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Oats and oat bran may help lower cholesterol, maintain healthy blood pressure and support healthy blood sugar levels. What could be a healthier replacement for holiday cakes, pies, pastries and cookies than oats paired with fruits or vegetables? Read more…

This winter holiday salad follows the rule of rainbow nutrition (vary your colors to vary your nutrients) with bright orange squash, dark green spinach and red-purple cranberries. Read more…

Ingredients
1 can (4 ounces) diced green chilies
¼ cup fat-free sour cream
¼ cup fresh cilantro leaves
1 can (15 ounces) solid-packed pumpkin
1 can (about 14 ounces) fat-free chicken broth
½ cup water
1 teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon chili powder (hot, med, or mild)
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
¼ teaspoon ground red pepper (optional)
¼ teaspoon hot red pepper flakes (optional)
Additional sour cream (optional)

Preparation

1. Combine green chilies, sour cream and cilantro in food processor or blender; process until
   smooth.
2. Combine pumpkin, chicken broth, water, cumin, chili powder, garlic powder, and red pepper, if
   desired, in medium saucepan; stir in sour cream mixture. Bring to a boil; reduce heat to
   medium. Simmer, uncovered 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3. Pour into serving bowls. Top each with cilantro and a scoop of sour cream (if desired).

Calories per cup: 70

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Source: The Healthy Table

No traditional Thanksgiving season vegetable can outclass winter squash with its bountiful nutrients, fiber, rich color and versatility! Although pumpkin gets most of the attention, there are many other winter squash choices available. Be sure to pick a heavy squash (not stored on the shelf for too long) that is unblemished, with a smooth, hard skin. My favorites are butternut and Delicata; both should be the gorgeous color of butterscotch. Happily, butternut squash is available pre-cleaned, peeled and cubed. If you decide to start with a fresh squash, cut 1 inch from both ends of the squash (so that it can stand up on a cutting board without rolling), peel the skin with a sharp, sturdy vegetable peeler, cut in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds with a grapefruit spoon. Cut the peeled flesh into 1 inch cubes.

I prefer to pair winter squash with citrus, such as oranges and tangerines. You can substitute chopped apples or pears to the cooking step of any of these recipe variations. Also, experiment with additions of other fragrant spices, such as ginger (fresh grated or powder), cinnamon or cardamom (my favorite.) Just a reminder … be careful not to boil squash soup after adding citrus juice; it may become bitter!

Ingredients
½ cup chopped onion
2 teaspoons canola oil
1 pound squash cubes, ready to cook
1, grated peel and juice (reserve juice to add last) fresh orange or tangerine
3 cups, or more if thinner soup is preferred vegetable or chicken broth
¼ teaspoon grated nutmeg or spice of choice
Salt and ground pepper to taste
Garnish of chopped roasted chestnuts or toasted pumpkin seeds (optional)

Preparation

1. Pour oil into heavy soup pan, sauté onion until golden, but not brown.
2. Add squash cubes, citrus rind, broth and seasonings. Simmer gently, covered, until squash is tender – about 15 to 20 minutes.
3. Puree in a blender or processor, being careful not to overfill your blender. Hot foods expand!
4. Stir in the citrus juice. Garnish with a teaspoon of chopped roasted chestnuts or toasted pumpkin seeds for the holidays. This soup’s flavor is especially suited for freshly smoked turkey and dark greens. Enjoy!

Number of Cups: 4
Calories/Cup Soup: 90 (w/o garnish)
Total Vegetable Servings: 4

All rights reserved. Users may download and print content from this website for their own personal and non-commercial use only. Republication or redistribution of content is expressly prohibited.

Source: The Healthy Table

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