A Fall Medley Recipe: Easy Colorful One-Dish-Meal. Gluten Free and Cholesterol Free (Vegan)

No one at your table will suspect that this fabulous recipe is gluten free, fat free, and cholesterol free, and contains 19 essential vitamins and minerals, because it tastes so fabulous to both children and adults. Easy recipe included.

Why do children like this recipe so much?
This recipe appeals to both children and adults. Children enjoy this dish because it is mildly sweet with apples and a small amount of brown sugar. Children also love this recipe because it is colorful and very easy to eat. The potato and squash ingredients are filling and highly nutritious. Other favorite vegetables can be added, such as mushrooms, turnips, bell peppers, or you name it.

One serving of the below recipe also contains 5 grams of fiber, which helps to protect against diabetes and atherosclerosis, the cause of most heart conditions and strokes.

Fall Medley Recipe:
1 squash, peeled (acorn, butternut, tetsukabuto, or your favorite). If large, use 1/2.
(Tip: if the squash is tough to peel, microwave it for 3 minutes first)
2 large onions
3 potatoes (peeling is optional)
2 apples, cored (peeling is optional)
2 stalks celery
2 large carrots, peeled
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
Optional meat: 1" chunks of cooked sausage (not included in nutritional analysis below)

Sauce:
Place the following ingredients into blender, and process until smooth:
1 1/2 cups hot tap water
3 Tablespoons corn starch
3 cubes beef or chicken bullion (vegetarian, non-vegetarian is OK too)
1/4 cup brown sugar

Instructions:
Apply nonstick spray to a 9" x 13" cake pan (or large Dutch oven).

Cut all vegetables into approximately 1" cubes for easy eating, and place into a large mixing bowl, along with optional meat.

Pour the sauce over the vegetables and toss lightly to ensure everything is coated.

Pour into the 9" x 13" cake pan and sprinkle with chopped walnuts. Cover tightly with foil or lid. Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 1 hour. (Note, if doubling this recipe, cook for 1 1/2 hours.)

Makes 8-10 servings

Nutrition facts:
Amazingly, one serving of the above 10-serving recipe provides the following nutrition. (Nutritional facts provided by the nutrition calculator at http://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-calculator.asp):

Calories 175
Total Fat 4 g
Cholesterol 0.0 mg
Total Carbohydrate 35 g
Dietary Fiber 5 g
Protein 3 g

*VITAMIN & MINERAL CONTENT:
Sodium 295 mg
Potassium 601 mg
Vitamin A 102%
Vitamin B-6 18%
Vitamin C 42%
Vitamin E 2%
Calcium 6%
Copper 13%
Folate 9%
Iron 7%
Magnesium 12%
Manganese 25%
Niacin 8%
Pantothenic Acid 5%
Phosphorus 9%
Riboflavin 4%
Selenium 2%
Thiamin 9%
Zinc 4%

*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

Exactly what do these nutrients in the "Fall Medley" do for us? Let's take a look at each one individually. The below information was derived from data gathered from Encyclopedia Britannica, Wikipedia.com, and TheFreeDictionary.com.

Potassium
The potassium in this "Fall Medley" recipe is important in allowing muscle contraction and the sending of all nerve impulses throughout the body. A potassium deficiency causes muscle weakness, abnormal intestinal function, brain abnormalities, decreased reflex response and in severe cases respiratory paralysis, alkalosis (pH imbalance-opposite of acidosis) and impaired heart function. The potassium in the above "Fall Medley" recipe could easily cure this type of deficiency if eaten often enough.

Vitamin A
Vitamin A is necessary for healthy vision, cells and cell division, immune function, embryonic development, reproduction, bone metabolism, haematopoiesis (body's ability to make blood), skin, and heart. Without proper amounts of vitamin A, blindness occurs. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), vitamin A deficiency causes blindness in 250,000-500,000 children in developing countries each year. Something as simple as adequate amounts of vitamin A from the above "Fall Medley" recipe can provide a natural cure before blindness even sets in.

Vitamin B-6
This vitamin is necessary for metabolism, the making of blood, and healthy cell division. B6 deficiency causes seborrhea (skin condition), tongue swelling with ulcerations, cracking of the skin, red eyes, and mental confusion.

Vitamin C
Vitamin C is essential for maintaining the collagen structure beneath skin and other parts of the body. It helps to transport nutrients into cells, aids in creating amino acids that aid in hormone production, and aids in the metabolism of protein. Without adequate amounts of vitamin C, we would experience chronic weakness and our teeth would fall out (scurvy). Thus, the vitamin C found in the above "Fall Medley" recipe is a natural cure for scurvy.

Vitamin E
Basically, this vitamin protects us from cancer and other maladies. However, an overdose of this vitamin is not good for one's heart.

Calcium
Calcium is a basic component of bones and teeth, and is essential for the normal growth and development of most animals and plants. Calcium deficiency ("hypocalcemia") causes life-threatening complications involving the heart and kidney, not to mention bone density loss. Therefore, calcium (in proper quantities) can be viewed as a natural cure for bone density disorders.

Copper
Copper is essential for proper movement of muscles, and a deficiency of this element causes muscular spasticity.

Folate
Also called folic acid, this component is necessary for the formation of red blood cells, embryonic development, and metabolism. Inadequate amounts of folate result in anemia.

Iron
Iron is an essential part of our hemoglobin (blood and ability to make blood), which makes it possible for the red blood cells to carry oxygen and carbon dioxide throughout the body. Weakness, fatugue, and anemia result in inadequate amounts of iron.

Magnesium
Magnesium is one of the more abundant element by mass in the human body. It is essential to all living cells for cell health, and cell replication. Magnesium is essential for making numerous enzymes function within the body. Enzymes are vital to the body's ability to absorb and use nutrients. Some common symptoms of magnesium deficiency are osteoporosis, asthma, and ADHD.

Manganese
The human body contains about 10 mg of manganese, which is stored mainly in the liver and kidneys. Normal brain function depends upon the presence of manganese, which is bound to manganese metalloproteins, especially glutamine synthetase in astrocytes. Without this nutrient, we would not be able to live.

Niacin
Niacin is required by the body for carbohydrate metabolism. Insufficient amounts of niacin cause pellagra, a condition characterized by digestive and nervous system malfunctions, skin eruptions, and mental deterioration.

Pantothenic acid
Pantothenic acid is vital for the metabolism of fats and carbohydrates. Symptoms of deficiency include irritability, fatigue, apathy, neurological disorders, numbness, paresthesia (skin burning, prickling, itching), muscle cramps, low blood sugar, sensitivity to insulin, restlessness, malaise, sleep disturbances, nausea, vomiting, abdominal cramps, adrenal gland malfunction, and liver failure.

Phosphorus
Phosphorus is an essential element for all life. It makes cell creation possible, and is a component of DNA, RNA, and ATP (a molecure that makes cell development possible).

Riboflavin
Riboflavin is required by numerous cellular processes, and is essential to energy metabolism. Additionally, it is critical for the metabolism of fats, ketone bodies, carbohydrates, and proteins.

Selenium
Selenium is important for cellular function, but toxic in large amounts. Several studies have shown selenium to reduce the occurrence of skin cancer.

Thiamin
Thiamin is important to many cellular processes throughout the body, and aids in the body's processing of sugars and amino acids. A thiamin deficiency causes beriberi, a sometimes fatal condition of the nervous and cardiovascular system.

Zinc
Zinc is an vital trace element, essential to all life. Zinc aids in prostate gland function and reproductive organ growth. An overabundance of zinc actually reduces iron and copper absorption, and vice-versa. A deficiency of zinc causes chronic diseases of the liver and kidney, and can also cause sickle cell disease, malignancies, and other chronic illnesses.

Healthy recipes such as the above Fall Medley keep children and adults feeling better and more energetic. Recipes with good-tasting, nutrient-dense foods provide healthy food for both children and adults that can actually add years of quality to their lives. Healthy eating helps both children and adults feel better and live better.

Reference and Sources used:
Encyclopedia Britannica
http://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-calculator.asp
http://www.Wikipedia.com
http://www.WellBeyond100.com/cancer.aspx
http://www.nutritiondata.com/facts/vegetables-and-vegetable-products/2602/2