Need a new recipe for green beans that doesn't make you yawn? Green Beans with Mushrooms and Almonds is a savory mix of haricots verts (French beans) shiitake mushrooms, toasted almonds and herbs topped with a crispy coating of garlicky breadcrumbs. It's a great dish for holiday dinners: make the beans and topping ahead of time and put the beans in an oven proof dish, with the breadcrumbs on the side. 15 minutes before dinner, scatter the breadcrumbs over the beans and heat in a 350' oven until everything is warmed through.

Maitake mushrooms (also known as Hen of the Woods) are a culinary and medicinal feast. Rich in minerals and some B vitamins, maitakes are also used in Asian medicine as powerful immune enhancers and cancer fighters. Beyond their medicinal properties, these mushrooms are utterly delicious, and have a rich, fragrant, earthy flavor. Try Soba Noodles with Maitake Mushrooms for a simple way to prepare this nutritional powerhouse.

Aloo Gobiis a traditional East Indian dish of potatoes, cauliflower and curry that turns up in many dishes, including samosas, West Indian roti, as well as simply served with rice and green vegetables. Curried Cauliflower, Japanese Yam and Potatoes is a whole foods spin on this traditional dish. Serve with naan bread, greens, and chutney for a traditional feel.

The holiday season is rapidly approaching, and folks are often quite challenged to find festive vegetarian entrées. Vegetarian turkey just doesn't make the grade as far as I'm concerned, and while it can do in a pinch, vegan and vegetarian guests will be delighted to find something other than a slab of processed soy protein at a holiday feast. Roasted Vegetable Napoleon is a delicious and celebratory dish that is well worth the time required to make it. With a bit of organization (most of the preparation can be done a day ahead if needed), you can impress your guests with a memorable meal. The shot above shows a free form version of this dish, but if you want to be extra fancy, use round metal cookie cutters to create perfectly uniform circles of the squash and mushroom.

With all the buzz about the impending flu season, and the H1N1 swine flu virus, many people who want to take a holistic approach to prevention are looking for information. Staying Healthy in Unhealthy Times; A Survival Guide to the Cold and Flu Season iis a basic guide to self care that may help you navigate the season with little more than a sniffle. As always, please remember that this is not a substitute for professional medical care, Please consult your doctor if you are ill.

Not all of us are fans of tempeh, the blocks of cultured whole soybeans that offer a high quality, plant-based protein source to vegetarians all over the world. Tempeh can be an acquired taste, and the recipe for Sweet Winter Squash Stuffed with Cornbread, Wild Rice and Smoked Tempeh may very well convert a reluctant follower. Rich with herbs, and mushrooms, wood-smoked tempeh is browned and tossed with wild rice and cornbread for an exceptional vegetarian stuffing. This is on the short list of recipes every vegetarian should try. It is well worth the preparation time and makes an impressive holiday main dish.

Delicata squash is just that: sweet and delicate in flavor. Its long "boat" shape makes it ideal for stuffing, but it is wonderful baked or steamed on its own. Delicata is one of the many hard winter squash available to us from late summer through the winter. Winter squash has been traced back 10,000 years to South America, and has been found in ancient Native American graves, presumably because it was offered as nourishment on the final voyage.

Delicata, hubbard, butternut, acorn, dumpling, kabocha, pumpkin and others all offer an exceptional nutrient profile: rich in beta-carotene, fiber, manganese and potassium, squash offer strength to the spleen-pancreas, and potent anti-inflammatory properties. Sweet Baked Delicata Squash with Chili Spices is an easy and delicious whole foods recipe to enjoy anytime duringf the fall and winter months.

Indian summer was upon us in New York this week and I went to Mount Kisco to visit a friend. We went to Hanover Hilltop Farm, where I was given the privilege of harvesting vegetables and herbs for our evening meal. There is something phenomenally peaceful and pleasurable about wandering amongst rows of greens, herbs, crucifers, and the last of more delicate plants like lettuce and arugula to forage ingredients that will, within a matter of hours, be part of the evening repast. We left with red lettuce, tatsoi, baby fennel, broccoli, cauliflower, leeks, carrots, beets, turnips, shallots, arugula, sage, lavender, marjoram and thyme. With the exception of the lavender and sage, everything was used for a vegetarian feast that included Lentil and Fall Vegetable Stew, a fragrant, hearty dish that is reminiscent of country French cooking, roasted veggies, and a simple salad. The lentil stew is even better the following day, after the flavors meld and develop.

The vegetables at Hanover Hilltop Farm are in beautiful, orderly rows. Gone are the bright reds and yellows of high summer, to be replaced by the muted greens and whites of collards, broccoli, cauliflower, brussels sprouts, cabbage, kale, rutabaga and turnips. Cruciferous veggies are rich in phytonutrients, and are "super vegetables" believed to have anti-cancer properties.Roasted Bi-color Broccoli and Cauliflower with Herbs and Spices is a cheerful and flavorful way to use our humble cruciferous friends, Herbs and sweet curry powder liven cauliflower, and its bright yellow hue contrasts nicely with the bright green broccoli. Please remember that people with thyroid issues should consume crucifers in moderation, as they interfere with iodine absorption.

Yesterday was a rough day. It started with being trapped in the subway for 1 ½ hours and missing out on a much-needed Pilates session. We've had company for a week and our guests have been preparing for a major event, which has thrown the normally tranquil energy of our household into chaos. Our food co-op has made some changes in data entry that I had to learn last night, so my day ended at midnight. Our family is going through some major transitions, and we are all under a bit of stress. Lots of it is good stress, but it's still stress.

Sound familiar? The details of the story may be completely different, but there's a lot of energy percolating in the world, and many of my clients are experiencing multiple layers of stress in their lives, some of it on a daily level, with many strata beneath.

When we are faced with high levels of energy circulating around us and in our daily lives, practices of radical self-care become crucial. Meditation, exercise, and healing touch are all important contributions to de-stressing. Warm baths with sea salt and essential oils can soothe a tense and tired body; and cultivating our spiritual connections can help ground us.
Of course the food we eat has a huge impact on our sense of well-being. When stressed, we often turn to food for comfort, stockpiling sugar, dairy products (the infamous pint of Haagen-daz ice cream) and starches to create what I call "the food coma" in an attempt to comfort ourselves. The problem is, it wears off, and we are left feeling bloated, tired, disgruntled, and sometimes a few pounds heavier.

I have discovered over the years that soups have a marvelous effect on the nervous system. A soup as light as miso or as dense as black bean can soothe and quiet the "savage beast" within, but my all-time favorite is Grounding Soup, a wonderful mix of root and sweet vegetables that soothes the most stressed nervous system. It is food-as-medicine at its best, and is a superb addition to the fall/winter kitchen.