Wow! Although the weather this week has felt like the end of summer, fall is definitely here. Where has the time gone? Well, there is lots to discuss...new recipes, racing, a little trip to Iceland and a not quite torn meniscus. Yep, the summer was a busy one. But before I get into all of that, I thought I would pass along a couple of new recipes that I am loving right now.
First up is Leslie Klenke's Better than Oatmeal. Leslie is the author of the book, Paleo Girl, featured on Mark's Daily Apple. Finding this Better than Oatmeal recipe has gone a long way to curbing the craving for breakfast comfort food. Here is the link: http://www.marksdailyapple.com/paleo-girl-book/#axzz3GEQLbvz5
Ok, yes, Better than Oatmeal does involve cooking eggs and bananas together. I know it sounds weird. But it really is good. It has even been given the JM Stamp of Approval. This recipe also travels well. I simply make up a batch and add a little almond milk on top at the end. When I get to work I reheat the "oatmeal" in the microwave for a quick thirty seconds. Voila! Breakfast is served.
The second recipe I have is courtesy of Nom Nom Paleo. I made this last week to use up some of the fall produce spilling out of my fridge, the bounty of both Fresh Fork Market (they're taking winter sign ups http://freshforkmarket.com/extra-view/sign-up-or-sign-in/) and Old MacDonald's late producing farm. Here is the recipe: http://nomnompaleo.com/post/97731264703/paleo-by-seasons-atkilt-spiced-ethiopian-vegetable This is so good. Don't be afraid of the cinnamon/turmeric combo. This recipe is not spicy at all. Rather, it is super warm in a wonderful, autumn-y sort of way. Plus, both cinnamon and turmeric are widely considered to have all sorts of happy health benefits. Google it if you don't believe me.
One thing I wanted to point out with this second recipe is a practice I have been working on the last couple of years. It is the Art of Not Buying A Whole Bunch of Random Produce When Cooking. So. For example, this recipe calls for carrots. I was plum fresh out of carrots last week. But I did have two entire vegetable drawers plus a basket on the counter of assorted other vegetables. So, instead of picking up carrots at the grocery, I thought to myself, hmmm, what is a carrot like? It's orange. It's a root vegetable. It's sweet. Do I have any other orange, root-like and/or sweet vegetables laying around? Why, yes, I did. I had a small sweet potato so I peeled and chopped that. It wasn't quite the amount required so I threw in a yellow zucchini. Eh, zucchini pretty much goes with anything. And those two substitutions worked out fabulously. I also could have probably used a squash like acorn or butternut. So the moral of the story is use your imagination and think about what you might have on hand before buying something you may not need.
Last but not least, it's apple season! Particularly for my Northeast Ohio and Midwest Peeps, run, run, run to your local orchard and get those apples while the getting is good. My favorite orchard is Rittman Orchards in Norton, Ohio. http://www.rittmanorchards.com/ It's a bit of a drive but well worth it for their heirloom varieties. JM and I are currently making our way through our second peck of apples. Besides snacking on them, I am a big fan of making applesauce. Using in season apples completely negates the need for any sugar. Normally, I cook the apples down and then process them in the food processor but according to the Vitamix Powers That Be, I can simply core and chunk the raw apples, add a little water and let the Vitamix wonder machine do it's thing. That is going to be this weekend's project. I will let you know how it goes. But any which way you make it, applesauce freezes wonderfully. I like to store it in the pint size containers by Arrow
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Hope you are enjoying the wonders of the season. Take a walk. Marvel at the fall colors. And Eat Real Food. The possibilities just may be endless this time of year.