I’m already excited for Fall, not because of the weather or anything but because of the food. Roasted squash is comfort food to me. When they come into season there’s suddenly a treasure trove of new food to eat–acorn, pumpkin, butternut, spaghetti. All different and all delicious in their own way.

This recipe uses nutmeg, which is one of the more aggressive spices. It’s so aggressive it’s poisonous in large amounts, so you might want to have a light hand when seasoning this. The cinnamon helps to smooth out the flavor. By the end of cooking it smells like someone’s just baked a pie; that’s a smell that’s always welcomed in my house. 

Nutmeg Roasted Acorn Squash

Prep time: 5 minutes

Cook time: 45 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 acorn squash
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Method:

1. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.
2. Cut the squash in half and remove the stringy inner seeds.
3. Cut the squash along each ridge into long strips.
4. In a mixing bowl, toss the squash, maple syrup, nutmeg, cinnamon, and salt until the squash is completely covered.
5. Lay the squash out on a baking tray and roast for 45 minutes. Serve hot.

Despite the maple syrup, this recipe isn’t very sweet; it’s mostly spicy. There’ll be a lot of leftover spiced maple syrup in the mixing bowl. You can either pour it on top of the squash before roasting or reserve it as a finishing touch on the plate.

I’m constantly falling in food ruts. All through Winter I ate roasted sweet potatoes like they were becoming extinct. I completely forgot how tasty and simple sweet potato rounds are to make. I love these because they take a little less time to cook, and because the oil flavors them well. At this point, if I eat any more I’ll turn into a sweet potato. And I’m OK with that.

Sweet Potato Rounds

Ingredients:

• 1 large sweet potato
• 2 Tablespoons olive oil
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Slice a sweet potato into 1/2-inch thick pieces and lay them out in a single layer.

Liberally pour the olive oil over the sweet potatoes and spread it out with your hands to ensure an even coating.

Bake for 1 hour. Sprinkle with sea salt before serving.

I have something of a sweet tooth so any time that vegetables can be sweet and I’m happy. I like to use olive oil with these because it makes them taste a little fruity, but for a less strong flavor try something like safflower or canola oil. Really, whatever you try, you can’t go wrong.

Even though Winter is ending, I still love eating any squash I can my hands on. They aren’t exactly Spring or Summer fare, but neither are the temperatures, so as long as it’s cold I’m going to figure out how to eat them in new, seasonal ways. Honey and olive oil are a natural pair for any dressing, but it turns out they work together well in this cooked recipe, too. The squash came out sweet and slightly fruity; if I closed my eyes I could almost imagine it weren’t 30 degrees outside.

Honey-Olive Oil Butternut Squash

Ingredients:

• 1 butternut squash, halved and deseeded
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 tablespoons honey
• pinch of salt

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Roast the squash by itself for an hour until soft and tender.

Remove the squash from the oven and poke holes in the flesh. Pour on 1 1/2 tablespoons of the olive oil and honey on each side of the squash. Put it back in the oven and cook for another 30 minutes.

Pour off the excess liquid and serve hot with a pinch of salt on top.

I was impressed with how strong the flavors of honey and olive oil were even after cooking; they make the squash taste more Summery and less earthy, so it was a nice depart from plain butternut squash. And because it was olive oil and not butter, it felt light. 

Let me tell you a little story. Nowadays I love beets because of their sweet flavor. Doug was speaking the truth when he called them nature’s candy. The first time that I tried them, I really fell in love with them and ate them as often as I could. But, you see, no one told me of their nasty side effect where everything comes out the same color it went in. And so for 2 weeks I thought I was dying, unknowing that my “grave condition” was—in fact—beet juice, until I confessed my problem and asked to be taken to the hospital.

The lesson of the story? Eat golden beets. Because no one gets worried when their pee is a little too yellow. They also taste like candy from their natural sweetness, and when mixed with a little salt and vinegar become the perfect side dish for any meal.

Roasted Golden Beets

Ingredients:

• 1 bunch golden beets
• 2-3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• a splash of white vinegar

To start, trim the stems from the beets and peel off the outer skin with a sharp paring knife. Preheat an oven to 375 degrees.

Cut the beets into vertical slices about 1/4 inch thick. Be careful not to cut yourself. Use a non-slip board and a sharpened knife for the easiest cutting.

Next, lay the beets out on a single layer on a baking tray and drizzle the olive oil over them. Toss to coat. Roast the beets for 30-35 minutes, or until a fork goes in tender.

Lastly, drain off any excess oil and toss the cooked beats with salt and a splash of white vinegar. Serve hot.

Now we can just ignore that embarrassing story I told you and eat golden beets, right?