“Cooking the Maine Way”

By Cheryl Wixson
Autumn is my favorite time of year, as it brings the delicious bounty of Maine’s harvest.  Orange pumpkins, golden squash, ruby-red cranberries, garnet colored beets, forest-green kale, purple turnips and cabbages, and bright red apples are among the nutritional treasures to be found at local farm stands and markets.

Wixson will present a class on “Cooking the Maine Way” for Lose and Win participants on Feb. 15.

Photo Courtesy Cheryl WixsonCheryl

Cheryl Wixson (right) happily supervises the making of the punch. Tasty appetizers are part of the Lose and Win menu. Lose and Win participants get to try out new recipes.

Photos Courtesy Lose and Win

Those of us who reside in Hancock County are extremely fortunate, as this area of Maine is one of the most successful places for young farmers to find land and get started.  Farms like Darthia Farm in Gouldsboro, King Hill Farm in Blue Hill and Horsepower Farm in Penobscot have been producing quality foods for our tables and restaurants for over 20 years.

The color of the harvest is the key to good health, as food scientists have recently discovered that the phytochemicals in brightly colored fruits and vegetables activate genes that fight cancer in our body.  Come to find out, the secret to a long, productive and healthy life is just what our mothers always told us, “Eat your fruits and vegetables.”

You can forget all the other fads and diets, throw out Atkins, sugar-busters, zone and Dr. Phil.  Life becomes much simpler when all you need to do is eat nine fruits and vegetables a day.

In the book, “The Color Code,” written by Daniel Nadeau (from Maine), James Joseph and Anne Underwood, the authors identify four food color groups: red, orange-yellow, green and blue-purple. 

For optimum health, we should eat something from each color group each day.  Foods in the red group include tomatoes, cherries, raspberries, cranberries, red wine, beets and red peppers.  Orange-yellow foods are carrots, pumpkins, winter squash, bananas, corn, apricots and sweet potatoes.  The green group has kale, spinach, cabbage, broccoli, brussel sprouts and green tea.  Blue-purple foods would include blueberries, raisins, plums, prunes, eggplant and purple cabbage.

For those folks who have a hard time just getting five servings per day, I recommend you think in terms of threes.  Try for three at each meal, and snacks count!  A typical day of eating nine fruits and vegetables could be like this:

Breakfast: orange juice or tomato juice, cereal with blueberries

Snack: Green tea, banana or orange

Lunch: Salad with 2 cups of vegetables, apple or applesauce

Snack: Carrot sticks

Supper: 2 colored vegetables, low-fat protein, salad for dessert

By changing what you eat, you can reduce your blood pressure, lower your cholesterol, reduce your blood sugar, and diminish the risks of cancer, heart disease and macular degeneration.  What we eat each day is our choice.  I encourage you to take charge of your diet and make food your best friend, not your worst enemy.  Enjoy the bounty of Maine’s harvest!

Cheryl Wixson’s Kitchen is a nonprofit organization dedicated to teaching people the joys and benefits of healthy eating and cooking utilizing regional products  while supporting a sustainable environment.  For more cooking tips visit our Web site at: www.cherylwixsonskitchen.org.

[photos of Lose & Win 2007]

“Cooking the Maine Way”

Chef Cheryl Wixson will demonstrate some delicious and healthy recipes using local, Maine ingredients on Feb. 15. “Healthy cooking, cooking without the holy trinity of bad taste: sugar, fat and salt, can taste delicious,” says Wixson, “particularly when one looks to the season and local foods for inspiration.”

“Food should be your best friend, not your worst enemy,” she continues. “The key to a long and healthy life is what we put in our mouths every day.”

Food engineer Cheryl Wixson is founder and director of Cheryl Wixson’s Kitchen, a nonprofit company dedicated to teaching people the joys and benefits of healthy eating and cooking utilizing regional products while supporting a sustainable environment. Wixson also develops recipes for food manufacturers, consults with restaurants, and has hosted two television series with Maine Public Broadcasting. For more information, visit her Web site at: www.cherylwixsons
kitchen.org.