Plenty of Pumpkins

During the fall season pumpkins are readily available at your local farmers market.  We generally associate pumpkins with pumpkin pie during the holidays but there are many more recipes available to make with this heart healthy vegetable. 

Pumpkins are bright orange for a reason.  They are loaded with beta- carotene which can help to protect against heart disease.  This vegetable is low in calories, low in fat, and high in potassium but provides a feeling of fullness due to its high fiber content.  Pumpkin can even serve as a regulator for insulin and blood sugar, which can be beneficial for Diabetes patients.  Another benefit to pumpkins is their seeds, which have an anti inflammatory effect and are loaded with minerals.

According to Jo-Ann Heslin, a registered dietitian and coauthor of The Healthy Wholefoods Counter, “Half a cup of pumpkin pie counts as a serving of vegetables, and if you make it without the crust, you can cut the calories too.”   

When preparing for your holiday meals this year remember that pumpkin pie is not your only option.  Here are some alternatives:

• Pumpkin Muffins
• Pumpkin Cheesecake
• Pumpkin Pancakes
• Pumpkin Soup
• Pumpkin Chili
• Pumpkin Stew
• Pumpkin Fudge

Check out our resources to find all of our recipes!

http://www.farmersmarketfoods.com/

http://lowcarbdiets.about.com/od/whattoeat/a/pumpkin.htm

http://www.pumpkinnook.com/cookbook.htm#recipe

This guest blog was written by Marywood University nutrition students Linda Valvano, Amanda Karosus, Arica Fratarcangeli.

Fall Fresh Recipes!

Using This Year’s Harvest

Posted by guest bloggers:  Brittany Beaton, Brittany Knick, Lindsey Jones, Marywood University Nutrition Students 

Fall is here again and with that brings fresh in season fruits and vegetables from our local farms.  Apples, pumpkins, and squash are harvested daily for all of our enjoyment.  We all know that during this time of year we can attend many fun fall festivities.  The question on everyone’s mind now is:  “What do we do with all these fresh, locally bought produce items?”

Some local farmers markets/farms may have recipes on hand to pass out, where as others you may have to be creative and use some experimentation.   We have made it a little easier by giving you 3 quick, easy and healthy recipes for you and your family to enjoy all the flavors of fall.

First, is a delicious main entrée that incorporates squash with healthy baked chicken.

Squash Stuffed Chicken

Ingredients:

1. 1 tablespoon butter
2. 1/2 cup finely diced acorn squash
3. 1 green bell pepper, diced
4. 1 small fresh onion, finely diced
5. 1 stalk celery, chopped
6. Salt and pepper to taste
7. 4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
8. 2 ounces shredded Cheddar cheese
9. 2 cups all-purpose flour for coating

 Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a 9×13 inch baking dish. In a medium skillet, melt butter or margarine. Add the squash, green bell pepper, onion and celery. Sauté until slightly tender. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Remove from heat, add cheese and mix together.

Slice chicken breasts on the side about 3/4 of the way through. Stuff mixture evenly into each slit chicken breast until full. Dredge each breast in flour to coat completely, and brown coated chicken in skillet.  Place browned chicken breasts in the prepared baking dish, cover and bake in the preheated oven for about 30 minutes or until chicken is cooked through and juices run clear.  

SOURCE: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Squash-Stuffed-Chicken-Breasts/Detail.aspx

Next, use up the rest of your pumpkin in this decadent side dish to add to any main entrée. 

Apple-Stuffed Baked Pumpkin

Ingredients:

1. 2 large baking apples
2. 1 cup dark raisins
3. 1/2 cup chopped almonds
4. 1/2 cup oats
5. 1/2 cup honey (plenty locally this time of year)
6. 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
7. 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
8. 1/8 teaspoon cloves
9. 1/2 cup apple cider
10. 1 tablespoon butter
11. 1 teaspoon orange zest
12. 1 small pumpkin (3 to 5 pounds)

 Cooking Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Carefully cut the top from the pumpkin, and trim and save it. Scoop the seeds and pulp out of the pumpkin.  Pierce the inner cavity with the tines of a fork, place the pumpkin in a deep baking dish and replace the top of the pumpkin. Add about an inch of water to the dish to surround the pumpkin. Place the pumpkin in the oven for 10 minutes.

In a saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter and add the apple cider.  Add the honey, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves and stir until well-mixed.  Add the apples, almonds and oats. Stir well and cover with a lid.  Allow to cook about 10 minutes or until the apples begin to soften.  Remove from heat and stir in the raisins and orange zest.

Spoon hot mixture into the pumpkin, replace the top of the pumpkin and return to the oven for another 40 minutes or until a toothpick can easily pierce the side of the pumpkin. 

SOURCE: http://pcfma.com/cbviewrecipe.php?id=1162418563

Third, try a delicious home cooked dessert, which is low in fat and will also really accentuate the fall aromas. 

Spiced Pears and Pomegranate

Ingredients

1. 3 pears – peeled, cored and cut into wedges
2. 1 pomegranate, skin and light-colored membrane removed
3. 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
4. 2 tablespoons light brown sugar
5. 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
6. 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
7. 2 tablespoons finely chopped almonds (optional)
8. 4 sprigs fresh mint leaves for garnish (optional)

Directions:

Place the sliced pears and pomegranate seeds into a bowl. Toss with lemon juice to coat. Combine the brown sugar, nutmeg, and cinnamon in a small cup or bowl, then mix into the fruit. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving to blend the flavors. Serve in individual dishes, and garnish with a sprinkling of chopped almonds and a sprig of mint.

SOURCE: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Spiced-Pears-and-Pomegranate/Detail.aspx

GOOD FOOD the movie…

 

Come join us on October 27th from 7-9 p.m. at The University of Scranton’s Moskovitz Theatre for a screening of the documentary GOOD FOOD.   The film premiered at the Seattle International Film Festival in 2008 to enthusiastic audiences and sold out theaters and since then has screened in small theaters, in other film festivals, and many community settings.

Food, where it comes from, how it is grown and processed is becoming more important for everyone, and Good Food introduces us to farmers and ranchers, stores and restaurants that are building a more sustainable food system. For decades small family farmers have been disappearing, but there is new life in the fields, orchards and pastures of the Pacific Northwest, and in the business community to help sustain them. In Good Food we see the beautiful rural landscapes and meet some of the leaders in bringing good food to tables across their region.  We are experiencing the same phenomenon in Northeastern PA, and that’s what our Northeast Region Buy Fresh Buy Local Chapter is all about–educating consumers to the fact that we have good local farm families who work hard every day to make sure the quality of what they sell is fresh, safe, natural and good for you!

For more information on location, directions and to RSVP your attendance (the Theatre only holds so many people, so we need to know if you are coming), please contact Terry Gallagher at 941-7588.  You may also speak to Maria Montenegro or Elaine Tweedy.  Go to the www.buylocalpa.org/northeast website for a quick preview of the movie and for more information on the website of Good Food.  You can also RSVP from the BFBL website.  We hope to see you there.  You’ll be able to pick up a copy of the Northeast Region’s Local Food Guide if you haven’t already obtained one.

Yours in good food!

Miller’s Farm Orchard Event A Success!

If you missed the Miller’s Farm Orchard good food event, hosted by the Peregrim family on August 15, 2o09, you missed a great day!  That is the bad news.  The good news is, the Peregrim family enjoyed the day so much, they have agreed to DO IT AGAIN in 2010!!

Forty attendees enjoyed a day of farm tours, good music, good food (featuring Miller’s Farm Orchard’s own pasture raised poultry, potatoes, corn on the cob, and homemade apple pie–both regular crust and sprouted wheat crust–with a large scoop of ice cream! YUM!). 

Vendors were also in attendance, including Herbs Unlimited, Burke’s Maple, and others, AND, the newly published Northeast Region Chapter Local Food Guide was distributed for the first time that day!!  Janie Quinn of Essential Eating, donated a book which she published as a giveaway item for those who purchased from the featured vendors, and Buy Fresh Buy Local hats, aprons and t-shirts were sold.

Participants were excited to be able to get up close and personal with the hens and pigs at the farm, and were even allowed to collect eggs that day!

We want to thank the Peregrim family for being such gracious hosts, and we can’t wait until NEXT YEAR to do it all again!  You definitely want to mark your calendars for AUGUST 2010, and we’ll keep you posted on the exact date and time!

Yours in good food!