It’s exciting to have fresh produce back on grocery store shelves. I was getting tired of looking at potatoes and squash, but now asparagus, berries, and avocado are all plump and on sale and it actually makes cooking seem less like a chore now.

My favorite method of cooking is still to chuck things in the oven and forget about it. I mean, how easy is that?(Cue the Ina Garten voice) Roasting also adds a lot of flavor as it cooks the vegetables through in a way that steaming or boiling doesn’t. This asparagus comes out much richer and nuttier than if it were cooked any other way.

The lemon and salt at the end brighten up the flavor and brings out the sweet side of the asparagus. The garlic powder is completely optional but a nice touch to add a comforting savoriness to the dish that would go well along side red meat and potatoes.

Roasted Asparagus

Prep time: 5 minutes

Cook time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 bundle of asparagus, washed
• 2 Tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder(optional)
• 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Method:

1. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees
2. Toss the asparagus in the oil and garlic powder if using.
3. Roast for 30 minutes until the asparagus is slightly past fork tender
4. Remove from the oven and drizzle with the lemon juice. Finish with a sprinkling of salt.
5. Serve hot.

Alright, show of hands—who else forgot vegetables could actually taste good after the last 6 months?

When it comes to food, there are two things I care about: Most importantly how it tastes, but also how it smells. A lot of people will tell you we eat with our eyes, but given how close are taste receptors and smell receptors are, it’s no question that there’s a link between taste and smell. Good food must smell good. And this smells terrific.

When I opened up my oven after this had finished cooking, the entire kitchen smelled like Christmas. You know that warm, earthy familiar smell that’s a bit nutty and complex. I got distracted for a moment and forgot that this was food to eat. The taste is just as good; the soft, sweet squash contrasts the crunchy, spicy chickpeas, and the maple syrup forms a glaze over the whole thing bringing it together. I can’t recommend this recipe enough to get a taste of the season. 

Roasted Maple Cinnamon Chickpeas And Squash

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 70 minutes

Ingredients(Makes 4 servings):

• 1 15-ounce can chickpeas, drained
• 2 cups cubed butternut squash
• 2 Tablespoons olive oil
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 1 Tablespoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Method:

1. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.
2. Combine all of the ingredients together in a big bowl and mix them until the wet ingredients and spices cover the squash and chickpeas.
3. Lay the squash and chickpeas out on a baking tray and spread them out keeping it as close to one layer as possible.
4. Roast for 70 minutes until the squash is fork-tender and the chickpeas slightly nutty.
5. Serve hot or cold. Keep leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Now if only someone would invent smell-o-vision, maybe I could better convince you.

Happy Halloween! I love Halloween; it’s hard not to love a holiday that encourages dressing up and accepting candy from strangers. But since you can’t really make a meal out of candy corn and Reese’s(well, you can, and that would be my idea of heaven, but I won’t) I was cooking a lot through the relaxing weekend including these potatoes I had to use up.

I picked up red potatoes from my farmers’ market. After having them baked plain one night, I remembered I really wasn’t a fan of red potatoes. They don’t seem as starchy as other varieties, and if I’m having a potato I’m looking for that warm, starchy comfort food.

Since I had almost a pound to use up, I knew I’d need to find a way to make them taste irresistible. This method of soaking + roasting with garlic makes the potatoes soft, crispy, and full of flavor. Red potatoes still aren’t my favorite, but this recipe makes me like them a whole lot more.

The Best Red Potatoes

Prep time: 30 minutes

Cook time: 45 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1lb red potatoes
• 2 Tablespoons olive oil
• 5 cloves garlic, sliced thinly
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• Diced chives(optional)

Method:

1. Wash the red potatoes thoroughly but keep the skin on.
2. Cut the potatoes into halves or quarters depending how big they are into bite-sized wedges.
3. Soak the wedges in hot water for 20-30 minutes
4. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
5. Drain the potatoes from the water but don’t dry them. Toss with the olive oil, garlic, and salt until evenly covered.
6. Lay the potatoes out on a roasting tray and roast for 45 minutes or until the potatoes have started to brown and wrinkle.
7. Remove from the oven and serve hot. Garnish with chives if desired.

Most of the garlic burns by the time the potatoes are ready. You can pick them out and discard them; by now the garlic flavor has totally soaked in. I’ll admit: It’s a lot of garlic. If you have plans to be in public later or dress up like a vampire, you may want to save this for another time.

Luckily I wasn’t a vampire. Who was I? Ron Swanson.

This may be hard to believe, but that’s not my actual facial hair(I know—absorb the shock). And now I have 10 extra fake mustaches to wear whenever I feel like it. Cool beans. I also like to think Ron Swanson would enjoy these potatoes, even if he wouldn’t care at all how they’re made and insist on eating them with all the bacon and eggs he has.

What were you/will you be for Halloween?

Now is my favorite time of the year, for food at least. I love pumpkin, squash, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes—basically anything starchy that looks like baby food. Naturally I was excited to see local squash at the farmers’ market last week and picked out the biggest, most obscene looking butternut squash I could find.

Like I said, this is basically glorified baby food: Smooth squash puree mixed with amber maple syrup, rich cream, and nutty spices. It’s reminiscent of a pie filling but without the overpowering sweetness so you can feel good about eating this with dinner. It’s definitely a new favorite that I’ll probably turn to time and time again the next few months; it’s good enough that I’d invite it to the Thanksgiving table!

Baked Butternut Squash Mash

Prep time: 5 minutes

Cook time: 30 minutes

Ingredients(Makes 4 servings):

• 3 cups butternut squash puree*
• 1/2 cup almond cream(recipe below) or regular cream or other non-dairy cream
• 3 Tablespoons maple syrup
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

*This is easy to make yourself. Roast a medium-sized butternut squash until the inside is soft. Scoop the flesh out from the skin and puree it in a food processor until smooth.

For the almond cream:

• 3 Tablespoons smooth almond butter
• 5 Tablespoons water

Method:

1. In a small bowl, whisk together the almond butter and water until it forms a rich and smooth liquid.

Method:

1. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees
2. Stir together the butternut squash puree, cream, maple syrup, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg until completely combined.
3. Scoop the squash into a large casserole dish or individual ramekins. Bake for 20-30 minutes until the squash is heated through and the top has goldened slightly and begun to crack.
4. Garnish with cinnamon and serve hot.

There were no leftovers, but I figured a picture of a half-eaten bowl was better than an empty bowl.

Now what other squash can I find?