Autumn gives us an abundance of vegetables! You know you should eat more but it isn’t always easy to make it happen. Or at least it seems so, doesn’t it. But really, you only need one recipe you like about each vegetable and then rotate them. You will have eaten your way through all available veggies in no time :).
Variety is something that can get lost in our busy lives. Habit forces our hands most of the time and we gravitate towards what we know. But a varied diet is vital for our health and wellbeing and it needn’t be complicated.
Below is a list of all autumn vegetables and a few suggestions of what you can do with them.
Have you eaten them all already this season?
If not, which ones are missing?
Asian Greens
- Soba Noodles with Miso and Bok Choy for Bok Choy
- Adam Liaw’s asian greens recipe for Chinese Broccoli
Avocado
Ok, ok, it’s technically a fruit. But I’m adding it to this list anyway. It just seems more fitting :).
- make Pesto
- indulge in Chocolate Mousse (why wouldn’t you?!)
- Obviously smashed on sourdough with feta. No brainer.
Beans (green)
- Drizzled with olive oil, sprinkled with salt and roasted in the oven!
- Or tomato braised. Yum.
- Add them to soupe au pistou
Bean shoots
- Stuff them in rice paper rolls
Beetroot
- Make beetroot hummus! Best coloured hummus ever.
- Hasselback Beets
- Make a salad out of grated raw carrot and grated raw beetroot, dress it with olive oil, lemon juice, seeded mustard and a pinch of salt
Broccoli
- blizz it up in a blender and add it to pasta
- make this filling eggplant, broccoli and soba noodle dish.
Brusselsprouts
- Cut a cross in the stem, parboil them briefly and then fry with some chopped up bacon. Yum!
- This sounds delicious too.
- They are also surprisingly nice raw, slice thinly and add to slaw.
Cabbage
- Thinly slice red cabbage and dress it with olive oil, red wine vinegar and salt. Tastes great fresh or marinated for a day or so.
- Add white cabbage to soups.
- Make coleslaw with both!
Capsicum
- I love this red capsicum pesto for a change from all the green.
- Roasted and pureed in a pasta sauce with tomatoes and garlic.
Carrots
- Make Ribollita
- Throw some in your bolognese
- Make a salad out of grated raw carrot and grated raw beetroot, dress it with olive oil, lemon juice, seeded mustard and a pinch of salt
Cauliflower
- Have it with couscous
- or in a risotto
- Cut it into florets, toss them in olive oil and a pinch of salt, roast until crispy.
Celery
- Use it in your juices and smoothies (I love kale, celery, frozen banana and lemon)
- Make Ribollita
- add it to chicken pot au feu
Chillies
- chilli con carne is always a good idea
- Make spicy green tahini dressing and serve it with steamed veggies
- Add them to pork, apple and thyme meatballs
Cucumber
- Add them to rice paper rolls
- Make vibrant cottage cheese
- eat them raw as a snack!
Daikon
Eggplant
- Delicious in this simple pasta dish
- vegan baked orzo is a great way to use eggplant
- easy moussaka – very moorish!
Fennel
- lamb shanks with potato and fennel are delicious.
- salmon and fennel parcels are beautiful
Kohlrabi
- eat it raw, thinly sliced with dip instead of crackers
- boil it in salted water and serve it as a veggie side with your roast
- throw it in your Minestrone
Leeks
- Make Soupe au Pistou
- Add it to green soup with ginger and miso
- pan fry it sliced, with a dash of oil and pinch of salt
Lettuce
- add it to French braised peas
- top your miso roasted sweet potato with it
- in salad, duh
Okra
I used to make them but haven’t in years! Time to get stuck in again.
- This recipe looks good! Anything Greek will get me to the table.
- Or this tomato braised one.
- Or this Indian version.
Mushrooms
- pan fry them with butter and thyme for breakfast – yum!!
- add them to easy slow cooked beef ribs
- eat them raw, sliced into salads
Onions
- French onion soup! Best use of onion if you ask me.
- And apparently this is a less fussy version, but I haven’t tried making it yet.
- Use them as base to any veggie soup.
Parsnip
- Roast them. No brainer.
- Add them to stews.
- Make parsnip and carrot shoestring fries.
Peas
- French braised is a classic.
- Add frozen green peas to any fry up. Instant green factor!
- make spaghetti with peas, parsley and cashew pesto.
Potato
- Use them as base for any soup
- Make them the hero of potato and leek soup
- boil ’em, fry ’em, roast ’em
Pumpkin
Radish
- eat them raw with dip instead of crackers
- add them sliced to your cheese sandwich
- go really well with avocado and feta on your breaky sourdough
Rhubarb
- as compote. always.
- in muffins
- in your bircher muesli
Silverbeet
- Make Ribollita
- Steam it, panfry it and
- add it to soups
Spinach
- Add it to green soup with ginger and miso
- Make a spinach and rockmelon smoothie
- eat it in raw vegan pesto
Squash
Hmm. I’m going to say ‘see Pumpkin’ for this one. Is that bad?
Swedes
- Add them to stews. Especially this one. It’s my go to.
- Chop them, toss them in olive oil and a pinch of salt to roast them.
- Boil them and add them to mash
Sweetcorn
- cook in boiling water, then butter and salt them and tuck in
- corn fritters are always a good idea
- and any recipe that has tequila in it is a winner in my book 😉
Sweet Potato
- Add them to green soup with ginger and miso
- Roast them with miso
- Add them to soups, like this one
Tomato
- Sliced on bread with salt and pepper. Simple is best!
- Add cherry tomatoes to pasta dishes
- Use fresh tomatoes in this tomato and olive simmered chicken
Turnips
- The favourite stew again.
- Swap potatoes for turnips in a gratin.
- Add them to mash.
Zucchini
- Add them to soupe au pistou
- Eat them with gnocchi
- Put them in hummus. Not kidding.
Peace, Love and Veggies,
Katrine xx
Cover photo by erika akire on Unsplash