This beautiful, savory fall dish serves six, is perfect for vegetarians, and is loved by kids. For casual dinners, enjoy it baked in a soufflé dish or baking pan, or for a more formal occasion, prepare it in individual ramequins. For an even more stunning presentation, you can bake it one or more carved pumpkins.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Butter your soufflé dish, baking pan, or ramequins. If you are cooking in carved pumpkins, do not butter them.

Bring 2 cups of water to a boil. Add the vegetable bouillon cube and stir until cube is totally melted. Add 2 cups fresh pumpkin and cook, stirring with a whisk until you get a pumpkin purée. Cook a little longer until you have a dense pumpkin puree and all the water is gone. Drain any extra water, if necessary. Check for salt content. If you used regular vegetable bouillon with salt it should be just right. Let the mixture cool a little.

Using an electric mixer, whisk 4 egg whites with a pinch of salt until firm, but still fluffy. Whisk together the pumpkin, 4 egg yolks, crème fraiche, pepper, and nutmeg. Mix flour and Parmesan cheese together and add them to the liquid mixture. Fold in the egg whites gently until you get a smooth batter. It should look like a ribbon falling from your spoon.

Transfer batter into the baking pan, soufflé dish, ramequins, or pumpkins. The batter will grow during baking, so fill your baking container only 3/4 full.

Baking time for one baking pan soufflé dish or big pumpkin: 45 minutes.
Baking time for ramequins or small pumpkins: 25 minutes.

This pumpkin soufflé is a complete vegetarian dish with a perfect balance of necessary proteins, carbohydrates, and fats. Pumpkin is also famous for its nutrients content in zinc and magnesium, and it is the perfect food to help prevent colds.

Braised Beef

Season the meat with salt and pepper. If you love garlic, you can prick the meat with 4 garlic cloves cut in halves.

In a big pot with a tight-fitting lid, sauté the roast and ribs in a generous amount of good quality oil until brown and golden on all sides. When cooked, add the marrow bones.

Add the chopped onion, and cook until it becomes transparent and slightly caramelized. Add the herbs and stir a little. Add just enough water or stock so that half of the meat is submerged in liquid. If the meat is completely submerged it is stewing, not braising. Cover and cook over low heat for at least 2 1/2 hours. Total cooking time should be 3 to 4 hours for the optimal result.

15 minutes before serving, put the entire uncovered pot in a medium/hot oven to brown the meat.

Cabbage, Apples, and Chestnuts

In a pan, sautée the chopped onion in a little oil until transparent. Add the cabbage, apples, water, wine, salt, and pepper to taste. Cook for 20 minutes over low/medium heat or until the red cabbage is tender. Do not ovecook or the cabbage will be discolored and will lose its taste. If you are using chestnuts, add them about 10 minutes before serving and let them steam on top.

Apples and red cabbage are a perfect match. The apple, full of pectin, aids in the digestion of the cabbage. Red cabbage has a high content of fiber, vitamin C, calcium, iron, and potassium.

Beef or No Beef

For non-vegetarians, women, and people going through challenging times, a little beef once a week or once every two weeks won’t hurt. Beef supplies high-quality protein, complete with all nine essential amino acids. It’s an important source of iron and is high in zinc and vitamin B12.

However, beef is a dense meet. It takes a long time for the body to process it. People with compromised digestive systems should avoid beef until they recover from their illness.

Italian plums are smaller than regular ones, with an oval shape and a denser flesh. They are usually available in September. You can also prepare this recipe with other fruits, including apples, pears, and prunes.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Mix the fruits, sugar, and 1/2 cup flour in a bowl. When mixed, transfer to an oiled baking pan.

To prepare the crust, mix 1 cup flour, sugar, almond flour, and cinnamon. Add butter and massage flour and butter together until you get a dry crust. Sprinkle over the fruits. Sprinkle on a little extra sugar, or if you like it crunchy, a handful of your favorite crushed cereals with some extra cinnamon. To bring the dessert to a heavenly result, add a few mini cuts of butter on top.

Bake for 45 minutes, turn off the oven and let cool slightly. Serve it warm over your favorite vanilla ice cream.

The Truth about Desserts

Desserts are comforting, and sugar triggers our most ancient need of survival. But when you look at the incredible amount of processed sugar ingested in America every year, one wonders what went wrong?

Source: Miller, Bruce, D.D.S, and James Scala, Ph.D., Better Health (Dallas, Texas: Miller Enterprises, Inc., 1994).

Processed sugar consumption has risen more than 1,500 percent in the last 200 years. Now it is one of the major causes for obesity and diabetes in this country.

Sugar is present in nature and necessary for our well-being. But, we should favor fruits and vegetables first. They contain the fiber and vitamins we need to be healthy. All processed sugars – including breads, cakes, and chocolates – should be eaten sparingly. Reserve them for special occasions only and keep a bowl full of fruits for yourself and your kids on the kitchen table. Also, be aware about sugar substitutes. They are artificial products without calories, but they trigger the same mechanism in our body that real sugar does.