Season's eatings: autumn produce is uniquely suited to please your palate and boost your health. From sweet baked apples to simple mushroom soup, these delicious recipes give your body just what it needs right now

Natural Health, Oct, 2004 by Molly Siple

BEFORE AMERICA was crisscrossed with highways, railways and flight paths, we could enjoy produce only from our own regions--and only when it was in season. Today, the world's harvests are brought to us all year round. But just because you can get a fresh tomato in December doesn't mean you should. Much of the out-of-season produce we eat has traversed 1,000 miles or more to get to our plate, and often its flavor and nutritional content get lost along the way. Plus, imported fruits and vegetables are often coated with wax, other preservatives and chemical ripening agents.

Locally grown seasonal foods, on the other hand, are harmonized with your body's needs. For example, the beta carotene contained in the orange pigment of pumpkins and other squash helps bolster the immune system just in time to ward off winter colds. And the oils in nuts--fats in their purest form--provide calories to burn to keep the body warm as the temperature drops.

This relationship of seasonal foods and health is a cornerstone of Traditional Chinese Medicine. According to TCM, our inner and outer worlds are synchronized; each season corresponds with a personality type, parts of the body, and a motive. Fall is typified by metal, a tempered substance, and it's characterized as a time of pulling in. If you feel in the mood to stock up your pantry, you're in harmony with the primary energy of this season. Fall also corresponds to the lungs, skin and lymphatic system, which makes it an ideal time to make sure the passageways for breath are cleared and immunity strengthened.

The season's produce lends itself well to menus that support TCM fundamentals: soups to counteract the weather's dryness; slow-cooked foods, which require less energy to digest; and dishes made with warming spices to clear and ease the lungs.

To kick off your autumnal nutrition plans, here are four scrumptious and health-promoting recipes that feature some seasonal all-stars.

pumpkin pancakes with toasted walnut-maple syrup | SERVES 4

These tender, delicious pancakes can be made with cooked and pureed fresh pumpkin: Cut in half, remove the seeds and bake the cut side down on a baking sheet in a 325[degrees]F oven for 1 hour or until the flesh is soft. Or you can use canned.

Healing benefits: Packed with beta carotene, pumpkin helps to build our defenses against winter colds. The omega-3 fatty acids in walnuts help reduce the level of LDL cholesterol in the blood to lower the risk of coronary disease.

THE SYRUP

  1/4 cup walnuts, chopped
  1/4 cup maple syrup
  1/4 cup orange juice
    1 tablespoon roasted walnut oil,
      optional

THE PANCAKES

1 1/4 cup, unbleached all-purpose
      flour
  1/4 cup brown rice flour
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  1/4 teaspoon salt
    2 eggs
    1 cup low-fat milk
    1 cup pumpkin puree
  1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  1/8 teaspoon powdered cloves
  1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
    2 tablespoons unrefined
      safflower oil, plus 1
      tablespoon for griddle

THE SYRUP

1 Preheat oven to 375[degrees]F. Scatter the walnuts in a single layer on a baking tray and toast until lightly browned and fragrant, about 8 minutes. Remove from the oven and transfer nuts to a small bowl. Add the maple syrup and orange juice to the nuts, and stir in the walnut oil, if desired. Stir to combine and set aside. Reduce oven to 275[degrees]F.

THE PANCAKES

2 Sift together twice the all-purpose flour, rice flour, baking powder and salt.

3 In a second bowl, whisk the eggs. Add the milk, pumpkin puree, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and oil and whisk together. Gradually whisk the egg mixture into the dry ingredients, just until no lumps remain.

4 Warm a nonstick skillet or griddle over medium heat. (Test if the surface is hot by flicking a few drops of water onto the skillet; the drops should dance around briefly before evaporating.) Dip a folded paper towel in the safflower oil and lightly coat the cooking surface. Spoon about 1/4 cup of batter into the skillet for each pancake, using the back of the spoon to spread the thick batter if necessary. Cook for 5 minutes or until a few bubbles form on the top of the pancake. Using a spatula, flip the pancakes and cook an additional 3 minutes, until they are just cooked through (and still slightly moist inside). Store in the oven on a plate to keep warm while you cook the remaining pancakes.

5 Cook the rest of the pancakes, lightly re-oiling the cooking surface before each batch. Serve the pancakes topped with warm walnut-maple syrup.

PER SERVING (4 medium pancakes and 1/4 cup syrup): 467 calories, 28% fat (14.0 g; 2.09 g saturated), 62% carbs (74.3 g), 9% protein (10.7 g), 109 mg cholesterol, 3.55 g fiber, 209 mg calcium, 421 mg sodium.

simple mushroom soup | SERVES 6

Although mushrooms are available year-round, fall is the best time to look for harvested wild varieties in farmers markets and health-food stores. Almost every region of America has its unique wild varieties, so buy local mushrooms if you can.

Healing benefits: Mushrooms contain chromium, which helps the body manage levels of blood glucose. This soup also provides one-third of the recommended dietary allowance of calcium, which helps control blood pressure, reduces the risk of colon cancer and guards against osteoporosis.