Health for Life Cooking in October

Autumn Stew

As much as I hate to see summer come to an end, there is something inside of me that looks forward to the comforts of fall.....long sleeve shirts, comfy sweaters, warming up to the fire place on a cold night, and soup! I love a good hearty stew on a cool night. And this one really hits the spot! This could be called Three Sisters Stew because it contains the three sisters: squash, beans, and corn. And of course I have to throw in some greens! This soup would be a great addition to your holiday feast. Served in a hollowed out, lightly cooked pumpkin, it would make a great looking center piece. Much prettier than a dead bird!

Lentil Loaf w/ Mushroom Gravy

I love lentils and I love rice! Put them together, add some onion, garlic, mushrooms, just the right seasonings and top it with a delicious mushroom gravy and you have a very tasty, filling and satisfying dish that's fit for a king! I made this for a potluck with a mixed crowd of veggies and meat eaters, and those who tried it seemed to really like it.



Pumpkin Bread

I don't do a lot of baking because I can't seem to leave the stuff alone if it sits on the counter for more than 5 minutes! I do love to bake though, especially in the winter, and some of my favorite baked goods have pumpkin in them. That's a good thing because pumpkin will increase the nutrient value significantly because of the beta carotene......that orange color in the pumpkin. This pumpkin bread is made with freshly ground 100% whole wheat flour. It has no extracted oils but does have some minimally processed organic cane sugar that has a hint of molasses flavor that really adds to the rich flavor of this bread. It also contains walnuts, but you could leave the walnuts out. However, the oils from the nuts help to make this bread just a little bit lighter.

And there you have it! Health for Life cooking for the month of October. Class dates are Wednesday October 6th, Tuesday October 12th, and Tuesday October 19th. Hope to see you in class!

April