The nighttime temperatures have started to drop and the promise of fall is in the air. A part of eating healthy is trying to eat seasonally. What does that mean? It means eating things that are in season now.
In our global world these days we can get most produce any time of the year. Just because we can doesn’t mean we should. I’m not saying that you should never eat a food that is out of season but just recognize that if you are seeing strawberries in an Arizona grocery store in July there is a good chance that they have been shipped in from far, far away.
Eating seasonally also helps keep variety in our diet. Here are recipes that use some in-season fall foods:
Non-Dairy Apple Parfait
INGREDIENTS
½ cup soaked raw cashews (soak at least 20 minutes – up to an hour)
½ cup unsweetened almond (or coconut) milk from a carton
½ teaspoon vanilla
1 cup chopped apple
1/3 cup rolled gluten-free oats (no need to cook these!)
1 tablespoon hemp seeds
Combine cashews, milk and vanilla in a blender and blend until smooth. Layer ingredients in a small cup: Dollop of cream, spoonful of apples, top with oats and hemp seeds and enjoy!
Savory Avocado Wrap
INGREDIENTS
1 butter lettuce or collard leaf
½ avocado
1 teaspoon chopped basil
sea salt and pepper
1 egg scrambled
small handful of spinach
Smear leaf with the avocado and sprinkle with basil, salt and pepper, add scrambled egg and spinach. Fold in half and enjoy!
Fall Fresh Pasta Salad
INGREDIENTS
1 small butternut squash, cut into small .5” cubes
1 tablespoon coconut oil
1 package of kelp noodles
¼ cup olive oil, plus additional for tossing at the end
1 leek, thinly sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup of maitake or shitake mushrooms
1 handful chopped sage
1 can garbanzo beans, optional
Salt and pepper
Heat oven to 400º. Toss the squash in coconut oil, salt and pepper. Roast for 20 minutes until fork tender.
Drain and rinse the kelp noodles. Then chop the noodles coarsely, so they easily separate. Then, sauté the noodles with 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat for 10 minutes.
While noodles and squash cook, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a sauté pan and cook leek until melted, about 8 minutes. Add garlic and mushrooms and cook for another 7-8 minutes.
Combine the noodles, squash, mushroom and leek mixture in a bowl. Add sage, salt and pepper and toss with remaining olive oil.
For added protein you can add a can of garbanzo beans.
Chocolate Banana Fro-Yo
INGREDIENTS
2 frozen bananas
3 tablespoons raw cacao
¼ cup unsweetened almond milk
Place bananas and cacao into your blender and blend while slowly adding the almond milk until you have the consistency of frozen yogurt. You may not use all ¼ cup of almond milk.
Do you have a favorite recipe? Share it with us in the comments below!