4 Healthy Recipes Packed With Fall Flavors

Joan Salge Blake

If you want to spice up your life -- and live longer and happier -- look to cinnamon, sage, turmeric and ginger. All of these spices not only scream "fall flavor," but they may also help keep you healthy, according to simmering research.

A recent review of several studies, for example, has shown that cinnamon may help lower blood glucose levels after a meal for people with Type 2 diabetes. Adding it to meals could be a spicy way to help regulate blood glucose levels, especially among the over 85 million Americans who have prediabetes and are on the fast track to full-fledged diabetes.

[See: 10 Diets That Can Help Prevent or Manage Diabetes.]

Studies also suggest that sage may help improve memory and attention in older adults. Turmeric, meanwhile, contains curcumin, which has been shown to have potential anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer and antioxidant properties in animal and laboratory studies. Lastly, if you feel queasy from motion sickness, chemotherapy or surgery, ginger may help subdue your nausea. (I, for one, appreciated ginger ale's stomach-soothing effects when I was pregnant.)

Because taste and flavor are the top reasons why people identify specific foods as their "favorites," these delicious spices have the opportunity to transform healthy meals into new favorites. "Cinnamon can add a sweet flavor to oatmeal and stews, and a dash of ginger in hot chocolate will give it a kick," says Lior Lev Sercarz, a chef, author of "The Spice Companion: A Guide to the World of Spices" and owner of the New York City spice shop La Boite who loves infusing sage in soups and pairing turmeric with butternut squash.

Learning to season your foods with a variety of spices can also help you cut back on salt and sugar as your fallback flavors in the kitchen. Consuming too much salt can wreak havoc on your blood pressure and consuming excess added sugars and calories can make weight management a challenge. Too much of both of them is not good for your long-term health.

[See: 9 Simple Ways to Reduce Your Sodium Intake Now.]

Ready to get cooking? Here are a few easy, healthy recipes from my nutrition colleagues that use cinnamon, sage, turmeric and ginger:

1. Autumn's Best Butternut Squash, Apple and Pear Soup with Cinnamon

-- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

-- 1 small onion, cut into 1/2-inch cubes (1 cup)

-- 2 garlic cloves, minced

-- One 20-ounce carton diced butternut squash (3 cups)

-- 1 apple, unpeeled and cut into 1-inch cubes

-- 1 pear, unpeeled and cut into 1-inch cubes

-- 1/2 teaspoon curry powder

-- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

-- 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

-- One 32-ounce carton all-natural vegetable broth (4 cups)

-- Kosher salt and black pepper

-- Optional toppings: toasted, chopped walnuts; roasted pumpkin seeds; chopped chives; plain Greek yogurt

1. Heat the oil in a Dutch oven or large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring frequently, until tender -- about five minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook until fragrant, one more minute.

2. Add the squash, apple, pear, curry powder, cinnamon and ginger, and stir to combine.

3. Stir in the broth, increase the heat to high, cover and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat and maintain at a low boil, covered, until the squash is tender, about 30 minutes.

4. Use an immersion blender to puree the soup. If you don't have one, let the mixture cool for about 15 minutes, transfer it to a blender and puree it in batches until very smooth. Transfer back to the pot, reheat and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve with optional toppings.

(Recipe from Meal Makeover Moms)

2. Pumpkin Spiced Pork Tenderloin with Sage

-- 1 pound pork tenderloin

-- 1/2 cup pumpkin puree

-- 1 1/2 cups spinach, chopped

-- 2 tablespoon sage, chopped

-- 1 tablespoon olive oil

-- Pumpkin pie spice

-- 1/8 teaspoon salt

-- 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

2. With a sharp knife, butterfly the pork tenderloin and pound thin with a mallet or rolling pin. Place butterflied pork onto a baking sheet or roasting pan.

3. Spread pumpkin puree evenly across the pork, then top with sage, pumpkin pie spice, salt and pepper. Add the layer of spinach on top.

4. Beginning at one end, tightly roll the pork into a log and secure with kitchen twine, if needed. Drizzle pork with olive oil.

5. Roast in the oven for 45 minutes, or until a thermometer reads 145 degrees F. Let rest for 10 minutes. Slice into 1/2-inch to 1-inch thick slices, then serve.

(Recipe from Lori Zanini)

3. Homemade Facaccia Bread with Turmeric

-- One 16-ounce bag pizza dough, preferably whole wheat

-- 1 tablespoon cornmeal

-- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

-- 1 to 2 teaspoons assorted spices

-- 1/4 teaspoon kosher or sea salt

1. Leave pizza dough at room temperature for at least 30 minutes. Cut dough into four equal pieces and place on a counter or cutting board sprinkled with cornmeal. Shape the pieces into thin rounds with your fingers.

2. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Brush 1 tablespoon of the olive oil onto a rimmed baking sheet. Place the dough rounds on the baking sheet and make several depressions into each piece with your finger. Brush with the remaining oil, sprinkle liberally with spices and then top with a few pinches of kosher or sea salt.

3. Place in the oven and bake for about 15 minutes, until the bread starts to brown. Remove from the oven and cut into 1-inch slices. Sprinkle with a bit more salt to taste and serve.

(Recipe by Meal Makeover Moms)

[See: Unusual Uses for Pumpkins.]

4. Gluten-Free Ginger-Molasses Cookies

-- 1 tablespoon ground flax

-- 1 tablespoon warm water

-- 1/4 cup olive oil

-- 1/2 cup brown sugar

-- 1 large egg

-- 1 egg yolk

-- 3 tablespoons molasses

-- 1 cup gluten-free all-purpose flour

-- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda

-- 1/2 teaspoon each ground ginger, ground cinnamon and ground allspice

-- Pinch of salt

1. Combine flax and water in bowl of an electric mixer; let stand five minutes.

2. Add oil, brown sugar and cream until well-blended; add egg, egg yolk and molasses and beat until smooth.

3. Combine flour and remaining ingredients in a small bowl, mixing well. Add to sugar mixture and beat until blended. Refrigerate dough for 30 minutes.

4. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

5. Spoon heaping tablespoons of dough onto Silpat or parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake at 375 degrees F for 15 minutes or until lightly browned and set. Let cool on a wire rack 10 minutes.

(Recipe by Regan Jones)

Joan Salge Blake is a Clinical Associate Professor at Boston University and the author of "Nutrition & You," 3rd Edition, Pearson/Benjamin Cummings (2014), "Nutrition & You: Core Concepts to Good Health," Pearson/Benjamin Cummings (2010), and "Eat Right The E.A.S.Y. Way," Prentice Hall Press (1991). She is the co-author of "Nutrition: From Science to You," Pearson/Benjamin Cummings (2016). Joan has conducted more than 1,000 media interviews and has been quoted in or written for various media outlets, such as the New York Times, Food Network, Newsweek, Washington Post, Forbes, Prevention, WebMD, Consumer Reports, Boston Globe, Newsday, Time, The Atlanta Journal Constitution Readers Digest, and Cosmopolitan, People, Parade, Cooking Light, Parents, Shape, Self, More, Sports Illustrated, Woman's Day, More, All You and O magazines. She has appeared on CBS, The Early Show, CNN, CBS News Boston, NBC News, Boston, NPR and Fox TV, Boston. In 2012, Joan was named by Good Housekeeping Magazine as the expert to follow on Twitter for healthy eating. She is currently working towards her doctorate. Follow her on Twitter at: @JoanSalgeBlake.