Its that time of year again; the leaves have begun to change color, the weather has become cooler and you see pumpkin flavored items on every corner. Fall has arrived! Along with fall, comes fall harvest! Delicious vegetables such as squash, pumpkin, and apples are all in season right now. As weather begins to change, so does our palates. We start craving more soups, and warmer dishes, moving away from the lighter and cooler summer cuisine. Fall time screams comfort and what better way to find comfort than through food!
Eating with the seasonal change, a practice in Ayurveda known as Ritucharya. Ayurveda is an ancient Indian medical system that has been used for over 5000 years. Ritucharya translates to ‘seasonal guidelines’ and outline diet and lifestyle instructions to keep your body in balance as the seasons change. The fall recommended foods align with what is in harvest during that time of year. So foods such as root vegetables, pumpkins, apples, beets, etc are all in season and recommended to consume to keep your body happy and healthy as we enter even colder months.
See below for some delicious and healthy versions of fall favorites that will keep your body and tastebuds happy this time of the year!
Apple Pie Pancakes
Who doesn’t love pancakes and who doesn’t love apple pie! So why not combine them both! We swapped out the sugar laden pie and pancake recipes, for a version that will keep your tastebuds and blood sugar perfectly happy.
Ingredients
3 eggs
3/4 c Unsweetened almond milk
3 tbsps Maple syrup
3/4 lemon (juiced)
1 tsp Vanilla extract
1/2 c Coconut flour
1/2 c Arrowroot powder
1.5 tsp Baking powder
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp sea salt
1 tbsp EVOO
1 tbsp Coconut oil
1 Apple (diced)
1/2 tsp Cinnamon
2 tbsps Almond flour
Directions:
In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, almond milk, 1/3 of the maple syrup, 1/3 of the lemon juice and vanilla until combined.
In a separate bowl, combine the coconut flour and arrowroot flour. Add to the wet mixture about 1/4 cup at a time, whisking thoroughly.
Mix in baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
Grease a large skillet with olive oil and place over medium heat. Once hot, pour pancakes in the skillet, about 3-inches wide.
Once small holes begin to appear in the surface of the pancake, sprinkle a few apple chunks onto it and flip over. Cook each side approximately 3-4 minutes. Repeat until batter is finished.
Heat coconut oil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add remaining apple chunks, cinnamon, the remaining 2/3 of the lemon juice and the remaining 2/3 of the maple syrup. Stir until combined.
Add almond flour and turn down to low-medium heat. Let simmer and stir occasionally for 3 to 5 minutes or until apple chunks are soft.
Top apple pancakes with chunky apple cinnamon sauce and enjoy!
Sausage and Quinoa Stuffed Acorn Squash
Who doesn’t love a good squash recipe in the fall? Cooking this recipe will have your house smelling like the comfort of fall in no time!
Ingredients:
2 Acorn Squash
2 tbsp EVOO
1 tsp Cinnamon
1 c quinoa
1.5 c water
10 oz Chicken Sausage
1 yellow onion
1 garlic clove
4 cups baby spinach
1 tbsp rosemary
1/2 tsp nutmeg
Directions
Preheat the oven to 400ºF (204ºC).
Slice the tips off of your acorn squash so that it will sit flat. Then cut the squash in half and carve out the seeds. Brush the inside of each squash with olive oil. Then brush the inside of each squash with honey. Sprinkle each squash with cinnamon. Place the squash on a baking sheet, flesh side up and pop them in the oven. Roast for 30 minutes or until tender when pierced with a fork.
Meanwhile, cook your quinoa by combining quinoa and water in a saucepan. Place over high heat and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce to a simmer. Cover and let simmer for 12 to 15 minutes or until water is absorbed. Remove lid, fluff with a fork and set aside.
Heat your remaining olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Remove the casing from the sausage and add the meat to the skillet. Add the onions and saute until sausage is cooked through. Add the minced garlic and saute for another minute. Add spinach, rosemary and nutmeg. Saute just until spinach is wilted. Remove from heat then stir in the quinoa. Mix well.
Remove the squash from the oven and stuff each half with your quinoa sausage mix. Plate and serve!
Paleo Stuffing
A thanksgiving favorite, but commonly known to be based on bread and butter to bring the delicious flavor. This remix takes out the gluten but keeps all the flavor. Substituting cauliflower as the base, you might be pleasantly surprised by how similar this tastes to the original version.
Ingredients
1 head Cauliflower (chopped in florets)
1 tbsp Coconut oil
1/2 c EVOO
4 c Portobello mushroom
1 Leek (chopped)
3 stalks Celery
1 c Walnuts
1 Lemon (juiced)
3 Garlic (cloves)
1 tbsp Thyme
1/2 Parsley (chopped)
1/2 tsp Sea salt
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 400ºF (204ºC). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Toss your cauliflower florets in coconut oil. Season with sea salt and black pepper to taste. Spread the cauliflower across your baking sheet and bake in the oven for 30 minutes.
Remove cauliflower from oven and set aside. Reduce oven heat to 375ºF (191ºC).
While your cauliflower roasts, place a frying pan over medium heat. Add half of your olive oil and saute mushrooms, leek and celery for about 10 minutes or until the mushrooms are soft.
In a food processor, add the walnuts, lemon juice, garlic, thyme, parsley and sea salt. Add the remaining olive oil and roasted cauliflower and pulse (do not blend) until the mixture reaches a coarse, stuffing-like consistency. Do not over process as you do not want the mixture to turn into a paste. Note: If you don't mind some manual labour, you can skip the food processor and use a fork and knife to finely chop the stuffing. Once it reaches a good consistency, spoon the mixture into a baking dish. Place in the oven and bake for 1 hour. Stir every 15 minutes or so to prevent burning.
Remove from oven and transfer into a serving dish. Enjoy!
Pumpkin Bread:
We cant forget about fall’s star player in this batch of recipes, here we have a gluten free and low sugar pumpkin bread. This can be enjoyed as a dessert or breakfast! Happy Baking!
Ingredients:
3 Eggs
3/4 c Sunflower seed butter
1/3 c Maple Syrup
1/2 c Pureed Pumpkin
3 tbsps Coconut Oil
1/2 Lemon (juiced)
1/4 c Coconut Flour
2 tsps Cinnamon
1 tsp Nutmeg
1/3 tsp Baking Powder
1.5 Ginger (grated)
1/4 tsp Sea Salt
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350ºF (177ºC). Lightly grease a loaf pan or line it with parchment paper.
In a food processor, combine your eggs, sunflower seed butter, maple syrup, pumpkin puree, coconut oil and lemon juice. Blend until smooth and creamy. (Note: You can also mix by hand if you prefer.)
Add the coconut flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking powder, ginger and sea salt. Blend again until smooth.
Transfer the batter into the loaf pan. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes. (You can test if it is done by inserting a toothpick. It will come out clean when the loaf is finished.)
Remove the loaf from the oven and allow to cool in the pan for at least 15 minutes. Remove from the pan and let cool entirely before slicing. Enjoy!
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