As bathing suit season draws to a close, we may be tempted to follow the course of nature as evidenced by bears living in the wild: forage to the point of gluttony in the fall, in preparation for that long, frozen, winter.
Unlike bears, however, we humans don’t take a 3 month siesta and sleep off the accumulated weight gain.
What’s a homo sapien to do?
When in doubt, eat what you would pluck from a garden or nibble from a vine. Summer and fall are replete with late blooming tomatoes, squashes, corn, beans, and peas. One of our favorite recipes is to gather the vegetables we like, slice them, and put them in zip-lock baggies to marinate for 4-6 hours. The marinade can be your own home brew or your favorite bottle variety. Heat up the grill while you skewer the veggies, and grill until the vegetables are soft, but not mushy. Be sure to skewer “like” vegetables together; cherry tomatoes, mushrooms and bell peppers for instance. Sliced egg plant, yam, zucchini (cut length wise), should be placed directly on the grill to cook through.
As a complement to the vegetables, add a robust fruit salad full of your favorite berries, kiwi, and grapes. Besides being tasty, they contain antioxidants which have anti-inflammatory qualities. Throw in a handful of walnuts or almonds (which studies have found can lower your cholesterol), and you have a simple yet flavorful lunch or dinner.
Let us know your favorite “Indian Summer” recipes that have kept you in swim-suit shape, even as the snow drifts pile against your window-pane. We would love to share them with our readers!
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