Enjoy the seeds as well as the squash (photo © Melissa’s Produce).

As you’re enjoying your winter squash—acorn, butternut, hubbard, etc.—don’t forget to enjoy the seeds, too.

They’re easy to roast, and are tasty and nutritious. They taste like the seeds from another winter squash, the pumpkin.

Here’s all you have to do to enjoy roasted squash seeds as a snack, salad or soup garnish.
 
 
RECIPE: ROASTED SQUASH SEEDS

Ingredients

 
Preparation

1. PREHEAT the oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil.

2. RINSE the seeds with water, remove the stringy parts. Pat dry with paper towels and place in a bowl.

4. SPREAD in an even layer on the baking sheet.

5. BAKE for 15 minutes, or until crisp. Remove from oven and cool on the baking sheet.

6. USE or store in an airtight jar.

Use the same process with pumpkin seeds.

Squash seeds are reasonably high in fat (oil) and as a result, calories; but it is good fat, polyunsaturated and monounsaturated, which actually lower disease risk (learn more). They are protein-rich with high concentrations of calcium, folate, magnesium, potassium and vitamin A.
 
> Check out all the different types of squash in our Squash Glossary.

To avoid “same old tossed salad” or mesclun mix boredom, we:

1. Use two different salad greens every day, from a selection that includes baby arugula, dandelion, endive, fennel, mâche, radicchio, radish, watercress and sometimes the ubiquitous yet tasty romaine.

We’re fortunate that our local farmers market has a wonderful grower of the so-called Oriental greens, mizuna, red mustard and tatsoi.

2. Cherry tomatoes (try a red and yellow mix), cut in half, add flavor and color year-round.

3. Next, our chef adds a fruit, typically a julienned apple or Asian pear, or blood orange or grapefruit segments. They really brighten up the flavors!

Your everyday salad can look like
this. Photo courtesy Blu restaurant, NYC.

5. Sometimes there are some luscious pieces of shaved Asiago, Parmesan or other hard cheese; or a ramekin of crumbled goat cheese or blue cheese. You can add whatever you have at hand: hard-cooked eggs, leftover ham or bacon, water chestnuts, etc.

6. Finally, the salad dressing: no heavy dressings, just a light vinaigrette of extra-virgin olive oil (sometimes blended with a bit of nut oil). For variety, we have a lot of flavored oils and vinegars. We love Sonoma Farm infused oils—the Blood Orange is a must—and the infused oils and vinegars from Boyajian (all NIBBLE Top Picks Of The Week). And the juices from segmenting the citrus get tossed in as well.

We’re never bored, and always looking forward to the daily salad. And you don’t need a chef: This is easy stuff!

• Find more of our favorite salad recipes.

Apple juice without sugar guilt. Photo
by River Soma | THE NIBBLE.

And when we see fresh-from-the-farm apple juice, we can’t help but take home a jug.

Unfortunately, that half gallon of sweet apple juice, our version of Proust’s madeleines, disappears all too quickly—at about 120 calories per eight-ounce glass. It’s refreshing, but so is Trop50 Farmstand Apple juice drink, a better choice for people who like to drink tall glasses of juice.

Thanks to Tropicana, apple juice lovers can have an eight-ounce glass of crisp-tasting apple juice beverage for fewer than half the calories of conventional juice. Trop50 Farmstand Apple has 50% less sugar and calories, and no artificial sweeteners. (It uses Pure Via stevia, an added sweetener that comes from a South American herb and is totally natural.)

At 50 calories per eight-ounce glass, Trop50 Farmstand Apple “squeezes in” a full day’s supply of vitamin C and is a good source of the antioxidant vitamin E. In addition to pleasing adult calorie-counters, it’s a great product for kids.

The 59-ounce bottle has a suggested retail price of $3.59 and can be found in the chilled juice section of the supermarket.

The redesigned, curvy plastic bottle is so sleek, we’ve repurposed the empties in the fridge as water bottles.

• Find more of our favorite beverages plus recipes.

We feel that way about risotto. Chocolate pudding. Macaroni and cheese.

One way to avoid taking a second slice or scoop is to serve the food in ramekins for portion control. There’s no large dish brought to the table to tempt: just one ramekin per person and that’s it.

Ramekins are available in a range of sizes, from four ounces to eight ounces. For the smallest portion, use four-ounce ramekins.

Ramekins are a good investment. They’re very versatile, and can be used to bake soufflés, custards and other foods. We use them to serve:

• Garnishes like olives and pickles (they’re also great for holding discarded olive pits)

Rich and creamy lobster risotto from
Hancock lobster arrives portion-controlled.
Photo courtesy Hancock Gourmet Lobster.

• Sides like apple sauce, sour cream, dipping sauces and salad dressings
• Snacks and nibbles like nuts and dips
• Toppings for ice cream, pancakes, yogurt, etc.

While most ramekins are white, you can find them in different colors. Le Creuset has handsome 7-ounce ramekins in 6 colors.

Einkorn is nutty, chewy, flavorful and
healthier pasta. Photo courtesy Jovial Foods.

Over time, hybridization created the more prolific double-kernel wheat varieties, and einkorn ceased to be cultivated except in a few remote regions. But when the preserved remains of a Bronze Age man were found in Italy in 1991, scientists became interested in the einkorn he had eaten.

Following research, some farmers began growing this relict crop. Einkorn berries (kernels), einkorn flour and einkorn pasta are now available to consumers.

Why should you boil up a batch of einkorn pasta? Read the full review.

• Don’t know rigatoni from radiatore? The difference between linguine and spaghetti? See our Pasta Glossary.