipe adapted from Buzzfeed Tasty

Roasted Fall Vegetable and Ricotta Pizza

Ingredients

• Olive oil, for drizzling

• 1 lb pizza dough

• 6 cups roasted vegetables, drained and coarsely cut

• 1 tbsp fresh rosemary leaves

• Flour for dusting surface

• 8 oz part-skim mozzarella cheese, grated

• 1 cup part-skim ricotta cheese

• Coarse salt and ground pepper

• For the vegetables:

• 1 lb butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into 1 ½ inch cubes

• 1 lb red new potatoes, washed and quartered

• ½ lb carrots, halved lengthwise and cut into 1 1/2 –inch lengths

• ½ lb medium red onion, peeled and quartered

• 4 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed

• 1 tbsp olive oil

• Coarse salt and ground pepper

Directions

1. For vegetables, toss with olive oil and garlic and spread evenly on a parchment paper lines baking sheet. Roast in oven at 450 degrees for 40-50 minutes, rotating halfway through.

2. For pizza: Preheat oven to 475 degrees. Brush large baking sheet with olive oil or line with parchment paper

3. On a lightly floured surface, roll and stretch dough into a 12-by-16 inch oval

4. Sprinkle dough with half of the mozzarella. Scatter vegetables on top, and dollop with ricotta; sprinkle with remaining mozzarella and rosemary. Drizzle with olive oil, season with salt and pepper. Bake until bubbling and golden, about 20-25 minutes. Serve and enjoy.

*recipe adapted from Martha Stewart

Sausage and Apple Stuffed Acorn Squash

Ingredients

makes 4 servings

• 2 small acorn squashes, or 1 large

• 1 onion, chopped

• 2 stalks celery, chopped

• 1 tablespoon olive oil

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 1 teaspoon pepper

• 1 teaspoon fresh rosemary

• 3 cloves garlic, chopped

• ½ lb sausage (225 g)

• 1 apple, chopped

• 1 cup panko breadcrumbs (50 g)

• ½ cup parmesan cheese (55 g)

Directions

1. Using a sharp knife cut off the very top and bottom of each squash to create a flat base on each side (being careful not to cut through the center cavity).

2. Slice the squash in half, scrape out seeds to create individual bowls for the stuffing.

3. Drizzle each squash half with olive oil, salt, and pepper.

4. Roast in a preheated oven at 400˚F (200˚C) for 40-50 minutes - or until fork tender.

5. While squash is roasting - in a large fry pan over medium heat - heat oil and add Onion, Celery, Salt, Pepper, and Rosemary. Cook until onions begin to soften.

6. Add Garlic and Sausage, until sausage is browned on all sides.

7. Add Apple until slightly softened. Finally mix in Bread Crumbs and Parmesan cheese just until incorporated. Remove from heat.

8. Once Squash has finished roasting (when you can easily poke it with a fork) remove from oven and fill each with prepared stuffing mixture.

9. Return to Oven for 20 minutes - adding a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese to the top for the final 5 minutes.

*Recipe adapted from Buzzfeed Tasty

Butternut Squash Soup

Ingredients

makes 8 servings

• 2 teaspoons butter

• 3 cloves garlic, minced

• ½ cup onion, chopped (75 g)

• 1 potato, peeled and cubed

• 1 stalk celery, chopped

• 1 carrot, sliced

• salt, to taste

• pepper, to taste

• 2 lb butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cubed (905 g)

• 6 cups vegetable broth (1.5 L)

• 2 cups water (480 mL)

• 1 bay leaf

• 2 sprigs fresh thyme

Directions

1. Melt the butter in a large pot over medium heat, then add the garlic and onion and sauté for 1-2 minutes, until the onion is translucent.

2. Add the potato, celery, carrot, salt, and pepper. Sauté for 3 minutes.

3. Add the butternut squash, broth, water, bay leaf, and thyme and stir. Bring to a boil.

4. Cover and reduce the heat to low. Simmer for 25-30 minutes.

5. Remove the thyme stems and bay leaf.

6. Use an immersion or countertop blender to blend the soup until smooth.

7. Let cool for 2 minutes, then serve.

*Recipe adapted from Buzzfeed Tasty

Baked Apples with Crisp Topping

Ingredients

• 2 apples

• 1 tsp lemon juice

• ¼ cup strawberry preserves

• 2 tbsp all-purpose flour

• 3 tbsp butter, cold and diced

• 3 tbsp brown sugar

• ½ cup oats, uncooked

• ¼ tsp ground cinnamon

• Pinch of salt

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Cut each apple in half along its equator. Using a melon baller, cut out each side of the core, creating a rounded hole. Rub exposed apple flesh with lemon juice. Place 1 tablespoon of jam into each hole.

3. For the topping: in a small bowl mix together flour, butter, brown sugar, oats, cinnamon and salt. Press this mixture on the top of each apple, covering jam. Place in a baking dish filled with about a 1/4-inch of water.

4. Bake until top is golden brown and apple is tender, about 35 to 40 minutes.

*Recipe adapted from The Food Network

Resources:

https://www.fruitsandveggiesmorematters.org/whats-in-season-fall

https://tasty.co/recipe/savory-pumpkin-hummus

https://tasty.co/recipe/sweet-potato-pizza-bites

https://www.marthastewart.com/313662/roasted-fall-vegetable-and-ricotta-pizza

https://tasty.co/recipe/sausage-and-apple-stuffed-acorn-squash

https://tasty.co/recipe/butternut-squash-soup

https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/sunny-anderson/baked-apple-with-crisp-topping-recipe-1951537

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