Chef Keith Snow focuses on seasonal recipes and local ingredients in his new cookbook.

Like many interested in healthful eating, we’ve been trying to skew our diet toward more seasonal and local ingredients, but we haven’t always been sure where to turn for delicious, simple recipes. Many locavores in the know have already bookmarked HarvestEating.com, where chef Keith Snow has shared his tips, recipes and video instructions for finding and preparing seasonal foods for the past three years. Now, Snow has compiled The Harvest Eating Cookbook (Running Press, 2009) with more than 200 recipes for appetizers, sandwiches, breads, soups, salads, sides, main dishes, desserts, drinks and more. In January, Snow is slated to host a new show, Harvest Eating With Chef Snow, on PBS.

The North Carolina-based chef says that eating what’s in season is “a lifestyle of cooking and eating using methods that have been practiced for centuries all over the globe.” Each recipe in the book has a symbol to denote when fresh ingredients are readily available. Warm up in the winter with Caribbean chicken, celebrate spring with pasta primavera and lighten up in the summer with grilled vegetables Napoleon. (Plus, take a look at Snow’s canning and preserving tips.) Following is one of our fave recipes for a mouthwatering fall side dish.

Mashed Butternut Squash
1 medium (about 1 pound) butternut squash
3 tablespoons cultured butter
1 teaspoon local honey
Juice of ½ lime
¼ cup fresh local apple cider
Pinch of cinnamon
Pinch of curry powder
Kosher salt, to taste
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Chopped fresh chives

Cut the squash in half and remove the seeds. Steam the squash halves in a stovetop steamer until fork-tender, about 20 minutes. Scoop out the flesh into a large bowl. Add the butter, honey, lime juice, cider, cinnamon and curry; mash until smooth. Season with salt and pepper to taste and garnish with chives before serving.

Makes 5 servings.

NUTRITION SCORE (per serving)
103 calories
61% fat
Fat 7 g
Carbs 11 g
Protein 1 g
Fiber 2.4 g
Calcium 35 mg
Iron 0.5 mg
Sodium 5 mg (before salting)

The local honey is a nice touch; we recently told you how to help with the plight of honeybees. What are your favorite local tastes of autumn?

Tags: Alcoholic beverages, Asian cuisine, Butternut squash, Caribbean, Chef, Cider, Cuisine, Curry, Hospitality/Recreation, Indian cuisine, Japanese cuisine, Karnataka cuisine, Keith Snow, Napoleon, North Carolina, North Carolina-based chef, Pakistani cuisine