What’s in Season? January Produce (Plus, a new “shop my kitchen” page!)

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Happy New Year, everyone! This monthly guide is coming to you one day late because, well, Champagne. Now that the holiday cookies are all gone, I’m ready to get back to fruits and vegetables. Healthy, detoxifying, feel-good seasonal produce—we’re entering the coldest months for growing, but we still have plenty to choose from.

You’ll find recipes and tips below, as well as a handy graphic at the bottom that you can pin for reference, if you’d like. And for more seasonal recipes, follow my winter recipes board on Pinterest. Thanks again to Becky for letting me base this resource on her “Eat Seasonal” monthly seasonal produce lists.

One more thing—I’ve been working hard on a new resource that I hope you’ll love! I get a lot of questions about which blender I use and whatnot, so I set up a page where you can literally shop my kitchen! You’ll find all the kitchen tools that make cooking healthy easier on my new “shop my kitchen” page.

I only included products that I own and love. I just ordered a few more items to replace stuff I don’t love, so I can test them out before I recommend them. I added a link to the “Shop” underneath my photo in the sidebar, too, so it’ll be waiting there for you when you’re in the market for a new vegetable peeler. Or soup pot. Or waffle iron. (You have a waffle iron, right?) Check it out!

Beets

I’m slowly changing my tune about beets, but I still don’t have any beet recipes on the blog. (Coming soon, I promise.) Beets are tremendously earthy and can be eaten fresh, cooked or roasted. Some, like the golden variety, are pretty sweet. Beets elsewhere:

• Baked Rosemary Beet Chips by Minimalist Baker (featured above!)
• Beet Bourguignon by Green Kitchen Stories
• Penne Pasta in a Roasted Beet Sauce by Bev Cooks
• Warm Kale, Quinoa and Balsamic Beet Salad by The First Mess

 

broccoli

As it turns out, broccoli is totally irresistible once roasted with olive oil and sea salt. Like all brassicas, broccoli goes great with garlic, ginger, red pepper flakes and other bold flavors. Select small, tightly packed florets with minimal brown spots. Broccoli elsewhere:

• Asian Quinoa Broccoli Slaw by Mountain Mama Cooks
• Ginger Broccoli with Forbidden Rice by A House in the Hills
• Roasted Broccoli Grilled Cheese by Two Peas and Their Pod
• Simple, Salty, Sweet + Nutty Broccoli Soba by The First Mess

View more C+K broccoli recipes ↣

Brussels Sprouts

My beloved Brussels sprouts are still in season! These poor baby cabbages have been maligned for years because someone decided to boil them to soggy, sulfurous deaths. I absolutely love roasted, caramelized Brussels and super crispy fried sprouts that I order at restaurants every chance I can get. I like to shred sprouts in my food processor and use them in slaws—they’re more fine and less watery than their full-sized cabbage cousins. Brussels Sprouts elsewhere:

• Brown Butter Brussels Sprouts Pasta with Hazelnuts by Two Peas and Their Pod
• Brussels Sprouts Potato Gratin by Cafe Johnsonia
• Maple Balsamic Roasted Brussels Sprouts by Love and Lemons
• Super Food Bowls by Vintage Mixer

View more C+K Brussels sprout recipes ↣

cabbage

I just learned that cabbage is in season all year long! Cousin to broccoli, this potent anti-cancerous cruciferous vegetable is great raw, in slaws, roasted in pieces, or chopped and sautéed with olive oil and garlic. Select cabbages with compact heads that feel heavy for the their size. Cabbage generally keeps for a pretty long time in the vegetable crisper, so it’s a good ingredient to keep on hand. Cabbage elsewhere:

• Kale and Cabbage Coleslaw with Marcona Almonds by Foodie Crush
• Pasilla Chile and Lime Cabbage Slaw by Sprouted Kitchen
• Sesame-Crusted Avocado and Cabbage Spring Rolls by Naturally Ella
• Sweet Potato and Black Bean Tacos with Cilantro Cabbage Slaw by Mountain Mama Cooks

View more C+K cabbage recipes ↣

Citrus fruits

Citrus shows up every year when the sky goes gray and we’re in desperate need of some bright color. You can find some great grapefruit, lemon, orange, clementine and tangerine in stores right now. I use lemon in my favorite salad dressing, it tastes so fresh! Citrus fruits elsewhere:

• Beet, Kale, and Kohlrabi Salad with Grapefruit Vinaigrette by A Couple Cooks
• Kale Citrus Salad with Orange Tahini Dressing by Edible Perspective
• Preserved Lemon Quinoa with Shaved Brussels and Toasted Walnuts by Simple Bites
• Sparkling Grapefruit Sangria by How Sweet Eats

View more C+K lemon recipes ↣

kale

We all love kale, and for good reason! It’s tremendously good for you and totally delicious, given the right preparation. Chop kale for stir-fries or a side of greens (sauté in olive oil and garlic), or massage it with a dash of salt for salads (see any of my kale salads for further instruction), or lightly coat roughly chopped kale with olive oil and roast it for kale chips. You can also blend kale into smoothies or juice it. Kale elsewhere:

• Kale, Spinach and Pear Smoothies by Joy the Baker
• Kale Caesar Salad with Crispy Garbanzo Bean Croutons by Mountain Mama Cooks
• Kale with Japanese Sesame Dressing by Yummy Supper
• Mushroom and Kale Grilled Cheese by Foodie Crush

View more C+K kale recipes ↣

Leeks

I’ve cooked with leeks before, but they haven’t made it to the blog yet. Leeks are related to onions and garlic and have a mild, oniony flavor. They grow in bundled “leaf sheaths” that look similar to celery stalks. You probably won’t want to cook with the dark green parts, which are pretty tough. They’re pretty difficult to clean because dirt gets in between the sheaths. Here’s how to clean them. Leeks elsewhere:

• Braised Leeks and Muscovado Lentils by Sprouted Kitchen
• Lemony Leeks with Chickpeas and Feta by My New Roots
• Quinoa with Leeks and Herbs by A Couple Cooks
• Roasted Cauliflower and Leek Soup by Love and Lemons

 

parsnips

Parsnips are root vegetables that look like off-white carrots with parsley-like, leafy tops. Unsurprisingly, they’re related to both carrots and parsley. Parsnips are usually served roasted or cooked, but can also be eaten raw. They’re particularly high in potassium. I don’t have any parsnip recipes (yet), but I’ll work on that! Parsnips elsewhere:

• Root Vegetable Salad with Pearl Couscous and Lemon-Tahini Dressing by Naturally Ella (shown above!)
• Paprika Parsnip Fries with Preserved Lemon Cashew Cream Sauce by A House in the Hills
• Parsnip Cake with Cardamom Cream by The Vanilla Bean Blog
• Parsnip Parmesan Truffle Fries by Climbing Grier Mountain

 

Pomegranate

I saw pomegranates weighing heavy on trees in Israel in November. Pomegranates yield the most gorgeous, ruby-colored, juicy gems called arils. The only tricky part is getting the arils out of the pomegranate shell and membrane. I’ve tried a few methods and always go back to this one. Another good option? My friend Melissa’s mess-free technique. I love to add pomegranate to salad in place of dried cranberries or add a sprinkling of pomegranate to my oatmeal or yogurt with granola. Pomegranate elsewhere:

• 5-Ingredient Pear Pomegranate Salsa by Gimme Some Oven
• Chili-Roasted Tofu with Minted Pomegranate Relish by Sprouted Kitchen
• Pomegranate, Kale and Wild Rice Salad by Pinch of Yum
• Pomegranate Orange Sangria by Completely Delicious

View more C+K pomegranate recipes ↣

potatoes

Who doesn’t love a crispy potato? I sure do. Roasting cubes of potatoes brings out way more flavor than boiling them. Varieties outside of the standard Russet (especially the more colorful potatoes) tend to offer more nutritional value. Buy organic! Potatoes elsewhere:

• Crispy Salt and Vinegar Fingerling Potatoes with Fresh Chives by Climbing Greer Mountain
• Easy Garlic Mashed Potatoes by Vintage Mixer
• Potato Breakfast Gratin with Red Peppers & Parmesan by The Kitchn
• Roasted Potato and Paprika Chickpea Salad by A House in the Hills

View more C+K potato recipes ↣

Sweet Potatoes

I used to hate sweet potatoes! Then I tried a savory sweet potato fry and changed my tune. I still don’t enjoy sweetened sweet potatoes (marshmallow sweet potato casserole, no thank you), but I could live off of salted, caramelized, roasted sweet potato. I especially love Mexican-style sweet potatoes with black beans, salsa verde and hot sauce! Sweet potatoes elsewhere:

• Crispy Sweet Potato Roast by Smitten Kitchen
• Miso-Maple Sweet Potato Tacos by Love and Lemons
• Sweet Potato Granola by Minimalist Baker
• Vanilla Bean Sweet Potato Waffles by Joy the Baker

View more C+K sweet potato recipes ↣

Turnips

Well, turnips are still foreign to me. Turnips look like white radishes. They often have a cute blush of pink or purple near the top, where the sunlight hit the turnip while it was still in the ground. The larger the turnip, the more intense the flavor. From what I can gather, you’ll probably appreciate the turnip flavor more once it’s been cooked. Turnips elsewhere:

• Sesame-Roasted Turnips with Barley (shown above!) by Naturally Ella
• Lentil and Turnip Soup with Pounded Walnuts by Turntable Kitchen
• Sweet Potato and Parsnip Latkes by Kitchen Confidante
• Turnip Gratin with Blue Cheese by Bijouxs

 

winter squash

True to its name, winter squash is still in season! I’ve seen butternut, delicata, spaghetti, acorn and kabocha lately. Most winter squash (like butternut and kabocha, but not delicata) have thick skins that usually need to be removed. Squash elsewhere:

• Butternut Squash Black Bean Tostadas by Two Peas and Their Pod
• Ginger Butternut Squash Soup by Naturally Ella
• Slow Cooker Butternut Squash Risotto by Vintage Mixer
• Vegan Butternut Squash Queso by The First mess

View more C+K butternut squash recipes ↣

Looking for an ingredient that didn’t make the list? Check my new ingredient index for relevant recipes.

More resources you might appreciate: 16 recipes that pack well for lunch (see also, lunch packing tips), 14 simple weeknight dinners and your 10 favorite recipes from 2014.