Roasted acorn squash is a comforting yet healthy dish that can be prepared during the fall and winter months. Rather than loading up carbs found in bread or pasta, you can enjoy hearty winter squash as a low-carb, vitamin-packed nutritious option. Plus, you can roast the seeds just like pumpkin seeds for a healthful snack. Roasting acorn squash is easy and there are plenty of ways you can serve it to keep the flavors fun and interesting. Stay tuned at the end of the article for serving suggestions.

How to bake acorn squash Image Credit: Julia Mueller

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acorn squash Image Credit: Julia Mueller

Things You\’ll Need

• 1 acorn squash

• 2 tablespoons olive oil

• Sea salt

• Seasoning such as ground cinnamon, cumin, or chili powder

• Pure maple syrup, honey, or brown sugar for serving

Step 1: Trim the Acorn Squash

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Place acorn squash on a sturdy surface and turn it sideways. Use a sharp knife to cut the tip off.

Cut off the tip Image Credit: Julia Mueller

Similarly, cut off the bottom of the acorn squash, then stand it upright.

Remove the tail of the acorn squash Image Credit: Julia Mueller

Step 2: Cut Acorn Squash in Half

Cut the acorn squash in half vertically, using gravity as your friend to help cut through the tough flesh.

Cut squash in half Image Credit: Julia Mueller

Once open, you'll notice the squash has a webbing of seeds, just like a pumpkin!

Check out the seeds! Image Credit: Julia Mueller

Step 3: Scoop Out the Innards

Using a sturdy metal spoon, scrap the innards and seeds out of each half of the squash. You can save the seeds and roast them later.

Scoop out the seeds Image Credit: Julia Mueller

Tip

To roast the seeds, remove the webbing around the seeds by washing them well, then pat them dry. Coat the seeds in olive oil, sprinkle with salt, cinnamon, chili powder, or seasoning of choice, and roast at 275 degrees Fahrenheit for 15 minutes.

Step 4: Coat Flesh with Olive Oil

Drizzle olive oil into the bowl of each acorn squash half (about 1 tablespoon per half).

Drizzle with olive oil Image Credit: Julia Mueller

Use your hands to coat the full surface of the flesh with oil.

Rub olive oil over all the flesh Image Credit: Julia Mueller

Step 5: Season the Acorn Squash

Sprinkle sea salt, pepper, and choice of seasonings over the flesh of each half. You can use ground cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom, ground cumin, chili powder, all season spice, and so forth.

Season with salt and cinnamon Image Credit: Julia Mueller

Step 6: Bake the Squash

Place each half of acorn squash cut-side down on a baking sheet. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, or until the acorn squash is tender when poked with a fork, and has reached desired done-ness.

Roast face-down Image Credit: Julia Mueller

Step 7: Serve!

Remove squash from the oven and carefully turn it right-side up. If necessary, use a spatula to get between the squash and the baking sheet. It's ready to go!

Drizzle with honey Image Credit: Julia Mueller

Tip

Want it to taste sweet? Add butter, honey, brown sugar, or pure maple syrup to the acorn squash bowls if desired. Serve piping hot fresh out of the oven with a sprinkle of salt and/or ground cinnamon.

acorn squash stuffed with apples, pears, and walnuts Image Credit: Julia Mueller

Serving Suggestions

• Use any of your favorite seasonings – ground cinnamon and a pinch of cardamom go with acorn squash deliciously, although you can take a savory approach as well by using a spice blend such as chili powder, Garam Masala, Cajun Seasoning, etc.
• Place a pad of butter (about 1 to 2 tablespoons) in the center of each squash and allow it to melt.
• Add 1 to 2 tablespoons of honey, pure maple syrup, or brown sugar to the center of each squash.
• Create your own homemade sauce to drizzle on top of the squash. See this Roasted Acorn Squash with Bourbon Butter and Honey for example
• Make acorn squash an entree by stuffing the squash with brown rice or quinoa, along with dried cranberries, pecans, feta cheese, apple, and/or sausage. See this Stuffed Acorn Squash with Quinoa Pears and Pecans for example.

Oh, mac and cheese. If there was an award for "Most Comforting Food", this classic dish would totally win! But that doesn't mean you need to load up on dairy to enjoy it. With the right combination of ingredients, it's possible to make a vegetable-packed "cheese" sauce for vegan mac and cheese. It's an awesome way to fuel up on veggies, even if you don't eat a vegan diet. You can even make it gluten-free by using your favorite gluten-free flour and pasta.

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Vegan Cheese Sauce

Things You\’ll Need

• 1/2 medium cauliflower head

• 1 1/4 cups sliced carrots (about 4 medium carrots)

• 1/2 cup olive oil

• 1 tablespoon flour

• 6 tablespoons nutritional yeast

• 2 cups non-dairy milk

• 2 tablespoons minced garlic

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 1 teaspoon black pepper

• 1 teaspoon onion powder

• 1 teaspoon garlic powder

Step 1

Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

Chop the cauliflower into small florets. In a large bowl, combine the cauliflower, carrots, 1/4 cup olive oil, salt, and pepper. Toss until the veggies are completely coated.

Want to boil your veggies instead? Skip to the "Tip" after Step 2.

Step 2

Transfer the vegetables onto a greased metal baking sheet. Cook for 35 to 40 minutes or until soft, tossing halfway.

Tip

You can also boil the vegetables. Chopped cauliflower usually cooks within 5 to 10 minutes, while carrots need about 15 to 20 minutes. Total cooking time will depend on the size of the chopped veggies.

Over high heat, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Reduce slightly and add the carrots. After about 10 minutes, add the cauliflower. Boil for another 10 minutes or until both vegetables are soft.

Step 3

While the vegetables are cooking, combine the remaining 1/4 cup olive oil and minced garlic in a small pot. Cook over low-medium heat until fragrant, about 3 minutes.

Add the nutritional yeast, flour, onion powder, and garlic powder. Mix well and continue cooking for 2 to 3 minutes.

Step 4

Add the non-dairy milk in 1/2 cup increments, whisking constantly. Bring to a steady simmer and heat for 5 minutes. Keep mixing to prevent clumping.

Tip

Make sure the milk doesn't boil. If heated too quickly, it may curdle.

Step 5

Let the vegetables and sauce cool slightly.

In a food processor, blend until creamy and smooth.

Step 6

Now, this is where it gets fun. Feel free to customize the sauce to your liking. Is it too thick? Add milk in 1/4 cup increments. Is it too thin? Add 1 tablespoon of flour.

Give the sauce a taste. If it isn't cheesy enough, add more nutritional yeast. You can also toss in more garlic powder, onion powder, salt, or pepper. A sprinkle of turmeric can be added for a bright orange shade. It's totally up to you.

Once you've added the necessary ingredients, blend until the consistency is just right.

Tip

There's a good chance your sauce will need to be adjusted. Don't be discouraged! It's easy to adjust the sauce with extra ingredients like milk and flour. After making vegan mac and cheese a few times, you'll get the hang of how to make your ideal sauce.

Vegan Grated Parmesan Cheese

Things You\’ll Need

• 1 cup sunflower seeds

• 1/2 cup nutritional yeast

• 1/4 cup flax seeds (or more sunflower seeds)

• 1 teaspoon garlic powder

Step 1

Combine everything in a food processor or blender.

Tip

If possible, use a blender. The more compact size will make it easy for the blades to chop up the ingredients.

Vegan Mac and Cheese

To prepare the finished dish, cook 8 ounces of pasta according to the package's directions. Toss with "cheese" sauce and top with vegan grated Parmesan. If you'd like, add coconut bacon and breadcrumbs for extra crunch and flavor.

Don't be afraid to experiment with this recipe. For example, you can make a sweeter sauce by ditching the cauliflower and using only carrots. You can also substitute either vegetable with soaked cashews or boiled potato.

Enjoy!

Things You\’ll Need

• Plastic freezer bags

• Cook pot

• Bowl

• Slotted spoon

• Colander

Fresh bean sprouts contain valuable nutrition.

Bean spouts can be eaten alone or to complement salads, Asian cuisine or just about any meal. Sprouts are low in calories, yet packed with protein and vitamin C, according to the International Sprout Growers Association. However, the sprouts' flavor and nutritional value can be adversely affected by poor storage. To get the most from your bean sprouts, you have to store them correctly. You can refrigerate sprouts for short-term storage or freeze them for long-term preservation.

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Refrigerating

Step 1

Place bean sprouts in plastic bags. The site Still Tasty advises against washing them first.

Step 2

Close the bags and place them in the vegetable crisper in your refrigerator.

Step 3

Consume refrigerated sprouts within 3 to 5 days

Freezing

Step 1

Heat a pot of water to a boil.

Step 2

Place the sprouts in the boiling water and boil for 3 minutes, as advised by Still Tasty. While they are boiling, fill a large bowl with ice cubes and water.

Step 3

Turn off the heat. Remove the bean sprouts from the water, using a slotted spoon, and plunge them immediately into the bowl of ice water to chill them.

Step 4

Drain the sprouts in a colander, place them in freezer bags, seal the bags, and place them in the freezer. Sprouts should remain fresh up to 1 year in a freezer.

If you've never grilled cauliflower, you've never really seen it's power. The versatility of this innocent little vegetable reaches full capacity when the flavors of a smokey grill come into play. Don't be afraid to play around. Add a little chimichurri or pesto. Drizzle it with a Thai peanut sauce, or maybe a some spicy buffalo sauce. You can serve it as a side dish, or chop it up and add it to tacos. You can even put it in a bun with guacamole, lettuce and tomato and have yourself a simple little veggie burger. There really is no end to what you can do with this beautifully charred little veggie steaks.

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Things You\’ll Need

• 1 head cauliflower

• 1/4 cup olive oil

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 1 teaspoon black pepper

Step 1: Slice

Preheat the grill to medium high. Slice the cauliflower down through the stem about 1/2 an inch thick. You should be able to get 3 to 4 steaks out of one head, depending on how thickly you slice.

Tip

You will have quite a bit of leftover florets; what is not attached to a stem will fall off. Don't let it go to waste! Try making some delicious and healthy cauliflower rice.

Step 2: Oil and Season

Brush all sides with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Step 3: Grill

Cook until grill marks appear on both sides and the cauliflower has softened, about 3 minutes per side. If the cauliflower has grill marks to your liking, but you want it softer, move to a cold spot on the grill, or the upper grill rack and cover until cauliflower has softened.

Tip

You don't have to stop at salt and pepper, get creative! Try some Cajun spice, dried herbs, or even barbecue sauce to make it a new experience every time.