January Produce Guide
January Produce Guide
Eating healthy always tastes right but is especially refreshing right after the Holiday season. We compiled a list of our favorite January produce with some classic uses and some new fun twists!
Butternut Squash
Butternut squash should be one solid beige color, with no patches. As with most produce, you want to choose a butternut squash that is heavy for its size. To pick a squash with a lot of meat, look for one that has a large neck. Also, to avoid a lot of seeds choose one with a smaller bulb. Butternut squash soup is a classic for a reason, the vegetables with the chicken broth keep it a favorite. Chop up your squash and toss it with olive oil, garlic and salt and pepper and roast it until tender and you have a yummy roasted butternut squash. It also makes a yummy layer to roasted butternut squash lasagna.
Red Cabbage
Red cabbage is the classic ingredient in coleslaw, but we have a few other ideas of how you can eat it too. Braised red cabbage makes a yummy side dish. Shredded red cabbage and carrots with a vinaigrette make a visually stunning and simple salad. Try adding red cabbage to your sandwich for a fun twist and some crunch.
Grapefruit
Grapefruit is such a yummy winter citrus we want to incorporate it any way we can into our meals! Grapefruit in the morning is good, grapefruit yogurt cake in the morning is great! Add grapefruit slices to a salad with some baked chicken for a fresh lunch. Grapefruit can be added to smoothies or you can use it to make homemade sparkling water.
Parsnips
Parsnips are a carrot shaped vegetable, that shine in the winter! When picking them from the store you want to choose one that is very white and not very large, this means the taste will be sweeter. You also want to make sure that your parsnip is extremely firm and not showing any signs of shriveling. Parsnips are yummy mashed or roasted.
Sweet Potatoes
Sweet potato casserole with lots of marshmallows is a classic dish, but there are also many other ways to enjoy them. Spice up your sweet potatoes by tossing them with chili powder, paprika, onion powder and roasting them in the oven until crispy. Or try adding them to a banana smoothie. For a quick dish, cook them in the microwave for about five minutes and top with butter, chicken and cheese or any combination you want, for a quick meal.
Potatoes
Potatoes are a favorite not only in the meme world, but also in the cooking world. For fluffy and flavorful mashed potatoes use Yukon gold or Russet potatoes. Russets are also good for baked potatoes and homemade French fries as well! Have leftover mashed potatoes? Add an egg and flour and make some potato pancakes! Red potatoes hold their shape which make them a perfect option for stews and potato salads.