Smarter Eating!

Actress, Meryl Streep, has been quoted as saying, "The produce manager is more important to my children's health than the pediatrician." I would agree with her. Today there's just no debating it: we really ARE what we eat--much of degenerative diseases and other chronic illnesses can be prevented or aggressively minimized through our food choices. In other words, it's worth our while to engage in smarter eating!

I always have smarter eating in mind when scouring my recipes and favorite magazines. So when reading one of my Mary Jane's Farm magazines yesterday (see the Oct-Nov 2009 issue), I found a couple great recipes that really support smarter eating. They involved sweet potatoes and acorn squash. They both contain carotenoids that help stabilize blood sugar levels and lower insulin resistance. They're also chocked full of vitamins, minerals, trace elements, and fiber.

Both recipes are either made and baked or served in a cast iron skillet. Try these and let me know what you think--we're all in this together remember, so share your thoughts, tips, or your own healthy eating recipes. And until next time, happy cook'n!

SWEET POTATO BANANA MASH (serves 4)
3 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
2 bananas, ripe or overripe
1/4 cup brown sugar
3 Tbsp butter, melted
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp vanilla

Boil sweet potatoes in 2 qts water for about 20 min. In blender or food processor, combine all ingredients and mix well. (A large bowl and fork to mash everything together will work also.) And honey or maple syrup can be substituted for the brown sugar, or omit the sweetener completely. It's yummy either way. Spoon mixture into your cast-iron skillet for serving.

STUFFED ACORN SQUASH (serves 4)
2 acorn squash, halved and seeded
2 small sweet potatoes
1/2 lb ground Italian sausage
2 C water
1 C polenta
1 1/4 C milk (I substitute water--lactose intolerance dictates!)
2 Tbsp brown sugar
1/2 tsp salt
2 Tbsp butter
4 tsp maple syrup

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place squash halves face down in large glass baking dish with 1-inch water in the bottom. Pierce potatoes in several places with fork and wrap in foil. Bake squash for 45 min. and potatoes for 1 hr. Peel potatoes and mash with fork.

Meanwhile, cook sausage in small skillet; drain off fat and set aside. In large saucepan, bring water to boil. Add polenta, whisking continuously. Cook for 5 min; reduce heat to low. Add milk (or substitute with water); stir and cook for 5 min. Add potatoes, sausage, brown sugar, and salt to polenta; mix well.

Place squash halves in 10-inch cast-iron skillet and add 1/2 Tbsp butter and 1 Tbsp maple syrup to each one; spoon in polenta mixture and sprinkle cinnamon on top. Return to oven and bake for 15 min.