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Your Home & Garden - November
2003 |
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No Tricks Just Treats |
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Elizabeth Harfleet offers some alternatives to toffee
apples and hot dogs for unusual, tasty and healthy Halloween
and Bonfire Night treats. |
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During the darker, colder months, our inner energy
is naturally slower. With less sunlight we can find ourselves
drawn to foods rich in carbohydrates, such as bread, biscuits
and confectionary. We are also more likely to want to eat produce
grown underground rather than the salad varieties associated
with warmer weather. But there are easy ways to help maintain
health and maximise energy levels during the autumn and winter
- and you don't have to give it up in favour of trick or treat
and the annual burning of Guy Fawkes. |
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Normally associated with Halloween, pumpkins are
very nutritious vegetables, containing vitamins A, C and E,
iron, magnesium, calcium, selenium and zinc. Their bright orange
colour is a giveaway to the fact that they are loaded with an
important anti-oxidant - beta-carotene - which is converted
into vitamin A. |
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Current research shows that a diet rich in foods
containing beta-carotene - also found in carrots, sweet potatoes
and apricots - may help reduce the risk of degenerative illness,
such as heart disease, and offer some protection against the
effects of ageing. Pumpkins can be steamed, roasted, used in
soups and curries or made into an American-style pumpkin pie.
The seeds are a noted source of omega 3 and zinc. |
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However, don't forget other root vegetables, such
as parsnips and swedes, which are delicious in casseroles and
soups. For a tasty and healthy alternative to potato chips,
slice parsnips into "chips", drizzle with olive oil
and mixed herbs and roast in the oven. |
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For a healthy alternative to toffee apples, try
luxurious chocolate truffles: place some chopped and dried dates
in a pan with a little water, warm through until the dates become
mashed and can be easily stirred, add organic cocoa or carob
flour to taste and mix well. Spoon small amounts into paper
sweet cases and refrigerate for a few hours before finally dusting
with cocoa powder. |
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