Eating seasonally is such a great way to connect with our environment and gives (for me anyway) such an appreciation for each of the veggies in their own season.  I love how it forces me to get creative with your cooking using what is available to me first. 

To provide you with some added inspiration, here are a few of my favourite ways of eating some of the vegetables filling fridges this time of year....

Arugala

- I love this just eating it by itself or on sandwiches or in a salad. 

- It can also be made into a lovely pesto.

Apples

- aside from eating them as is.  I have been baking them.  Sprinkling a little brown sugar (or maple syrup), oatmeal, and flour on them for a sweet after dinner treat.

Beets

- Juice them.  Amazingly good and sweet.  I usually add carrots and an apple for extra sweetness and goodness.

- Roasting them till they carmalize is also fabulous.  Their natural sweetness is amplified.  I usually add walnuts and feta cheese for an extra yum factor.

- Winter soups are great too.  Borscht is great and can be made to use almost all local ingredients.  It can also be made vegetarian.  Here is one recipe: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/ukrainian-red-borscht-soup/

- Add them to your mashed potatoes for a hot pink flare!

- I also add them into a yummy chocolate cake.  Here's a link to one that is even gluten-free.  http://homecooking.about.com/od/dessertrecipes/r/blc125.htm

- I even leave the peels on.

Carrots

- They too make yummy juice:)  You can mix in an apple for added sweetness.

- This is my new favourite salad:  5 cups carrots, 1/2 cup of soaked raisins or currants (use 1/2 cup of soak water for the dressing), 3 tbsp tahini, 1.5 tbsp maple syrup, 2 tbsp lemon juice, 1/8 tsp cinnamon.  This recipe is super easy to make, tastes like carrot cake and is best the day after.

- They can also be put in christmas cookies and cakes:)

Kale

- okay I love the Kale chips:)  Just bake them coated in olive oil and a little salt at 350f for about 5-10 minutes.  I then sprinkle on nutritional yeast for an extra yum (and nutrition) factor.  I will eat these by themselves or for a meal on a bed of quinoa with a poached fresh organic egg on top:)

Swiss Chard

- This is my all-time favourite green!  I love it in omelets, soups, stir-fries, and even pasta sauces (or as a pesto). 

- My favourite way to prepare it is to saute them with a little Braggs (a fermented soy product) and use them to top my veggie sandwiches (replacing lettuce this time of year).

Squash

- I have been baking these and eating them with tomato sauce or with a little butter and maple syrup baked into them.

- The smaller squash (delicata, sweet dumpling, butternut, and acorn) I bake the night before and have been using it as a sweet spread on toast in the morning.  That with a poached egg on top - super yummy.

- Did you know the skins of winter squash are edible too:)