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Workshops
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Eating With the Seasons
Join for an evening of FUN, FOOD, WINE and LEARNING with Michelle Narin, the fastest and healthiest cook I have ever met. - Did you know that eating locally grown food in accordance with the seasons will help you live in harmony with yourself, your body and the earth?
- Did you know that each new season comes with a new batch of foods designed to support your body?
- Did you know that fall and winter foods can cleanse your organs and stimulate healthy emotions?
Michelle Narin and Heidi Rothbard will team up for a series of exciting cooking classes. Michelle will show you how easy it is to cook a delicious and nutritious meal for your whole family and Heidi will be there to talk about seasonal cooking and the many healthful benefits you can experience when you eat with the seasons. Date: Wednesday November 5th Time: 7:30pm. Cost: $70 Space is limited so please call 610 667 5453 or send an email to health@heidirothbard.com
Free Teleclass:Date: October 23rd 2008 Time: 12:00 - 12:45 pm EDT Topic: Raising Healthy Children In this workshop we will explore why it is so important to feed our children healthy meals. We will discuss why it is so hard when you have a picky eater at hand and what tips and tricks have worked for other parents who were in the same position as you. To register please send me an email at health@heidirothbard.comI am scheduled for numerous workshops at corporations and private organizations this fall and winter. If you are interested in having me present one of my diverse and fun topics to your community group, networking event, women's groups, PTA organization, etc please contact me and receive additional information. |
Transition to Fall
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Transitioning our diet as the seasons change is a wise old tradition. When our body is in harmony with the external environment, it runs more efficiently. One of the best ways to achieve this balanced state of optimum health is to eat the food that naturally grows during each season.
As the fall season and cooler air descends upon us we need to alter our diet and incorporate heavier and denser foods to prepare our body for the upcoming winter. If we continue eating cooling, summery foods especially, many watery/sugary fruits and vegetables, it can create a cold/damp condition in the body. This, in turn, contributes to a weakened digestive system, lingering colds and flu's, and other maladies. It's time to put down the watermelon and pick up the pears!
By learning how to harmonize our internal environment (the body) with the external environment (the earth and it's seasons), we can improve our health and immunity, too. To learn more about the types of food and spices associated with fall and their many health benefits please join us at our cooking class on November 5th.
The main key to transitioning to fall is to make your food taste absolutely delicious and Michelle Narin will show you how to achieve this with minimal effort.
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Food Focus: Squash
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Did you know that pumpkins are fruit and not vegetables? Here are some other facts about Squash
Nutritionally: Generally, hard winter squash has vitamins A and C, beta carotene, potassium, and iron.
How to choose: Squash should be heavy for their size. The skin color should be dull but deep with round dry stems; it should be free of bruises.
How to store: They will last up to 6 months in a very cool airy place if you do not bruise the skin. Do not wash it until ready to use. Once you cut it, you can keep it in the fridge for about a week. Once cooked, it freezes well and can be reheated easily.
Hard winter squash come in such a variety! Usually I bake them whole or cut in half (at 325 or 350 for an hour or so) with the seeds scooped out; you can also sauté or steam them as a side (even mix up a couple different kinds) or boil to make a delicious creamy soup.
Acorn Squash is named for it's acorn shape. It is sweet and nutty in flavor and is a source of beta-carotene and vitamin C.
Spaghetti Squash got it's name from the long strings of spaghetti that forms once cooked. You can steam or bake it whole (for about an hour to an hour and a half at 350 F, pierce skin first if you can) until tender. Instead of baking it, you can boil it whole and covered until soft. Then cut it in half (lengthwise), scoop out the seeds, and gently fork out the strands. Serve it like spaghetti with butter and garlic or tomato sauce.
Buttercup Squash got it's name from it's shape of a cap on the bottom. It is sweet and mild but not as sweet as the Butternut and it's a little dry.
Butternut Squash is creamy, sweet, moist, nutty and delicious. Since it has a softer skin, you can peel it raw to chop into pieces for a sauté. I usually cut it in half (scoop out the seeds) and bake it at 375 or 400 F with a little butter, salt, brown sugar (or maple syrup) and cinnamon for about an hour (test at the 40 minute mark) or until tender. Then I broil it a few minutes to caramelize it. You could also roast it cut side down on the sheet pan to caramelize it and get all the water out of it. Scoop and serve it, mash it, or puree it with brown sugar or maple syrup, a scrape of fresh nutmeg, a shake or two of cinnamon, a splash of vanilla and a little butter.
Carnival Squash is so named because it is quite colorful, can be prepared many ways, and presents beautifully. It has a pleasant, mild flavor.
Sweet Dumpling Squash is sweet as honey and round like a dumpling. Smaller in size, pretty to look at and delicious to eat, it's perfect for serving individual portions at your dinner party. Bake whole or cut off the tops (scoop out seeds) and add some spices and butter and bake them. Then put the tops back on for presentation on each person's plate. Better yet, bake them and then take others and make soup out of them and use these as individual serving bowls for a Sweet Dumpling Squash Soup. I read that even the peel can be eaten!
Delicata Squash or the Bohemian squash is creamy, sweet, moist, and rich with yellow flesh that tastes like a sweet potato. It's a good source vitamins A and C, potassium and iron. It is an heirloom variety and considered one of the best for flavor.
Kabocha Squash, or the Japanese Pumpkin, is tender, creamy, fragrant, and sweet. Not pretty to look at with a dull green bumpy skin, it more than makes up for it in flavor! It tastes sweet potato and is one of the most flavorful of the hard squash.
Bellevue Butternut Squash is a hybrid between a Butternut and a Pumpkin with a sweet nutty flavor. Cut up the pieces and add onions and maybe peppers, garlic, salt and pepper and roast or grill it covered for about a half an hour. Or cut it up and use in a creamy lowfat soup.
Pumpkin is a favorite in October and November for pies and Jack O' Lanterns. Canned pumpkin is convenient but is not as pretty on your counter or on your table as a soup tureen. The Pumpkin Pie or Sugar Pumpkins are smaller, sweeter and creamier and are perfect for soup or as a pureed side dish. There are even a few miniature varieties that can be eaten raw!
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Recipes of the Month:
Roasted Acorn Squash stuffed with Quinoa and Turkey
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Ingredients:
2 acorn squash
2 tbsp. olive oil
1 leek, cleaned and diced
½ pound organic ground turkey meat
2 celery stalks, diced
1 tbsp. fresh sage
1/3 cup dried cranberries
1 cup quinoa , rinsed
2 cups vegetable stock
1 tsp. sea salt
¼ tsp. black pepper
Preheat oven to 375º. Cut acorn squash in half (lengthwise). Deseed and lightly coat with olive oil. Place flesh side down in a roasting pan or casserole dish. Cover and bake 30-35 minutes. Uncover and continue baking 10-15 minutes or until soft. While squash is cooking sauté leek in olive oil until wilted. Add ground turkey meat and break up as it cooks. Add celery and sage and sauté 1-2 minutes. Add cranberries, quinoa and vegetable stock. Bring to a boil and add 1 tsp. sea salt and ¼ tsp. black pepper. Cover and simmer. Fill cooked squash with quinoa and turkey and serve.
Delicata Squash with Pheasant Sausage (or fried tempeh)
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Ingredients:
2 delicata squash,
deseeded and quartered
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 onion, peeled and
cut into thin crescents
1/2 cabbage head, sliced thin
2-3
shitake mushrooms, deced (stems removed)
2 links naturally smoked
pheasant sausage (can use pork, turkey, chicken or fried
tempeh)
1 tbsp. fresh thyme
1/2 cup water or veggie
stock
Sea salt and black pepper to taste
Preheat
oven to 375. Deseed and quarter squash. Lightly oil a baking
pan, and squash, and place squash flesh side down. Bake
45 minutes or until soft. Saute onion 1-2 minutes. Add cabbage,
shitake mushrooms, sausage, thyme and water. Season with sea salt and
pepper and cook 20-25 minutes or until vegetables
are soft. Spoon sauteed vegetables and sausage into cooked squash and serve.
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