A fridge full of organic vegetables purchased or harvested with the best of intentions, and then life gets busy, leaving no time to peel, chop, and cook them all. It happens to the best of us. Fortunately, those veggies don’t have to meet their end in the fridge. Take one night a week and make a dish using all the veggies in your fridge. Leave no veggie behind! You can even freeze the leftovers for later!

Veggie Spaghetti

Traditional spaghetti only uses a few vegetables, but you can jam-pack tons of vegetables in a good, homemade spaghetti sauce. You can use spinach, carrots, celery, and anything else sitting in your fridge. Start by sautéing onions and garlic with any hard vegetables that take a long time to cook, such as carrots, beets, and celery. When they’re soft add canned or fresh tomatoes and leafy green veggies, such as kale, chard, or spinach, and seasonings. Let the sauce cook for an hour or up to six hours. The longer it cooks, the better the flavor develops. If you’re throwing in zucchini or summer squash, toss it in for the last five to ten minutes so it doesn’t overcook.
Spaghetti squash is a great substitute for pasta. Poke it all over with a fork and put it in a baking dish. Bake it at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for one hour, or until the skin gives a little when pressed gently. Let it cool, then cut it in half and remove the seeds. Scrape along the sides of the squash with the tines of a fork to release the “noodles.”

Oven-Roasted Veggies

Roasting veggies brings out their best flavor. Chop your veggies into roughly the same size pieces, then toss with a small amount of olive oil or melted coconut oil and your choice of seasonings.

Use a baking dish large enough to spread the veggies in one layer, if possible. Roast at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 20 minutes, then give them a toss.

Check every 10 to 20 minutes after that by poking the hardest veggies with a fork or toothpick.

Zucchini Boats

Trim the ends off each zucchini or summer squash, then carefully scoop out the middles, leaving a 1/2-inch shell. Chop the zucchini innards and sauté them over medium heat with other veggies and ground meat, if desired. Spoon the mix into the zucchini shells and, if desired, top with shredded cheese or cheese substitute. Place the filled “boats” on a greased or lined baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 25 to 30 minutes or until the zucchini is tender.

These recipes are fantastic ways to use a fridge full of organic vegetables before they spoil, especially because measurements really aren’t required. Use as many or as few vegetables as you need, and freeze the leftovers for later.

I don’t know about you, but everywhere I look is a pumpkin recipe – from pumpkin lattes to pumpkin pie. But to get in on the homemade pumpkin cooking action, you will need the skills to make a simple pumpkin purée. Once you have that mastered, you will be surprised how many recipes “fall” into your lap.

On another note, steaming your pumpkin is a great way to maintain the most nutritional value when you eat it. It’s also fairly quick and simple and makes for a better tasting pumpkin, whatever recipe you’re using it for.

Steamed Pumpkin Purée

Cut the pumpkin in half. With a spoon or a scoop, scrape out the seeds and pulp from the center. Place all the seeds into a bowl (you can roast them later).

Corta las mitades en trozos más pequeños y coloca en una gran fuente añadiendo agua en un colador para evitar que las piezas de calabaza toquen el agua. Boil the water and cover the pot to steam the pumpkin for about 15 to 20 minutes until the pumpkin is tender.

Lay the pumpkin pieces on a towel and let cool completely.

Once cooled, peel off and discard the rind. Place some of the pumpkin flesh into food processor or a blender. You can also use a potato ricer if you prefer. Do this in batches.

Pulse the pumpkin until smooth. Pour the purée into a bowl, and continue to purée until all the pumpkin is done. You can either use this immediately in whatever pumpkin recipe you’d like, or store it in the freezer for later use.

Store in the freezer

To store in the freezer, spoon about 1 cupful of pumpkin purée into a sealable plastic storage bag. Seal the bag with just a tiny bit of an opening remaining, then use your hands to flatten out the pumpkin inside the bag and push out the air and then seal. Store them in the freezer until you need them.

Most pumpkin dishes involve scooping out the seeds, cutting off the skin, and chopping up the flesh before cooking. Make pumpkin bread as the default gift for everyone. It is cheap, it is beloved, it is carbs.

Now that you know how to purée like a pro, we highly recommend that you try our delicious Rustic Pumpkin Pie. There is almost nothing that epitomizes fall more than homemade pumpkin pie. The fresh pumpkin purée in this recipe gives the pie an unbelievable flavor that will make you a believer in using the real deal stuff. This makes a great Thanksgiving and fall dessert — and dare we say breakfast?