Fall Harvest Foods & Recipes
Cary Aspinwall
Posted Oct 22, 2008
Fall isn't just cooler weather and colorful foliage, it's the season to
enjoy a harvest of squashes, cranberries, pears, pumpkins and sweet potatoes.
The best part: These fall treats are loaded with healthy nutrients and
antioxidants (those essential cancer-preventing cell protectors).
Registered dietitian Rene Norman of Nutrition Consultants of Tulsa has
been working on an autumn harvest menu for upcoming gatherings with family and
friends. She's planning dishes with cranberries, butternut squash and a
pear-and-walnut topped salad.
"There's just so many wonderful choices," Norman said.
All the research surrounding nutrition and health has shown that people
who base their eating on fruits, vegetables and whole grains live much
healthier lives, so trying these seasonal favorites in new ways can benefit
your health, she said.
So roast some sweet potatoes for dinner, top your salads with sliced
pears and toasted pecans or walnuts -- or bake some spaghetti squash to use in
place of pasta.
Another bonus? Seasonal ingredients such as squash and pears often can be
found on sale this time of year at grocery stores -- so they can save you
money, too.
Cranberries
Antioxidant-rich cranberries also contain chemicals that can prevent
bacteria from sticking to the lining of the bladder and have proven e6ective
in tests at preventing recurring urinary tract infections (mostly in women),
Norman said. Another small study showed cranberries may help prevent
periodontal disease --that is, if you don't load them up with sugar, she said.
Her secret: a cranberry vinaigrette, made with her homemade cranberry
vinegar. It's a musthave at her family's Thanksgiving and Christmas
gatherings, served on top of a salad with dark, leafy greens, sliced pears and
toasted pecans or walnuts. It's easy enough for everyday cooking, but it also
makes a great holiday gift, she said.
CRANBERRY VINEGAR
1 (12-ounce) bottle of white wine or champagne vinegar
1 cup fresh cranberries
1. Put vinegar in a non-reactive pan (stainless steel, enamel coated or
tempered glass). Add cranberries and cover pan. Bring to a boil and let boil
for about 5 minutes or until you hear most of the cranberries pop.
2. Take o6 burner and let cool. Once cool, pour mixture through a fine
mesh sieve and press out as much juice as possible. Trans fer to bottles or
jars for storage.
CRANBERRY VINAIGRETTE
1/2
cup cranberry vinegar
1 cup olive or canola oil
1 to 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
Cracked pepper (to taste)
1. Whisk ingredients together in bowl and toss with salad greens. This
recipe, from the Food Network's Juan-Carlos Cruz, combines two healthy fall
favorites--tart, dried cranberries and walnuts --with quinoa, a protein-rich
grain (though it's technically a seed) similar to couscous. You can find it at
most grocery and health food stores near the pasta and rice.
CRANBERRY WALNUT QUINOA SALAD
1 cup quinoa
1 cup dried cranberries
1 cup frozen green beans, defrosted
1/4
cup walnuts, chopped
1/4 cup green onions, sliced
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1. Combine quinoa with 2 cups water in a medium saucepan and bring to a
boil over high heat. Reduce heat to a simmer, cover, and continue cooking
until all water is absorbed.
2. In a medium bowl, combine cooked quinoa, dried cranberries, green
beans, walnuts, and green onions until well-mixed. In a small bowl, whisk the
balsamic vinegar, olive oil, and garlic until well blended. Pour over the
quinoa mixture. Toss until well-blended. Season with salt and pepper, to
taste. Chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes before serving.
Pumpkin
Pumpkin is a nutritional superstar because it's high in fiber, low in
calories and loaded with nutrients, including potassium, magnesium, vitamins C
and E and carotenoids, the diseasefighting, red-, yellow- and orange-hued
antioxidants. It can be used as a side dish, mashed with sweet potatoes,
pureed into soup or pasta filling -- but most of us like it best in pie.
We found this healthy pumpkin pie recipe on a Washington Post blog --and
it's really good -- honest! Just don't tell anyone there's tofu in it.
TOFU PUMPKIN PIE
1 (16-ounce) package of silken tofu, drained
1 (15-ounce) can unsweetened pumpkin puree
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Blend tofu and pumpkin in a food
processor until combined, looking orange. Add sugar and vanilla and blend
until well-combined. With a rubber spatula, scoop mixture out of food
processor bowl and into a medium mixing bowl.
2. Add remaining ingredients and stir by hand until they are well
integrated. Pour into 9-inch pie shell. Place pie shell on a baking tray,
which goes into the oven.
3. Bake at 425 for 15 minutes, then reduce heat to 325 degrees. Bake for
about 45 minutes, until filling is nearly set. You may also notice slight
cracks, which is a good indication that filling is set. Remove from oven and
cool about 1 hour. Cover with foil and place in refrigerator until cold, at
least one hour. Best served cold.
Butternut (and other squashes)
Butternut squash is a nutritional powerhouse, and it's Norman's favorite.
Acorn, delicate, gold nugget and spaghetti squash are also good choices, but
they don't quite have the nutritional punch of butternut (or its sweet taste),
she said. A cup of baked butternut squash provides a mere 82 calories, several
days' worth of Vitamin A as beta-carotene and an excellent amount of fiber,
vitamins and minerals. The best way to use it? Cut it in half, scrape the
seeds and strings out and roast it on a sheet pan lined with foil at 350
degrees for 45 minutes until tender.
Here's how Rene Norman gets three out of four members of her family to
eat squash.
BUTTERNUT SQUASH MASH
2 cups baked, mashed butternut squash
1 tablespoon dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon healthier butter spread (such as Smart Balance or Land
o'Lakes spreadable butter)
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice
1. Stir mashed squash with butter, brown sugar and pumpkin pie spice. It
should taste like pumpkin pie, without all the fat and sugar.
Cary Aspinwall 581-8477 cary.aspinwall@tulsaworld.com
Date: Oct 16, 2008
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