Naturally Sweet!

     Now that Halloween is over and we are in the beautiful month of November I feel that fall is truly in the air.  After the "sugar coma" from last weekend, once again I have taken out excess sugar from my diet.  HOW??  WHY???  NEVER TO EAT AGAIN?  NO!  I have heard so many people say "I can't do that".  I'm not saying to remove sugar completely from our diets.  I do think we should try to eliminate the "processed" sugars and begin to eat naturally.
     Everyone craves sweets.  When we begin to eliminate processed sugars from our diet we can "add back" naturally sweet flavors.  Certain vegetables have a natural sweet flavor when cooked and are an excellent way to add some "sweet" back into our lives.   Some of these are corn, carrots, beets, winter squash (butternut, buttercup) sweet potatoes, yams, and rutabagas.
     Experiment with these vegetables and watch your family begin to love a "naturally sweet" food.  Raw carrots and yogurt dip are an excellent snack.  My family loves baked sweet potato fries.  Place some of these vegetables into your next soup or onto a salad.  Many cookbooks have recipe's but I will share a few of my own.
     I love to peel rutabaga's and boil them until soft.  Then I mash them with a little cream, butter, and parmesean cheese.  I serve them like mashed potato's and people love them.  Spaghetti squash is fabulous when cut in half and baked in a pan filled with enough water to cover.  Bake on 350 degrees until soft.  Use a fork to "scoop out the strings".  It looks like spaghetti and I use it for my sauce instead of noodles.  My children do not like this so I mix wheat noodles and squash together.  Covered in sauce they do not even notice it is healthy.
    The Cancer Fighting Kitchen also has some excellent recipe's.  I have included one that we enjoy!

Mashed Cinnamon Butternut Squash

1 butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
2 Tb. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground ginger
Sea salt
1/4 tsp. maple syrup
1/8 tsp. ground nutmeg

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.  Toss the squash with the olive oil, cinnamon, ginger, and 1/4 teaspoon of salt until the squash is well coated.  Spread it in a single layer on the prepared pan.  Roast for 25 to 30 minutes, until soft and tender.

Transfer the squash to a food processor, add the maple syrup, nutmeg, and a pinch of salt.  Process until smooth and creamy.  For extra flavor try adding one tsp. of fresh lemon juice!  Yummy!!

     Have fun trying something new.  Fall is in the air and offers a beautiful bounty of root vegetables.  Enjoy!

Blessings -

Emmie