What better way to celebrate the spirit of the season than to create some dishes featuring the cream of the crop. Chef Kathleen Daelemans, author of "Getting Thin & Loving Food," was invited on the “Today” show to share a pumpkin and squash menu. Here are the recipes:

Pumpkin Chai
Serves 4

This is a delicious dessert without all the calories of a super fattening stint at the cake platter. And it's wonderful to sip on cold nights in front of the fire in your comfiest PJs, in the coziest chair with that book you've been meaning to read. Whip up a batch of pumpkin chai and indulge.

7 cups water
1 tablespoon fennel seed
6 green cardamom pods
12 whole cloves
1 cinnamon stick
1-1/4 inch piece of ginger root peeled, thinly sliced
6 black peppercorns
2 tablespoons Darjeeling tea
1 cup milk
1/4 cup canned pumpkin
4 tablespoons brown sugar
1 cup milk

In a medium saucepan, combine water, fennel seed, cardamom, cloves, cinnamon stick, ginger root and peppercorns. Bring to a boil, boil five minutes, Remove from the heat and steep 10 minutes.

Place pot back on stove. Add the tea, bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer five minutes. Strain, discard spices, return the tea to the sauce pan and whisk in pumpkin, brown sugar and milk. Serve immediately.

Tip: Chai is a great leftover. Store in airtight container. Reheat on stove over medium heat or in the microwave.

Pumpkin Chai Milkshake: Place 1 cup vanilla ice cream in blender with canned pumpkin to taste (about 1 tablespoon per milkshake) and blend with 2 tablespoons of room temperature or cold pumpkin chai (more or less) until mixture is milkshake-thick. Serves 1.

Buttercup Squash, Avocado, Cranberry Salad
Serves 8

This salad is particularly suited for fall and winter, when squash is plentiful. The salad is polka dotted with sweet tart cherries, making it the perfect holiday side dish. The recipe calls for you to microwave the squash for simplicity's sake, but it can easily be made with roasted squash, too.

1 medium buttercup squash, about 2 to 2-1/4 pounds, cut in half and seeded
4 tablespoons nonfat Greek-style yogurt
1/4 cup orange juice
2 tablespoons lemon juice
Coarse grained salt and cracked black pepper
2 avocados, peeled, seeded and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 cup dried cranberries

Place squash in microwave and cook on high 5 minutes. Remove. Cut in half, remove and discard seeds. Place a sheet of microwave-proof plastic wrap on the floor of your microwave, and place squash halves cut side down on the plastic. Microwave on high 5 to 7 minutes or until squash is cooked through, but not mushy.

While the squash is cooking, prepare the dressing. In a large salad bowl, whisk together yogurt, orange juice, lemon juice, salt and pepper.

Lay squash cut-side down on a cutting board and, using your hands, gently peel off the skin and discard. Cut squash into bite-size pieces, and add to bowl with dressing. Add avocado and cranberries, and stir until completely coated. Serve immediately.

Tip: You can use pie pumpkin or any hard winter squash you like.

Squash and Tortellini Soup
Serves 4 to 6 

I've made this soup with all kinds of squash to pleasing results each time. It doesn't really matter what kind of squash you use as long as it's a variety you like. If you've never cooked with squash, this is the perfect excuse to start.

Pump up the flavor: Add a pinch of cinnamon, ground ginger or nutmeg to the soup just before serving. Alternatively, a sprinkling of chopped cilantro and a squeeze of fresh lime juice will add a gorgeous brightness to the whole dish. How you season the dish depends largely on the flavor of tortellini you choose.

Sodium watchers: The recipe calls for 2 cups of chicken stock and 2 cups of water, but if you have homemade stock on hand, by all means use 4 cups of pure stock. Otherwise, store-bought low sodium stocks are still pretty salty, which is why I call for 2 cups of stock and 2 cups of water.

Up the nutrition: Add any leftover veggies you have on hand. Drained and rinsed beans, such as black or white, are an easy way to add protein to the meal. Add chopped baby spinach, Swiss chard, beet greens or bok choy to soup just before serving. Alternatively, skip the tortellini and serve soup with a hunk of warm whole grain bread and a simple garden lettuce salad.

Shortcut: If you're not going to bother blending the soup, you can cook the pasta directly in the soup. It looks nicer blended, but your tummy will never know the difference. It's better to eat healthy than skip eating healthy because recipes seem too hard.

1 medium butternut or buttercup squash, about 2-1/2 pounds, cut in half
2 cups low sodium chicken broth
2 cups water
1 (9-ounce) package of fresh tortellini; or 4 servings dried tortellini, cooked

Place a sheet of microwave-proof plastic wrap on the floor of your microwave and place squash halves, cut-side down, on the plastic. Microwave on high 12 to 15 minutes or until squash is cooked through, but not mushy.

When squash is cool enough to handle, scoop out squash seeds and "strings," discard. Scrape squash meat directly into a soup pot.

Add chicken broth and water and bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer. Taste and adjust seasonings with salt and pepper. If you want a smooth soup, remove from heat and blend. Put soup back on burner, add tortellini and cook just until pasta is heated through. Serve immediately.

Oven-Baked Kabocha Squash Stuffed With Broccoli and Cheese
Serves 4

This is a super easy recipe to get on the table when you're in the mood for soul soothing comfort food. Think cheesy, delicious casserole — baked in a pumpkin. It has all the flavors of fall and winter, hits the spot on cold nights and is showy enough to bring along for potlucks and to include on holiday tables.

1 medium Kabocha squash, about 2 pounds
4 egg whites
1/4 cup low fat or whole milk
2 garlic gloves, grated
1 teaspoon dried thyme or 1 tablespoon fresh thyme
2 cups whole wheat bread, cut into small squares, about 3 slices
1 cup loosely packed, freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup bite-size broccoli florets
Coarse salt and cracked black pepper to taste

Pre-heat oven to 350º. Place squash in microwave for 5 minutes on high. Remove. Cut the top off as you would a pumpkin you're getting ready to carve. Using a large soup spoon, remove and discard seeds. Scoop squash meat from squash top only and place in medium mixing bowl. You should have about 1/2 cup of squash meat. Discard squash top or reserve for garnish.

In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together egg whites, milk, garlic and thyme. Add bread to bowl with squash meat, and stir until combined and bread has become mush. Stir in cheese, broccoli and salt and pepper to taste. Mix until thoroughly combined. Spoon mixture into bottom half of Kabocha squash. Place on a cookie sheet and bake until golden brown and set, about 50 minutes.

Tip: You can prepare this recipe using pie pumpkins or any small squash you like. Kabocha and buttercup squashes are particularly suited for this recipe because they're very sweet and are the perfect size and shape. 

Make ahead tip: You can make this ahead of time up to the point of baking. Store tightly wrapped in plastic in refrigerator until ready to bake. Let stand on kitchen counter a few minutes before baking.

Holiday Pumpkin Breakfast Cake
Serves 10 to 12

This delicious cake is perfect for holiday brunches, lazy Sunday mornings and lunches calling for an elegant, yet simple dessert. It's easy enough to prepare and is delightful served warm right from the oven.

The recipe calls for sugar, butter and egg yolks, but a reduced quantity of each. Mind your portions, don't skip your workouts and there's no reason you can't indulge a little over the holidays.

1 (2-pound) Kabocha or sweet squash
1-1/4 cups cake flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon ginger powder
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1-1/2 sticks of butter, room temperature
3/4 cup sugar + 1/3 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 egg yolks, divided
1/2 cup Kabocha squash puree

To prepare the squash
Preheat oven to 350º. Spray a 9-inch spring form pan with cooking spray. Set aside. Place whole squash in microwave and cook on high 10 minutes. The squash will be unevenly cooked, some parts will be more cooked and softer than others. This is OK. Cut in half. Remove and discard seeds. Scoop 1/2 cup of the softest squash into small bowl. Set aside. Cube or dice remaining squash into bite-size pieces. Set aside.

To prepare dry ingredients
Sift together flour, baking powder, ginger and cinnamon. Set aside.

Prepare batter
Cream butter, sugar and salt in mixer on medium high speed until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Turn off mixer, scrape down sides. Add vanilla. Turn mixer to medium speed and add egg yolks, one at a time, mixing thoroughly after each addition until completely incorporated. Add the 1/2 cup of soft squash and mix well. Remove to a large bowl.

Prepare the egg whites
Wash bowl of electric mixer and wipe dry. Place egg whites in bowl and whip on medium speed until frothy. Add remaining 1/3 cup sugar and beat to stiff peaks.

Finalize cake batter
Stir 1/3 of egg whites into pumpkin batter. Mix well. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold remaining egg whites into batter until just combined. Gently fold in dry ingredients and mix until thoroughly combined. Pour into a prepared 9-inch spring form pan. Using a spatula, spread batter evenly in pan. Sprinkle diced squash over cake and gently push into batter. It's okay and desirable to leave some of the squash sticking up out of the batter.

Bake 45 to 50 minutes or until golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Recipe notes: This recipe is best made with Kabocha or buttercup squash because their thin skins are edible. If you choose to use any other type of squash that has skin you don't want to eat, peel it first. 

Pumpkin Blizzard
Serves 4

After a long afternoon of raking leaves or playing touch football, there's nothing like an icy pumpkin blizzard to cool you off. You don't have to blow a week's worth of calories if you practice a little portion control and use low fat ice cream and skim milk. Add a little ice to the milkshake just before blending to increase the volume without increasing calories.

4 cups low-fat vanilla ice cream
1/4 cup canned pumpkin
1/2 cup skim or low-fat milk, more or less, depending on how thick you like your shake
4 graham crackers

Blend ice cream, pumpkin and milk until milkshake-thick. Add graham crackers, pulse once more and serve immediately.

Recipes courtesy of Kathleen Daelemans

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