Get a prize by participating in the UWGB Wellness Committee Fall Food Challenge!
For the next five weeks, the Wellness committee challenges you to try some seasonal favorites. Here’s how to participate: Each week a seasonal ingredient will be featured, with Week 5 being a little different. Try a new recipe or make your own with the week’s highlighted ingredient. Submit the recipe and a picture of the finished product and get a prize!
Week 1 (Oct. 25-31): Winter Squash. Whether it be acorn, butternut, hubbard, delicata, or one of the many other winter squash varieties, winter squash brings fall flavors to the table. Unlike summer squash such as zucchini, winter squash are hard when ripe, store well through the colder months, and helped bring fresh vegetables to the table long before refrigeration was common. Good for stuffing, roasting (try removing the seeds, washing, and roasting those), stir-frying, or blending into creamy autumn soups, the category of winter squash can’t be beat for comfort with a hint of sweetness.
Week 2 (Nov. 1-7): Root vegetables. As the ground begins to freeze and harden, many gardeners and farmers prepare to dig up root vegetables, which often reach their flavor peak when frost first appears. Parsnips, kohlrabi, carrots, turnips, beets, and even a second or third planting of radishes are plentiful this time of year, meaning they are also less expensive than imported vegetables that come from other climates.
Week 3 (Nov. 8-14): Cole crops. Cole crops consist of vegetables such as Brussels sprout, cabbage, cauliflower, collards, kale, kohlrabi, mustard, broccoli, and turnips. “Cole” refers to anything from the Brassicaceae family, and as you can see there is crossover with other categories. These descendants of wild cabbage come in a variety of forms, and we eat parts that grow above and below ground depending on the plant. Do not get too worried about whether your recipe features a root vegetable or something that is also considered a Cole crop. Just eat your veggies, please!
Week 4 (Nov. 15-21): The Trusty Spud. Whether it be sweet potatoes or a standard cultivar, this starchy tuber is a mainstay of many midwestern dinner plates and a trusted friend in the root cellar. Indigenous to the Americas, the potato is one of the world’s main food crops, up there with corn, wheat, and rice. The orange-fleshed sweet potato is from a different plant family than the standard masher or baker, and while often called a yam, it is not truly from that family of plants either. Both are filling and can be prepared in a multitude of ways and in almost all cultures.
Week 5 (Nov. 22-28): Thanksgiving Dish Makeover! Want to cut back a few calories or fat grams from one dish so you can splurge on another without feeling guilty? We are asking you to makeover a dish to cut back on some calories, plump up the fiber, or in some way give it a health makeover. Submit your original recipe, the makeover, and a picture, along with any comments from family or friends who didn’t notice the difference or who appreciate your efforts.
For every entry, your name will be put in a weekly drawing. All entries will also be placed into a final drawing for kitchen and cooking gear! Please submit your recipes by Friday, December 4th. Submit entries at: https://uwgreenbay.ca1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_4NGL18xYPD6tyct
Lastly, all recipes will be made available through a digital cookbook so you can try lots of new recipes this fall and winter!