With heartier vegetables turning up at the farmer's market and temperatures cooling enough to stand having the oven on, fall brings all kinds of possibilities back to the kitchen.
"At this time of year, I love acorn squash — it's really delicious," Dr. Shari Lipner, an associate professor of clinical dermatology at the Weill Cornell Medical Center, tells TODAY.com.
She roasts it in the oven with a bit of butter and a drizzle of honey and serves it alongside a lean protein, like chicken or salmon. The squash can take a while to cook (often up to an hour, depending on the recipe), but it's worth the wait, she says.
For Dr. Elizabeth Comen, a medical oncologist treating breast cancer at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, her love of butternut squash comes with a wave of nostalgia.
"As a little girl, my mother used to bake butternut squash with a tiny bit of butter, cinnamon and brown sugar," she, tells TODAY.com. "I either cube the squash or slice it in half and bake in the oven. It’s an easy, healthy dish that tastes almost like dessert."
And there are some big nutritional benefits, too. "Classically fall foods, like butternut squash and pumpkin, are rich in vitamins and fiber," she explains.
Get 8 more MD-approved meal ideas.
