vitamin a

This summer, I have been spoiled with an abundance of beautiful, farm-fresh produce. As members of a Community Supported Agriculture group, every week I have received more vegetables than I've often known what to do with. That's a good thing!

To celebrate the season's bounty, I created this nutrient-rich summer soup, brimming with immune-boosting vitamin A (something my kids sure need now that they are back in school), fiber and flavor.

Makes 6 servings; serving size equals 1 cup

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup red onion cut into 1/4-inch dice
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons fresh minced ginger
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon paprika
Pinch cayenne pepper, optional
One 32-ounce carton all-natural vegetable broth (4 cups)
2 cups carrot juice
1 pound carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
1 small 10-ounce sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
Kosher salt and black pepper to taste

Directions:
1. Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven or saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring frequently, until softened, about 7 minutes. Add the garlic, ginger, pepper, paprika, and cayenne as desired (remember, just a pinch), and cook an additional 1 minute.

2. Stir in the broth, carrot juice, carrots, and sweet potato. Cover, raise the heat, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, covered, until the vegetables are very tender, about 25 minutes. Stir in the lime juice.

3. Let the soup cool slightly. Transfer to a blender and puree in batches until very smooth and creamy. You can also use an immersion blender to puree the soup. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Ladle the soup into bowls and garnish (see tip below).

Garnish Idea: Toast up thin slices of French bread, and spread a thin layer of soft goat cheese on top. Place on soup, sprinkle with chives, and drizzle with a bit of honey as desired.

Nutrition:
150 calories, 5g fat (0.5g saturated), 410mg sodium, 23g carbohydrate, 4g fiber, 3g protein, 590% vitamin A, 30% vitamin C

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Makes 4 servings

Bell peppers are an excellent source of vitamin C and A. Plus, they're a great way to add color to your plate.

Ingredients:
3/4 cup pearl barley
1 tsp olive oil
2 garlic cloves minced
1 medium white onion diced
3 oz. steak fillet
1 tbsp fresh thyme
1 medium zucchini or summer squash diced
1/2 tsp sea salt
Tomato
4 red or yellow bell peppers
4 oz. swiss cheese, thinly sliced or shredded

Directions:
1. Bring four cups of water to boil and add barley. Reduce to simmer and cook for 45 minutes or until tender.

2. In a large skillet, heat olive oil and saute garlic and onion. Add steak, squash, salt and thyme. Cook until vegetables are tender and steak is done to your preference. Remove from heat.

3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

4. Thinly slice steak. Remove tops, seed pod and veins from peppers. Mix vegetables, tomato and barley and spoon equal amounts into peppers. Top with slices of steak and cheese.

5. Place peppers and tops on a cookie sheet and cook for 15 minutes.

Nutrition:
312 calories, 10g fat (4g saturated, 4 monounsaturated, 1 polyunsaturated), 31mg cholesterol, 273mg sodium, 43g carbohydrates, 10g fiber, 14g protein, 157mg calcium

I don't hate winter. I despise it. My vegetable garden, which supports us with fresh veggies from spring to autumn, is a tangled mess of winter rye grass and legumes. The farmers' markets are all closed. And most of the veggies at the grocery store have traveled from climates that never have snow days.

It's enough to make me want to move (farther) south.

Still, about this time every year I rediscover a reason not to hate the cold so much: winter squash.

It took me years to warm up to these funny shaped gourds. Like pumpkins, which are part of the same family, they look more like a harvest decoration tool than a food. But that's selling the squash short.

They are wonderful sources of flavor, color and nutrition in winter. For taste, winter squashes are great split in half, rubbed with olive oil and sprinkled with sea salt and herbs, and roasted in an oven until tender. They can be pureed and added to soups. Or they can be the highlight in a hearty, vegetarian feast.

Their sweet and nutty flavors may make you forget their amazing nutritional profile. Winter squashes are loaded with lots of antioxidants and essential nutrients like vitamins A and C, potassium, dietary fiber, manganese and many B vitamins. Even their seeds, which make a great snack when they're roasted, are a good source of polyunsaturated fats.

Here's the lowdown on four popular squashes you can find at most grocers:

Round and dark green with long grooves, the Acorn squash's flesh is yellow and tastes nutty and sweet.

Butternut squash is shaped like a long pear with a lengthy shaft and a bulbous end. It has a dull, pale yellowish-orange skin and a vibrant orange flesh, which tastes sweet.

Delicata squashes are small and yellow with dark green and orange stripes. Unlike most winter squashes, the delicata's is thin and fragile. Check for bruising before you buy. The flesh is cream-colored with a nutty, sweet taste.

Pale yellow in color and shaped like a rugby ball, spaghetti squash is named for its flesh, which comes apart in long strands once it's been cooked.

Servings: 4

Brighten up your winter with the combination of colors and tastes in this seasonal dish. The vibrant orange and yellow color of butternut squash and its sweet, nutty taste are a perfect complement to spinach. Plus, butternut squash is a great source of vitamin A and C.

Ingredients:
1 Butternut squash (about 4 cups)
1 tbsp olive oil
1/4 tsp sea salt
1 tsp rosemary
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 Cup red onion thinly sliced
2 Cups spinach
1 Tbsp. balsamic vinaigrette
1/2 cup pecans

Instructions:
1. Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.

2. Peal and cut butternut squash into 1/2-inch cubes. In a large bowl toss with olive oil, sea salt and rosemary.

3. Transfer to a roasting pan and cook for about 30 minutes or until softened.

4. Sauté red onions in olive oil over medium heat. When soft, add spinach and balsamic vinaigrette and cook until spinach is wilted.

5. Top spinach with butternut squash and pecans.

Nutrition:
188 calories, 17g fat (2g saturated, 10g monounsaturated, 4g polyunsaturated), 0g cholesterol, 51mg calcium, 199mg sodium, 10g carbohydrates, 3g fiber, 2g protein, 3g fiber, 1g iron

Makes 30 Bars; serving size 1 bar

When I launched my website, Meal Makeover Moms, this hard-to-resist snack cake was one of the first recipes I created. Since then, I have sampled it at cooking classes, delivered it to new neighbors, and served it to kids at more play dates than we can count. Bottom line: These bars are always a winner! And thanks to the canned pumpkin in this recipe, each serving has almost half a day's worth of immune-boosting vitamin A.

Ingredients:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup pecans, very finely chopped
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 large eggs, beaten
One 15-ounce can 100% pure pumpkin
1/2 cup canola oil
1/4 cup 1% low-fat milk
1/2 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips

Instructions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly oil or coat a 15 x 10 x 1-inch rimmed baking or jelly roll pan with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.

2. Whisk together the all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, pecans, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl until well combined.

3. In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs, pumpkin, oil, and milk until well blended. Pour the liquid ingredients over the dry ingredients and stir until just combined. Stir in the chocolate chips.

4. Spread the batter evenly in the prepared pan and bake for 25 minutes, or until a wooden toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and cool for 10 minutes before slicing into thirty, 2 x 2½-inch bars.

Tip: For maximum freshness, store leftovers in a plastic container or zip-top bag in the refrigerator.

Nutrition Information:
140 calories, 6g fat (1g saturated, 0.4g omega-3), 95mg sodium, 16g carbohydrate, 2g fiber, 2g protein, 45% vitamin A

This recipe is from the new book No Whine with Dinner by Liz Weiss and Janice Newell Bissex. Order your copy today.

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