Add squash to your diet for good health

“Winter squashes, especially pumpkin, are one of the most nutritionally valuable foods known to man,” says Steven Pratt, MD, coauthor of Super-foods. Loaded with good-for-you nutrients, the richly coloured interior flesh is the first clue to squashes' nutritional benefits, which include:

• Large amounts of carotenoids, the deep orange-, yellow-, or red-coloured plant compounds that help fight a variety of diseases, including heart disease, various cancers, and eye diseases
• Vitamins C and E, plus potassium, magnesium, and folic acid
• High in fibre
• Low in calories

Make an easy squash soup the star of your weeknight menu

For a quick and easy squash soup, use fresh, tinned, or frozen squash, or tinned 100% pumpkin purée (not pumpkin pie mix, which includes sugar and spices) as the soup base.

• To prepare squash—If using fresh squash, peel a thin-skinned variety such as hubbard or butternut. Cut squash in half and use a large spoon to remove seeds and any fibres; cut squash into 2-inch (5 cm) chunks and set aside. Two 1-pound (.45 kg) squash will serve four people.

  If a squash is difficult to peel, or if you are using a different variety from the two above, use a small knife to poke a few holes in the squash; then bake at 350ºF (177ºC) for 40 minutes or microwave for 12 minutes before slicing.

• To make savoury curried squash soup—Using a heavy 5.5-quart (5 L) pot, sauté 1/3 cup (53 g) diced yellow onion in 1 tablespoon (15 ml) olive oil until translucent (about 5 minutes). Add squash, 1 quart (951 ml) chicken or vegetable stock, and 2 portions (475 ml) water. Cook covered over medium heat until squash is soft and blends into stock. Add more stock to thin mixture, if desired. Add 1/2 tablespoon (3.15 g) curry powder (or to taste), salt and pepper to taste, and 1 cup (238 ml) half-and-half; stir to blend. Serve hot, but do not let soup boil after adding half-and-half.

• Mix it up—Try these other terrific squash and pumpkin soup recipes: Golden Harvest Soup, and Winter Vegetable Soup.