4 Ways to Eat Orange this Fall!

Pumpkin isn’t the only orange food that celebrates the arrival of autumn and Thanksgiving. Get into the spirit with these healthy orange food ideas that you may never have tried:

1.Persimmons: Latin for “food of the gods,” persimmon is a flavourful, sweet orange-coloured fruit, available in many specialty grocers. Choose non-astringent varieties like Fuyu that has a tomato shape and can be eaten raw when it’s crispy (slightly less ripe) or soft and darker orange (very ripe), peeled or unpeeled. It is low-calorie and loaded with phytonutrients, flavonoids, vitamins A and C, manganese and fibre.

2.Crustless Yam Pie: So healthy, you can eat this for breakfast.

Filling:

• 1 1/2 cups (about 4) cooked, peeled yams, 
• 1 Tbsp whole grain flour,
• 1 cup almond/coconut milk (or half cup milk + 1/2 cup plain yogurt),
• 2 eggs,
• 1 tsp vanilla,
• 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg,
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon,
• 2 tsp chopped candied ginger,
• 1 tsp salt,
• 1 Tbsp melted organic butter,
• 1/2 cup sweetener (organic cane sugar, maple syrup, honey or combination

• 1/4 cup oats + 2 Tbsp whole grain flour,
• 3 Tbsp sweetener (cane sugar, maple syrup, honey or combination),
• 1 Tbsp organic butter,
• 1/2 tsp vanilla

Directions: Preheat oven to 350F. Prepare topping: combine brown sugar, oats, flour, vanilla & butter. Prepare filling: Process filling ingredients in a food processor until smooth. Pour mixture into prepared pie dish. Sprinkle with topping. Bake 50-55 minutes. Chill 4 hours.

3.Edible Gourds: You might use gourds for an autumn centerpiece, but some types can also make it to your dinner plate. Most hardshell gourds are not edible, but edible types have a zucchini-like flavour. Young cucumber-shaped Luffa gourds, also known as “Chinese okra,” can be eaten when shorter than 6 inches. Green bottle gourd, or “calabash,” shaped like a fat cucumber or eggplant, has a hard shell but the flesh is edible, as is thinner cucuzzi or "Italian edible" gourd. Peel gourds & scoop out the centre; chop into cubes. Add gourds to Indian curry or Chinese wok vegetables.

4.Orange Peel: Late fall/early winter is peak time for oranges, but don’t forget the peel — it is a potent immune booster during this cold season, with more vitamin C than the flesh, and contains calcium, magnesium, vitamins A and B.

Candied Peel: Rinse peel of 3 oranges & cut into thin slices. Put 1½ raw cane cups sugar & ¾ cup water to boil with peel, then simmer for 45 minutes. Avoid stirring. Spread peels on a rack to dry for 4-5 hours. Top salads or curries with candied peel.