That’s OK. However, let’s not lose sight of the importance of
using healthy ingredients in our recipes.
I’m referring to unbleached white flour or whole wheat regular or pastry flours for our baking needs; stone ground and sprouted whole wheat breads and rolls for sandwiches and stuffing; brown rice and wild rice instead of white rice for our side dishes; and unprocessed sweeteners as opposed to bleached, processed sugar.
Every one of your decadent chocolate desserts can be made with granulated, crystallized cane juice, which is the same as sugar but has not been processed and bleached. It’s pure and available at your local health food store as Sucanat. Try using raw unfiltered honey, brown rice syrup, barley malt or maple syrup. The health supermarkets carry grain-sweetened or Sucanat-sweetened chocolate chips, or you can use unsweetened chocolate and sweeten it yourself. Rather than using chemically laden artificial sweeteners for your drinks, try Stevia powder, a natural herb. It is sold in
pre-measured packets at your local health food store.
Watching carbohydrates during this season is very important for those concerned about their weight. Instead
of preparing side dishes made with flour, couscous and pasta, try eating whole grains such as wild rice, brown rice, barley, quinoa, buckwheat groats, wheatberries and oats. These carbs react differently in the body and don’t produce cravings like processed carbs.
These wiser choices are kinder to your body for easier digestion and elimination and have more nutritional value. There is no reason to deprive yourself during the holidays, but it makes sense to use healthy ingredients for all your favorite recipes. Buy produce in its own season as much as possible. Many fruits and vegetables are held in cold storage for months. Pears in the summer are from last year’s crop.
In the fall they are in their prime.
This month I have chosen two recipes that use foods from the autumn harvest: pears, butternut squash and sweet potatoes. I hope you enjoy these delicious dishes. In the
spirit of the holidays, share them with family and friends.
A happy and healthy Thanksgiving to all. 
Eddie Grosman is a personal health and fitness chef.
E-mail him at grosman@theparklander.com
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GOLDEN PEAR-SQUASH SOUP
This is a slightly sweet, slightly tart soup. Just heat gently and serve.
Serves 6
1 1/2 pounds Butternut squash
4 cups water
1 3-inch stick cinnamon
1 1/4 teaspoons sea salt (or to taste)
3 large pears (Bosc, Anjou or Bartlett)
2 tablespoons canola or grapeseed oil
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon dry white wine
1/3 cup low fat milk, unflavored silk or rice milk
a few pinches of ground white pepper
1) Peel butternut squash and cut into small pieces. Place the squash in a small saucepan with water, cinnamon stick and salt. Bring to a boil, cover and simmer about 15 minutes until tender. Remove cover and let simmer an additional five minutes over medium heat. Remove and discard cinnamon stick. Set aside.
2) Peel and core pears and cut them into thin slices.
3) In a skillet, sauté pears in canola or grapeseed oil for about five minutes over medium heat, stirring frequently. Add 1/4 cup plus one tablespoon wine, cover, and simmer 10-12 minutes more over medium heat.
4) Using a food processor with the steel blade or blender, puree the squash and its water together with the pear and its juices until smooth. Do this process in several small batches. Transfer the contents to a soup pot.
5) Add the low fat milk, rice or silk milk and the
additional tablespoon of white wine. Sprinkle with white pepper. Heat very gently just before serving, making sure
it doesn't cook or boil.
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TWICE BAKED SWEET POTATOES
A different way to serve sweet potatoes. Elegant and delicious.
Serves 6
6 small to medium sweet potatoes
1/4 cup pure maple syrup, honey or brown rice syrup
1/4 cup cup skim, silk or rice milk
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon minced parsley (for garnish)
1) Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Bake sweet potatoes for 30-45 minutes until soft but firm. Remove from oven and set aside until cool.
2) Cut 1/2 inch lengthwise off the top of each potato and remove the cap. Spoon out the flesh from the cap and place in a medium size bowl. Discard the skin of the cap.
3) Carefully scoop out the flesh of each potato into
the bowl leaving 1/4 inch of the potato, bottom and sides. Set the empty shells aside.
4) Mash the contents of the bowl with a potato masher until smooth. Stir in brown rice syrup, honey or maple syrup, milk and cinnamon until combined thoroughly.
5) Place the mashed potato evenly back into the 6 shells. Place them back in the oven for 15 minutes, remove, sprinkle with minced parsley and serve.
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