Squash, Pumpkins, and Sweet Potatoes

Nothing confirms fall like the abundance of squash, pumpkins, and sweet potatoes. I didn’t grow up eating squash but once I discovered them, they became an important part of my diet. Pumpkins and sweet potatoes on the other hand were available in abundance growing up in Kenya. I didn’t really care for pumpkins probably because I only ate them in stews but I loved sweet potatoes especially in the morning with Chai. There’s something about Kenyan grown sweet potatoes though, in my opinion, they are sweeter, more creamy and fluffy especially when baked.

I have experimented cooking all these fall favorites in different ways and the method of cooking I choose depends on the main menu item.

Methods of preparation

• Squash – acorn and carnival squash varieties can be hard to handle so I like to keep it simple; wash, cut in wedges, scrape the seeds with a spoon and season. I like to use cinnamon and nutmeg or honey and sweet and spicy mustard. Use butter (not too much) as your base.
• Butternut Squash – I usually roast to serve as a side, add to stews to replace potatoes, and in cubes to make hash (with onions, bell peppers, black pepper, and salt) for breakfast.
• Sweet Potatoes – pan roasted, baked (rub with olive oil and sprinkle cinnamon and nutmeg), cube them and make hash, but my absolute favorite way is to add them to curries. Next time you BBQ, wash and cook them on the grill whole (account for longer cooking time) or cut in half (lengthwise) this adds a hint of smokiness. The Okinawa sweet potato is very creamy and sweet especially when boiled. We used it to make sweet potato pie for thanksgiving and ate the leftovers Kenyan style with Chai for breakfast.
• Pumpkins – Besides pumpkin pie, I like adding them to stews and curries. I also like to serve them on the side sauteed like in the picture above. In that recipe, I sauteed 1/2 cup diced sweet onions, added 1 medium diced tomato, 1 cup diced mushrooms, and a splash of port. Cook for 3 minutes and add about 4 cups diced pumpkin and cook on medium heat stirring occasionally until fork tender.

Nutrients

Based on 1 cup cubed raw. Based on the Diabetic Exchange List, 3/4 cup acorn and butternut squash, 1/3 cup sweet potatoes, and 1 cup pumpkin all have 15 grams of carbs.

• Sweet Potatoes – High in: Vitamin A, B-6, and Potassium
• Pumpkins – High in: Vitamin A, C, and Potassium
• Squash – between acorn and butternut squash, butternut has more vitamin A, C, Magnesium, and Potassium. Both have approximately the same amount of Vitamin B-6.

So, whats your fall favorite?