We are excited about the changing of the seasons and the opportunity to bake, toast and feast on the harvest.
Everything in the markets looks fantastic right now. As the temperatures drop and the days get shorter, we seem to crave bigger and tastier flavors. Enjoy great fall flavors while maintaining a WHOLE food baseline with these warm fall dinner recipes.
Here are the recipes we put on the table this season.
A great fall salad
Chicken cabbage, apple and almond salad
Hannah Kinger, Cooking Light 2016
A simple but satisfying dinner. The vinaigrette doubles as a marinade. Pat the chicken dry before sautéing. You can sub romaine or spinach if you don’t like kale.
1/4 cup olive oil
1 teaspoon grated lemon peel
3 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons fresh thyme, finely chopped
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
12 ounces skinless, boneless chicken thighs or breasts
6 cups baby kale
2 medium carrots, peeled and thinly sliced diagonally
2 stalks of celery
Thinly sliced apple
1/4 cup slivered almonds, toasted
Quick, Easy + Delicious Fish Dinner
Crab cakes on greens
Very fancy without a lot of work!
A cup of mixed crab meat, white and brown
1 egg
a teaspoon of Dijon mustard
⅛ teaspoon white pepper
light olive oil or butter (or ghee) for frying
½ cup almond flour (may not be regular)
pinch of salt
3-4 tablespoons ground almonds
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
3 handfuls of baby spinach or salad leaves
quarter cucumber, seeded and sliced
lemon slices for serving
Combine the crab, egg, mustard and parsley, flour and salt. Shape into 4 patties. Put in the fridge for 30 minutes. Heat 1 teaspoon of oil in a pan. Fry for 10 minutes per side. Place on a bed of lettuce. Put almonds on top.
Satisfying autumn Soup
Roasted red pepper + tomato soup
Modified by Cookie + Kate
This soup is a great combination of vegetables harvested in late summer. The recipe is large (about 12 cups), so you can half it or freeze it for later.
8 to 9 medium tomatoes (about 5 pounds), pitted and quartered
3 red peppers (about 1 kg), seeded and quartered
2 small yellow onions, sliced about ¾” wide on outer edges
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
6 cloves of garlic, without the skin
4 cups (32 oz) vegetable stock (chicken stock can be layered)
¼ teaspoon smoked paprika
Pinch of cayenne pepper
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper. Place the sliced tomatoes on one of the prepared baking sheets. Place the quartered peppers and onions in the other pan. Pour 1 tablespoon of olive oil into each pan. Gently toss the tomatoes until lightly coated with oil. Gently toss the onions and red peppers until lightly coated in the oil. Add the peeled garlic cloves to the sheet. Place the tomatoes on the top rack of the oven and the peppers and onion on the middle rack. Bake for 35 to 45 minutes, until the vegetables are tender and golden on the edges.
When the vegetables have softened enough, bring the stock to a boil in a large soup pot over medium-high heat. Peel your garlic and throw it in. Add the roasted vegetables, smoked paprika, cayenne pepper, if using, and ¼ teaspoon salt. Simmer for 10 minutes. Purée the soup using a blender or transfer the soup to a blender in batches, several cups at a time. Season with salt and pepper to taste (I added another ½ teaspoon) and pepper. This soup keeps well in the fridge for a few days and freezes beautifully.
Amazingly good Veggie Main
Lentils with asparagus, baked potatoes and lemon mustard sauce
From Angela Liddon, Oh She Glows
Different and delicious!
For the salad:
1 cup uncooked French green lentils/du Puy lentils (about 2½ cups cooked)
3 medium yellow potatoes, diced (about 3 ½ cups) (or halved carrots for less carbs)
1 bunch asparagus, ends cut and chopped
½ medium red onion, diced (about 1 ½ cups)
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, divided
handful of minced fresh dill, for garnish (optional)
For the dressing (makes 2/3 cup):
2 tbsp coarse grain/old fashioned mustard
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
4 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
3-4 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice, to taste
pinch or two of fine sea salt or pink salt
Preheat oven to 425 F. Use a fine mesh sieve to rinse and drain lentils. Add lentils and 3 cups water to a saucepan. Bring to a boil, then simmer until tender, about 18-20 minutes. Drain the lentils and add sea salt to taste. Place parchment paper on two baking sheets. Put the chopped potatoes with ½ tablespoon of oil, salt and pepper in one of them and put them in the oven. Bake for 15 minutes and flip.
While the potatoes are cooking, in the other pan add the asparagus, the red onion (if you want to cook it), ½ tablespoon of oil, salt and pepper. Place in the oven when you flip the potatoes and roast both the potatoes and the asparagus for 12-15 minutes until the potatoes are golden brown and the asparagus is tender. Remove from the oven and put in a bowl with lentils. In a small bowl, mix the dressing ingredients. Toss lentils and vegetables with dressing.
A colorful side
Cauliflower steaks
Modified by Mark Hyman, FOOD
A great alternative to regular roasted cauliflower.
Cauli Steaks:
2 heads of cauliflower
¼ cup avocado oil
1 ½ tablespoons of lemon juice
1 ½ tablespoons capers, rinsed and chopped
¾ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon paprika
¾ teaspoon sea salt
½ teaspoon of pepper
Remove the green leaves, trim and cut in half. Then cut into 1 ½ inch steaks. There will be many blossoms that will fall. Save them for later. Place the steaks on a baking sheet. Mix the avocado oil, lemon juice, capers and spices in a bowl. Drizzle or spread the mixture on both sides. Bake at 450 degrees for about 12 minutes. Flip, add the rest of the mixture and cook for another 13 minutes, until the steaks are golden brown. They are done when you can pierce them with a fork.
Chermoula Sauce:
¾ cup chopped almonds
2 cups chopped fresh parsley
1 cup cilantro, loosely packed, chopped
½ cup olive oil
¼ cup lemon juice
2 tablespoons of water
1 tablespoon tamari
3 tablespoons of capers
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 tablespoon minced jalapeno
½ teaspoon smoked paprika
½ teaspoon of salt
Roast the almonds in a pan until golden. Mix or process the almonds with the remaining ingredients. Serve over cauli steaks.
A smoked snack
Roasted dumplings
A great combination of spices in these nuts!
1/2 tsp each: salt, smoked paprika, garlic (granules if possible, but powder works in a pinch)
1 teaspoon olive oil
½ cup raw, shelled pumpkin seeds
Combine the spices and garlic. Heat the olive oil on medium heat. Add the pepitas and cook until golden brown about 4-5 minutes. Turn off the heat and mix with spices.
A decadent fall dessert
Cocoa Nut Truffles
Modified from The Clean Plate, Gwyneth Paltrow
I love these in the fall!
Half cup each: Medjool dates, pitted and chopped, raw cashews, raw almonds
1/8 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon raw cocoa powder
Pinch of sea salt
2 tablespoons of water
2 tablespoons chopped walnuts
Simply combine all ingredients in a food processor and pulse until smooth. Mix in the chopped walnuts. Shape the mixture into 12 tablespoon sized balls. Refrigerate until ready to eat.
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