Savory splendor

Add late autumn’s hearty, honeyed hues to your plate before winter arrives

By ALLISON ASKINS - aaskins@thestate.com

Autumn’s warm colors soon will meld into winter’s icy tones, but until they do, the season’s golden hues remind us of home and hearth and time spent folded up snugly in front of the fireplace.

Let your food palette include the warm golds of late fall, too, adding yet another color to your plate this year.

That means centering meals around hearty foods such as golden loaves of crusty, whole-grain bread. A drizzle of honey in the morning will make this already healthful food even sweeter.

A crusty loaf also is a commendable companion to a bowl of homemade vegetable soup or the oh-so-practical bean dish included with this week’s recipes.

Grains and beans provide the fiber the body needs to stay healthy. Nuts and seeds often found in whole-grain breads also add fatty and phenolic acids, which contribute to the body’s ability to resist certain cancers. They also provide B vitamins, calcium, potassium and phosphorus. Ideally, a healthy American adult should eat six to 11 servings of grains each day.

Add protein-rich beans along with vitamin-packed, yellow tomatoes and winter squashes to your fall preparations, and you’re sure to start the new year with a healthier outlook.

Legumes such as peas, beans and lentils are low in saturated fat and sodium while also being cholesterol-free. And because they are a complex carbohydrate, it takes your body longer to digest them. That keeps you fuller longer.

Of course, as Christmas nears, we all want a treat from the cookie jar. So, combine what you know about grains, nuts and natural sweeteners such as honey to make cookies chock-full of oatmeal, nuts and yummy items such as dried cranberries or golden raisins.

Stick with that plan, and your New Year’s resolutions will be well under way by the time winter’s cold January days arrive.

Reach Askins at (803) 771-8614.