I don’t know about everyone else, but I LOVE FALL! It comes and goes much faster than I would like and I wouldn’t be surprised if this post came a hair too late, but alas it will be here for next year!

The cooler temperatures have most of us craving hardy and warm foods, the comfort of our own homes, cozy clothes, fuzzy blankets, warm drinks, snuggles and ready to bust out some seasonal decorations (I already did :D). Seriously, as soon as the time changes, don’t ask me to leave my house after the sun sets, I’m likely already in sweats, face-mask on and curled up on the couch with my cats- I’m not going anywhere. (I recently learned that I am more of an introvert than I thought, so this is all finally making sense :D)

If you’re anything like me, cooking is much more enjoyable in the colder months. In the summer, it kind of sucks to have a hot house from having the oven on (esp. if you don’t have AC), and we’d probably rather be outside enjoying the sunshine instead of hovering over the stove for hours.

For me, cooking can be a beautiful act of self-care, nourishment, a gesture of affection to my body and others- or a complete chore! I love the aroma and warmth provided from cooking in the cooler months, to not only provide myself with comforting, nourishing foods, but to also share with friends and family. Sharing my cooking or meals with others is one of my ultimate simple pleasures in life.

Since I’ve been diving deep into all the fall foods, I thought now would be a good time to chat a about seasonal eating with a little insight into intuitive eating (I plan on doing a lengthier post about this later), and share some of my favorite fall recipes.

First things first- What does seasonal eating mean?

Seasonal eating is essentially purchasing and eating foods at are naturally in season where you live. Foods produced in season and locally will be fresher when you purchase them (less travel time) and therefore be more nutritious and tastier. By requiring less travel time, they are allowed to ripen naturally, instead of being harvested earlier, which makes more nutrient dense produce.

It supports your local community.

Purchasing seasonal foods supports your local farmers and economy by keeping money flowing through the community and the provides jobs through the growing, processing distributing of foods.

It benefits the environment.

Foods grown locally are less likely to use pesticides and chemicals, less pollution with traveling produce trucks and less packaging, and helps to sustain farmland. Have you ever thought about where your food came from or how many miles (hundreds-thousands) food traveled before it reached your plate?

It benefits YOU.

Consuming foods that are in season naturally fuel your body for that season. For instance, foods that are in season during the Fall/Winter are typically hardier than what we might find in Spring/Summer, which are lighter, crispier and refreshing for the hotter, longer days.

So what kind of fruits and vegetables might be in season where you live? There’s actually a handful of produce that taste BETTER when harvested in cooler temperatures like kale and broccoli.

What is else in season during the fall and winter months?

Beets

Endive

Broccoli Raabe

Brussel Sprouts

Cabbage

Carrots

Cauliflower

Celery

Celery Root

Fennel

Clementines

Kohlrabi

Leeks

Kale

Onions

Lemons

Persimmons

Pomegranates

Pears

Shallots

Potatoes

Sweet Potatoes

Winter Squashes like acorn, butternut, delicata, kabocha, spaghetti squash, etc.

Some of my favorite seasonal produce this time of year- beets, pomegranates, winter squashes (although not going to lie, I get burnt out on them pretty fast), leeks, shallots, kohlrabi and sweet potatoes!

By consuming seasonal foods, we also happen to tap into an area of intuitive eating by providing ourselves with the nutrient dense foods our body requires during these colder months and shorter days. It’s completely normal to find yourself craving dense, comforting and filling meals during this time of year, listen to your body and give it what it needs- (which might just be one of the dishes listed below!)

All the recipes below contain warming spices. Warming spices are helpful during this time of year because they help to improve digestion, circulation, and support the immune system (please keep those winter colds/flu away!). Some examples of warming herbs and spices are black pepper, cardamom, ginger, cinnamon and cayenne.

Lately, I have been longing to sip on all the soups! I started with making a magical vegetable broth that I learned in school and from there made a ground turkey chili, curried butternut squash soup and a turmeric-ginger chicken noodle soup (nom). I also included a season fall salad that I thoroughly enjoy!

For the soup recipes, minus the broth, I used my Insta-Pot. If you do not already own one, I highly recommend it! It makes cooking such a breeze, especially for you busy homemakers and moms out there! If you’re interested in investing in one of, click on the image on the right.

Warming Magic Mineral Broth

This is a perfect recipe to do over the weekend, on a cold day, when you know you will be home most of the day. Really you just have to throw all the ingredients into a pot, let them simmer for hours and enjoy the pleasant aromas that fill your home.

This will serve as the base for all your Fall/Winter soups or whatever you would like to use broth for! For the most part, I save the tops, bottoms and peels of my used produce and produce that it beginning to wilt and I know I won’t eat it. I have a gallon sized ziploc in my freezer where I store miscellaneous pieces and save them for when I am about to make a big batch of stock. It is also useful to have a few whole ingredients from this recipe, just to make sure you have enough vegetables to make a hardy, mineral dense stock. I have this recipe featured in my stories on my Instagram if you would like more of a visual tutorial.

I throw whatever fresh herbs I have in my house in the pot, scraps from my freezer bag & usually a few other fresh ingredients- you can really play around with this, there are no rules when it comes to making your own stock- just know that some produce is more fragile than others and may completely fall apart- which doesn’t really matter. Just make sure not to peel or skin any of the produce, there’s lot of high quality nutrients in the skin that will then seep into your broth. Yum!

Ingredients

6 unpeeled carrots, cut into thirds
2 unpeeled yellow onions
1 leek, cut into thirds- use the whole thing
1 bunch celery, cut into thirds
5 unpeeled clove of garlic, smashed
1/2 bunch fresh parsley
4 medium red potatoes, skin on, quartered
2 sweet potatoes, skin on, quartered
1 garnet yam, skin on, quartered
1 8 in. strip of kombu
2 bay leaves
4 whole allspice berries
2 tsp peppercorns
1 Tbsp. sea salt
1 lemon, halved
1 tsp. turmeric
small nub of fresh ginger, smashed

Directions

Rinse all the vegetables & kombu. Place all ingredients, except salt, in a 12-quart or largest pot you have. Fill the pot to 2 inches below the rim with filtered water (make sure all the vegetables are covered), cover with lid and bring to a boil
As the water begins to boil, a foaming scum will begin to form at the top. Using a ladle or metal spoon, “skim the scum”
Remove the lid, reduce the heat to low and simmer for at least 2 hours. I usually do 4-6. Some of the water will begin to evaporate, simply add more water if vegetables start to poke out
Simmer until the vegetables are completely soften and begin to fall apart, you should be able to taste the vegetables in the broth. Add salt, stir and let simmer for a few more minutes.
Turn off the heat and strain the stock using a mesh strainer- preferably metal. I usually compost the remnants from my broth, but I’m sure there’s other uses out there!
Allow the stock to cool before storing. I like to freeze a majority of the batch to use throughout the winter and refrigerator a small batch to make a soup for that week.
* Recipe adapted from Rebecca Katz

Warming Ground Turkey Chili

1 lb organic (if possible) ground turkey
1 cup black beans (or 15 oz can)
1 cup kidney beans (or 15 oz can)
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic
2 carrots, chopped
2 bell peppers, color of choice
1 jalapeno, minced
2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp sea salt, plus more to taste
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground turmeric
1 28 oz can diced or crushed tomatoes
1 c filtered water
2 c magical mineral or bone broth (homemade or store bought)
Sprigs of fresh herbs- whatever’s available - thyme, rosemary, oregano
2 dried bay leaves

Directions

If using dried beans, be sure to soak the night before. Rinse and add to a pot with water that covers the beans by at least 1 inch. Bring to a boil, cover with lid and let simmer for approximately 1 hr.
- I prefer to use dried beans when I can - less waste, cheaper and I can be in control of how they’re prepared! This is where an Insta-pot comes in real handy! I add the dried beans to the pot, cover with water, add a few dried bay leaves, and place on the bean setting, takes about 20 minutes.
Heat oil over medium heat in large skillet- I prefer cast iron. Add onions, garlic and peppers and sauté for 3-5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add in turkey and begin breaking up the meat with wooden spoon, cook until the meat is no longer pink. Add in cumin, oregano, cayenne pepper and sea salt, stir together.
After the meat is cooked, transfer to pot- I use my Insta-pot and just add everything to the beans once they’re done, but a regular stock pot will work just fine.
Add in tomatoes, broth, filtered water, turmeric (& beans if you cooked them separately.) Bring to a boil and then simmer for 30-45 minutes until chili thickens and all the flavors are mixed together. I like to add more seasonings at the end if it is not as flavorful as I’d like. I prefer to do this at the end. Remember- you can always add more, but you can’t take it back!
- If using Insta-Pot, simply set on soup setting.
Add whatever toppings you’d like- green onions, avocado, cheese, tortilla strips & enjoy!

Curried Butternut Squash Soup

Ingredients

2 C warming magic mineral broth (or preferred store bought, vegetable or chicken)
1 Tbsp coconut oil
2 shallots, sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced
6 cups butternut squash
1 Tbsp avocado oil
1 1/2 Tbsp curry powder
1/8 tsp Ceylon cinnamon
1 14 oz can organic coconut milk
2 Tbsp maple syrup
Sea salt & pepper to taste
*Optional- fresh cilantro, red pepper flakes, or extra coconut milk for garnishes

Directions

Preheat oven to 400°. Carefully cut butternut squash in half, lengthwise, you may need to sharpen your knife for this! Scoop out the seeds. Place on sheet pan and drizzle squash with avocado oil, salt, pepper, curry powder and cinnamon.
Roast in oven for 25-30 minutes, until squash is tender. If you do not have time or want to roast the butternut squash separately- frozen is a fine and much simpler option! Just add it to your stock pot and warm it with the same ingredients form step 1.
Once cooked, remove from oven and let cool. Peel off the skin and cut into cubes.
Next, I blended my squash in a food processor.
- If you have an immersion blender, this is a perfect recipe to put it to use- plus less stuff to wash! Just add the squash to whatever cooking equipment you plan on using- stock pot or Insta-pot - immersion blender will come up in the next few steps.
Add in coconut milk, broth and maple syrup ( I to use less maple syrup because I prefer a less sweet soup, your choice!)
Set Insta-pot on soup setting or bring ingredients to a boil in your stock pot, reduce and let simmer for 15-20 minutes.
If using an immersion blender, blend until smooth and creamy.
Sample and adjust flavors to your preferences, more curry powder, pepper or salt for a more savory soup or more cinnamon or maple syrup for a sweeter finished product.
Garnish or serve as is! Good for approximately one week or freeze to later enjoyment.
I served mine with some leftover chicken breast and brown rice :p

Turmeric-Ginger Chicken Noodle Soup

Ingredients for Chicken

1-2 lbs organic chicken thigh
2 tsp avocado oil
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp dried oregano
pinch of sea salt, few twists of black pepper

Ingredients for Soup

6 cup magic mineral broth (or preferred stock)
3-4 medium carrots, cut into halves or quarters
3-4 stalks of celery, sliced
1 medium yellow onion, diced
1 Tbsp ground turmeric
1 3 in piece of fresh ginger, grated or thinly sliced
Sea salt
1 box gluten free (or not) noodle of choice - I like Ancient Grains & Banza
2 stalks lemon grass
Few sprigs of fresh oregano

Directions

Preheat oven to 425°
Tenderize chicken thigh with mallet or handle of knife (very carefully).
Add oil to pan and rub thighs in the oil. Sprinkle both sides with seasonings.
Bake for 18-20 minutes. Internal temperature of the chicken thigh should reach 165°.
While the chicken is cooking, cut and prepare vegetables, add to stock pot or Insta-pot.
When chicken is cooked, remove, let cool and either shred with fork or cut into cubes and add to pot.
Add the remaining ingredients (except the noodles) to pot or Insta-pot (again I used an Insta-pot) & place on soup setting.
- If using a pot on the stove, add ingredients to pot, bring to boil and reduce heat to a simmer for about 15-20 minutes.
While the soup is brewing, cook noodles in a separate pot, until al dente. Once cooked, drain and rinse.
After your broth is done cooking, either pot or Insta-pot, vegetables should be softened, add noodles to pot & extra seasoning if desired- like more turmeric :)
This might be one of my most favorite recipes this season- Enjoy!

Pomegranate Avocado Salad with Beets & Orange Shallot Dressing

This salad would be a beautiful, tasty (and healthy!) dish to bring to Thanksgiving, Friendsgiving, etc. or would be a perfect addition to your meal prep routine! Add chicken breast or quinoa to use for a complete meal, just add avocados the day of to avoid browning.

Salad Ingredients

6 cups spinach
3-4 medium beets, diced
1 Tbsp. avocado oil
Pinch of sea salt
Pinch of Black pepper
1 tsp dried rosemary
1 pomegranate, peeled
1 avocado, sliced
5 oz organic goat cheese, crumbled (optional)

Dressing Ingredients

2 cups fresh squeezed orange juice
1 Tbsp. diced shallots
1 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 1/2 Tbsp. fresh squeezed lemon juice
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/4 c maple syrup
1/2 tsp fresh ginger, minced

Directions

Preheat oven to 425°. Place diced beets on pan and coat with avocado oil and sprinkle with sea salt, pepper and rosemary. Roast for 15-20 minutes, until tender and puncture easily with a fork.
To make the dressing, add fresh squeezed orange juice and shallots to a pan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until liquid has reduced to half. Remove from heat and cool.
In a small bowl whisk together maple syrup, olive oil, lemon juice, sea salt and orange juice. Sample the dressing and add more salt, lemon juice or maple syrup to taste preference.
Add greens, beets, and avocado to a beautiful salad serving bowl :) and toss with dressing. Top with goat cheese and pomegranates and show off to your friends how fancy you are with your fancy salad.
*Recipe adapted from Rebecca Katz

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