With today marking the official start of fall, it’s good to find ways to use the many vegetables ripening in farmers’ fields, says Paolo Vasapolli, executive chef in Food and Catering Services.

“The combinations of flavours and colours available make this an easy time of year to eat healthy,” he says.

Vasapolli offers a recipe that concentrates nutrients gathered from several sources: protein from quinoa, vitamins from sweet potato, flavonoids from cranberry, antioxidants and fibre from kale. Plus it’s gluten-free and vegan.

Quinoa Stuffed Sweet Potatoes (serves eight)

Ingredients

• 4 sweet potatoes
• 1 cup of quinoa
• 2 cups vegetable broth
• 1 small onion, diced
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 2 cups of kale, chopped into small pieces
• ½ cup of toasted slivered almonds
• ¼ cup of dried cranberries
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Bake the sweet potatoes in a 350° F oven for about an hour or until fork tender.

While they are baking, bring the vegetable broth to boil in a saucepan, add the quinoa and cover, then simmer for 15 minutes.

Sauté the onion in the olive oil with a pinch of salt; cook until soft. Add in the kale, almonds and cranberries and sauté until the kale is soft—about three minutes. Add the cooked quinoa to the frying pan with the rest of the ingredients and mix together.

To serve, halve the sweet potatoes lengthwise and top with the finished mixture.